'Superman & Lois' : The CW TV Series

[5Eyes]

I don't know what to say about this pilot.... I don't like CW ..... Yet I'm surprise of how good it was .... I want to be optimistic but truth is I'm waiting for the other shoe to fall.... I will be VERY HAPPY if it doesn't but CW hero shows makes me pessimistic....

[daBronzeBomma]

This was my review (that I posted in 3 different Facebook groups in which I'm a member) immediately after watching the pilot episode:

#SupermanAndLois

7 takeaways from the pilot episode (mostly spoiler-free):

1. This is a very different yet very familiar Superman. This is the opposite of a Year One origin setting: this is Superman Year 20.

The show is going to be anchored by Tyler Hoechlin's portrayal of Kal-El, both in his Clark Kent and Superman guises. And, so far, he is up to the task.

Hoechlin presents a Superman who is good at both getting emotionally vulnerable with his family and getting physically violent with his villains (more on that in a moment).

At the very least, he has Superman's smile down!

And that suit is evolving, has evolved, and hopefully continues to evolve.

2. Wow, this show literally looks great.

I mean, the cinematography does not look like the typical shoestring CW budget at all. It's almost feature-film quality.

The fight scenes are good and the SFX are much better than expected.

I sincerely hope this is how the show itself will look like for its entire run.

3. Lois Lane as The World's Greatest Journalist HAS to be an aspect given as much screen time as her dual roles as Clark's partner and mom to Jonathan and Jordan.

Of all the recurring characters in the show, Elizabeth Tulloch's Lois is the one most in danger of getting lost in the shuffle.

She definitely will get screentime both as wife and/or mother, but SHE is the best reporter (and chief breadwinner) in the family, and her professional side needs to get equally compelling focus as her personal life.

But I think she's a damn good Lois so far.

4. We need to talk about the kids.

Because, holy crap, they're way better than advertised. Both of them.

Jonathan could easily be a popular bully who seems to have a touch of Clark's powers, but he isn't. Kid gives off genuine likeability, even while being oblivious, while showing up when it counts.

Jordan is the bigger surprise and the much harder job to pull off, but ... that kid is fascinating to watch. In the wrong hands, it'd be so easy to dislike him, but he is so relatable.

Was afraid I'd resent both of them even being there (taking up time away from Superman), but eff it, they have such a believable teenage brother bond that I'm in.

5. The pilot mixes grief, anger, anxiety all with various amounts of hope in ways that don't negate anything.

Poverty and addiction are not things with which Superman really ever deals. Maybe it's past time he did.

It's weird: you can pick out bits of past incarnations in the "Superman And Lois" pilot: a little "Lois & Clark" here, some "Smallville" there, a wee bit of "Krypton", some "Man of Steel" and of course "Superman: The Movie".

And yet, it so far manages to put out its own unique vibe apart from its predecessors.

6. Lois' dad General Sam Lane is a surprise.

He is a member of Clark's inner circle: he is (so far) firmly a good guy who has known the secret for a long time.

General Lane is also quietly Clark's own Comissioner Gordon to aid the costumed Superman on his missions.

It's hands-down the best use of that character I've yet seen in any medium.

7. I really, really wish this show was exclusive to HBOmax instead of the CW.

I really don't want the CW Supergirl showing up on this show. Although their shared CW past has clearly been actively rewritten thanks to that Crisis crossover last year: there is absolutely no mention of Kara at all during Clark's flashbacks or elsewhere in this pilot.

The only person I want to have come over from the other CW shows would be Jon Cryer's excellent Lex Luthor.

I really want this show to exist independently of anything else.

Bottom line: Solid A. Highly recommended. I'm hooked. Definitely got my DVR set for the next episode already.

[KabutoRyder]

It's a short season- 13 episodes, I think. I know the CW increased the episode count.

They added 2 so theres 15. I'm hoping that turns out to be advantageous from a narrative and SFX standpoint. The 22-24 episode count demand really mucks with the quality of so many series out there, not just comic book ones.

[AnakinFlair]

This was my review (that I posted in 3 different Facebook groups in which I'm a member) immediately after watching the pilot episode:

#SupermanAndLois


2. Wow, this show literally looks great.

I mean, the cinematography does not look like the typical shoestring CW budget at all. It's almost feature-film quality.

