Superman & Lois S3: Spoilers, Speculation, and Discussion

[Frontier]

The creators wanted to go for a different and more Friday Night Lights vibe with Superman so that meant taking a step away from Metropolis and adding more to ground the narrative and the casts' personal problems on-top of the Superman stuff.

[superduperman]

The first season was exceptional. The grounded take on the decline of small towns and how they deal with that in a Superman show was unlike anything done with the character and most takes on TV in general. After that, the show kind of went downhill. The Bizarro stuff was not handled well, IMO. Especially given how well grounded the show was when it started. And when they gave Lois cancer in the third season I just noped out at that point. Too close to home. They seem to just want this version of Superman to suffer. There are some great ideas in the show. Giving the boys a half sister from another Earth. Seeing Lana move on with her life and start a family instead of just being "the other woman" in Clark's past. Giving the kid with problems the powers while the popular kid didn't get any was also a good take. Making his mother his connection to Krypton instead of his father also worked given the way they did it.

But making the show more or less a Smallville sequel I think limited what they could do with it. Smallville worked because most of the super powered stuff centered around the meteor shower that brought Clark to Earth. They didn't have that here. So you had to come up with an explanation for why all this weird stuff kept happening in this small town. I think that's a fair criticism. They should have stayed in Metropolis. Or at the very least, have all the superhero stuff revolve around Metropolis. I also would have loved to have seen more of his rogues gallery that gets under utilized in other versions. He's been around for 20 years in this universe. Where is this version of Parasite? Where is this version of Toyman? Where is this version of Brainiac? It's just the same three villains all over again. Zod (more or less), Bizarro, and Luthor. Who seems less impressive in this version than in others.

I'm glad they made it a different world than the original Arrow-verse. The aesthetic just didn't line up with the mood of this show. I feel like they had so much potential they just squandered. This could have been a great show. It just was afraid to step too far outside it's own comfort zone. That might have been a budget thing, that might have been a lack of ideas thing. I don't know. I think it spent too much time trying to be bleak instead of using the Superman mythos properly.

[Vordan]

[exile001]

The first season was exceptional. The grounded take on the decline of small towns and how they deal with that in a Superman show was unlike anything done with the character and most takes on TV in general. After that, the show kind of went downhill. The Bizarro stuff was not handled well, IMO. Especially given how well grounded the show was when it started.

...They seem to just want this version of Superman to suffer.

I feel the opposite on s1/2. I found season one a slow, miserable, joyless slog (except maybe the last few episodes), where Superman/Clark, and those around him, felt like abject failures who spent most their time wallowing. I really had to power through it.

I wouldn't have watched more except for the promise of Bizarro, who I love as a concept, which was done so ridiculously I couldn't help but love it. Tal-Rho was a genuine pleasure in season 2.

S2 still had a lot of CW melodramatic teenage drama, but I had to fast forwarded a lot of that.

I haven't brought myself to try 3 yet, as I'd heard about the cancer thing and I just don't really want to watch that. I doubt they'd do it well, or make it particularly entertaining.

[superduperman]

I feel the opposite on s1/2. I found season one a slow, miserable, joyless slog (except maybe the last few episodes), where Superman/Clark, and those around him, felt like abject failures who spent most their time wallowing. I really had to power through it.

I wouldn't have watched more except for the promise of Bizarro, who I love as a concept, which was done so ridiculously I couldn't help but love it. Tal-Rho was a genuine pleasure in season 2.

S2 still had a lot of CW melodramatic teenage drama, but I had to fast forwarded a lot of that.

I haven't brought myself to try 3 yet, as I'd heard about the cancer thing and I just don't really want to watch that. I doubt they'd do it well, or make it particularly entertaining.

I've thought to myself that this is the one version of Superman that you don't want to be given all the crap they put him through.

[Frontier]

Looks like someone is dressed for a party...or funeral? Though Lois would probably be more covered up for that.

[superduperman]

Thought they tore down the farmhouse. Guess they built a set for the season.

[exile001]

I've thought to myself that this is the one version of Superman that you don't want to be given all the crap they put him through.

Oh, 100%. I really feel for the guy (and Lois), so I guess it is eliciting emotions at least.

[Vordan]

https://ew.com/superman-and-lois-sea...-mccoy-8605464

Major trouble is coming for the Kent family on Superman & Lois.

The CW's last remaining comic book series has cast Kung Fu alum Yvonne Chapman as Amanda McCoy, EW can exclusively reveal. The recurring character is described as "intelligent, cunning, and loyal," and is Lex Luthor’s (Michael Cudlitz) most trusted ally in his vendetta against Superman (Tyler Hoechlin) and Lois Lane (Elizabeth Tulloch).

Yvonne Chapman joins as Amanda McCoy. DC COMICS;GETTY
Amanda is the acting leader of LuthorCorp in Lex’s absence, and her business-savvy and cutthroat nature have brought the company to new heights. According to the official description, "Little is known about her mysterious past, but she’s the only one in Luthor’s inner circle that he views as an equal, which makes her a massive threat to the Kents... and anyone else who stands in her way."

While Amanda is a minor character in the comics, she is one of the only people who figured out Superman's secret identity. While working as a scientist at LexCorp, she revealed her discovery to Lex that Superman is actually reporter Clark Kent. But since Lex couldn't believe that Superman would choose to live as a human, he fired Amanda and didn't act on her intel.

[juan678]

[superduperman]

https://ew.com/superman-and-lois-sea...-mccoy-8605464

I wonder if they're going to do that same story for the show.

[Frontier]

https://ew.com/superman-and-lois-sea...-mccoy-8605464

I would've thought they'd use Mercy (or Lex's ex-wife), but deep pull from the Byrne era!

[The Frog Bros]

All the behind the scenes photos reinforce the idea that Hoechlin is/was the perfect Clark/Superman.*

*in some people’s opinion, myself included.

[Vordan]

I wonder if they're going to do that same story for the show.

My hunch is yes. Lex (with her help) will uncover Superman’s secret identity and target the entire Family in revenge.

[OpaqueGiraffe17]

Not that I disagree with a lot of your criticisms (from the moment the show was announced I was concerned about how setting the show in Smallville could negatively impact the storytelling, especially for Lois) but it does sound like you basically wanted a totally different show premise. The series was pitched as Superdad and Mom!Lois dealing with parental problems and raising their kids rather than a straightforward superhero show. For better or worse, this was never going to be a show focused (mainly) on Superman fighting the villain of the week. Feels like the premise has reached its natural endgame - four years of the boys going through high school across four seasons seems fine with me.

That’s why I’m fine with it wrapping this season since we have Legacy and MAWS replacing it.

Yeah even though I think this is a top 3 Superman adaptation for me; definitely ready for it to wrap up hopefully on a strong note. Very much ready for the presumably much less grounded movie reboot incoming after.