The fight scenes are good and the SFX are much better than expected.


3. Lois Lane as The World's Greatest Journalist HAS to be an aspect given as much screen time as her dual roles as Clark's partner and mom to Jonathan and Jordan.

Of all the recurring characters in the show, Elizabeth Tulloch's Lois is the one most in danger of getting lost in the shuffle.

She definitely will get screentime both as wife and/or mother, but SHE is the best reporter (and chief breadwinner) in the family, and her professional side needs to get equally compelling focus as her personal life.

But I think she's a damn good Lois so far.


4. We need to talk about the kids.

Because, holy crap, they're way better than advertised. Both of them.

Jonathan could easily be a popular bully who seems to have a touch of Clark's powers, but he isn't. Kid gives off genuine likeability, even while being oblivious, while showing up when it counts.

Jordan is the bigger surprise and the much harder job to pull off, but ... that kid is fascinating to watch. In the wrong hands, it'd be so easy to dislike him, but he is so relatable.

Was afraid I'd resent both of them even being there (taking up time away from Superman), but eff it, they have such a believable teenage brother bond that I'm in.


6. Lois' dad General Sam Lane is a surprise.

He is a member of Clark's inner circle: he is (so far) firmly a good guy who has known the secret for a long time.

General Lane is also quietly Clark's own Comissioner Gordon to aid the costumed Superman on his missions.

It's hands-down the best use of that character I've yet seen in any medium.


I really don't want the CW Supergirl showing up on this show. Although their shared CW past has clearly been actively rewritten thanks to that Crisis crossover last year: there is absolutely no mention of Kara at all during Clark's flashbacks or elsewhere in this pilot.

The only person I want to have come over from the other CW shows would be Jon Cryer's excellent Lex Luthor.

2. I really wish I could have seen how good this show looks, but due to my shitty internet connection, my HD copy of the pilot looked like something I downloaded in the late 90's.

3. I don't think she'll get lost in the shuffle. I think there's going to be an A, B, and C plot that will get equal screen time- Captain Luthor (Clark), the kids (Clark and Lois), and Morgan Edge (Lois).

4. I started to dislike Jordan, but I came around by the end of the episode. I was surprised by Jonathan, and how likeable he was. And I loved that he didn't have an antagonistic relationship with Jordan (well, no more than normal siblings).

6. Agreed. I wasn't prepared to like General Lane, but then he casually drops that Bass season is coming up and he'd like to take the kids fishing. I like that.

As for Supergirl- I absolutely want her to appear at some point, though probably not until the second season. Yes, things have been rewritten, and we didn't see her in any flashbacks- but at the same time, we only caught a glimpse of the past, and despite the rewrite, she still has a chair at the big table. But Kara doesn't need to be here for this story (and thanks to Covid, couldn't be there regardless). As for Cryer, I would LOVE to see him show up. I remember hearing that they were in talks with Cryer to appear, but I don't know if anything ever came of that.

[LifeIsILL]

They added 2 so theres 15. I'm hoping that turns out to be advantageous from a narrative and SFX standpoint. The 22-24 episode count demand really mucks with the quality of so many series out there, not just comic book ones.

The 22-25 episode format wouldn't bother me if the writers knew how to write good "filler" episodes. But they don't, that's the problem.

If you read comics there are plenty of good one-issue arcs where some villain shows up and the main hero defeats them. But for some reason CW just sucks at doing that.

[Kirby101]

Yeah, single villain, one story line 22 ep seasons are usually deeply flawed

[Anarchist]

Can you say "renewed already"?

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/li...on-2-at-the-cw

[KabutoRyder]

The 22-25 episode format wouldn't bother me if the writers knew how to write good "filler" episodes. But they don't, that's the problem.

If you read comics there are plenty of good one-issue arcs where some villain shows up and the main hero defeats them. But for some reason CW just sucks at doing that.

It's not just the CW bro, it's writers across all shows.

[tabo61]

The Black suit!!!!!!!

[Kirby101]

Why is black suit Supes evil? Looks like its off to Google.

Anyway a good second episode with some good looking FX. I think they have a good balance with the characters so far.

[regnak]

So could the boys only have powers together like the wonder twins? Maybe within a relatively short distance.

[Killerbee911]

Can you say "renewed already"?

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/li...on-2-at-the-cw

CW renews pretty much everything that is not a surprise

[Vakanai]

Why is black suit Supes evil? Looks like its off to Google.

Anyway a good second episode with some good looking FX. I think they have a good balance with the characters so far.

I don't think Google will give the answer. Yes, black suited Superman has traditionally been a good guy ala when he came back from his Death. But this isn't comics, they chose a black costume for their evil Superman because it looks like something an evil Superman would wear. That's probably it.

[j9ac9k]

I had a big problem with how the writers are having the Kents deal with their sons. I get that Jordan might need training or supervision until he can control his powers or whatnot, but why in the world would Clark not take both sons to the Fortress to tell them about Kryton?? Regardless of who has powers, it's still their heritage - not just the one who has abilities. They made it seem important to Clark that one of them inherits his powers, but that's obviously silly and he should value both sons unconditionally regardless. I know they want to create tension with the sons having a rivalry, but when it comes at the expense of Clark and Lois being idiots and not saying the most obvious things to their sons to reassure them, the tension then feel contrived.

[ZeroBG82]

I had a big problem with how the writers are having the Kents deal with their sons. I get that Jordan might need training or supervision until he can control his powers or whatnot, but why in the world would Clark not take both sons to the Fortress to tell them about Kryton?? Regardless of who has powers, it's still their heritage - not just the one who has abilities. They made it seem important to Clark that one of them inherits his powers, but that's obviously silly and he should value both sons unconditionally regardless. I know they want to create tension with the sons having a rivalry, but when it comes at the expense of Clark and Lois being idiots and not saying the most obvious things to their sons to reassure them, the tension then feel contrived.

I think you're being really unfair to Clark with this perspective. He clearly feels uncertain in dealing with his sons right now, and I think that's totally fair. It's actually quite interesting to see Superman being confronted by problems he can't punch, and having to deal with feeling unsure of his path forward is serving that purpose really well right now. He KNOWS he's struggling as a dad, but he doesn't know exactly how he should make it right, or even better.

As for what you seem to feel is so obvious, holding both boys out of school isn't ideal. And Jon has football, which is something that is important to him. I'm not sure you want to deny him that time for the history lesson when he can get that trip later at a more opportune moment. Put simply, Jordan just poses the more immediate need at the moment. So I don't think that's a valid argument at all.

Secondarily, it isn't that Clark wants one of the boys to have powers, or that he prefers Jordan to Jon. It's that he is desperate for some way to connect to Jordan, whom he doesn't really understand. With Jon, Clark already has a strong bond and familiarity. But he can't seem to find a way to relate to Jordan. It felt really clear to me that what Clark was actually hoping for was that this was a way to bridge the divide between himself and his son. The chasm that he feels but doesn't know how to cross. His sheer excitement after the first visit to the Fortress, and the way Jor-El crushed that hope on the second, you could almost feel Clark's heart break. He wants so intensely to have something in common with Jordan, some way to reach the boy.

I don't think the 'rivalry' in the episode was forced, or contrived either. But it's not really a rivalry. Jon loves his brother, and basically agreed to pack up and leave his entire life behind for him. No questions asked. He's so much like Clark, putting his brother before himself. He even tries to shield him from learning about the hazing and the difficulties that he faced at school, thanks to Jordan's actions in the first episode. Jon isn't jealous of Jordan, and there is no rivalry. But Jon paid a price for supporting Jordan, and it's natural that he looks at the treatment Jordan has been getting from Clark and wonders about that. It's why Clark showing up at football practice at the end of the episode was an important moment. Clark knows that he needs to do better for both his sons.

Definitely getting a Wonder Twins vibe from the developments in this episode. Almost sounds like Jordan inherited all the tools, but Jon maybe got the batteries. That or Jordan's power source won't turn out to be the sun at all, and his powers run on something else. Part of me thinks they might try to go a little bit Kon-El, and have Jordan's powers resemble Clark's, but actually turn out to be something not quite the same at all. Still plenty of possibilities on the table.