With Arrow already over, Supergirl ending this year, and The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow showing their age, the CW is counting on new shows to carry the Arrowverse forward. It stands to reason that Superman & Lois is the one set to lead the shared universe once the shows that brought it to life finally end. But is the show ready to handle the weight of these expectations?
The answer is, of course, multilayered, and complicated. Superman & Lois cannot really be compared to Arrow – the darker, grittier show the CW bet on to get their DC TV universe started. The Green Arrow was a lesser-known comic book character when the show brought Oliver Queen into the mainstream. If anything, it’s easier to compare Superman & Lois to The Flash, or Supergirl, shows that followed Arrow in the universe and focused on more well-known characters. And yet, it could be argued there’s no DC superhero – or even superhero in general – as famous as Superman.
All of this translates to a different set of expectations, not just ratings-wise, but storyline-wise. And though the show is still in its first season, its attempt at a twist at the Superman story has been both a wild success and at times, a disappointment. After a strong “Pilot” the next 4 or 5 episodes of the show were a bit aimless, typical of a show in its infancy, trying to find its footing. There was that one episode that felt like a Smallville homage. There was an overreliance on Superman and Lois’ teenage sons for drama.
It didn’t feel like Superman & Lois could be the center of the Arrowverse going forward, not in those first few episodes. Even with the inspired casting of Tyler Hoechlin, who brings not only the physical prowess to the role of Superman, but the perfect amount of dorkiness to the role of Clark Kent. Even with a perfect Lois Lane in Bitsie Tulloch, the kind of character who was always her own woman, even while on a relationship with the most powerful man on Earth. Even with the copious chemistry between the two of them being able to power small towns – and carry a show.
But Superman & Lois has always had the advantage of a very long comic book history. The character of Superman, after all, has been around since the 1930s. So has Lois Lane, for that matter. That’s over 80 years of backstory to draw from, and that’s without going into the fact that the CW DC shows have been known to borrow from each other. Superman & Lois took a few episodes, but when it made the turn from possible freak-of-the-week episodes and a budding teenage love triangle featuring Clark’s two sons and Lana’s daughter to a more grounded family show while bringing in some of the mythos, the switch was noticeable.
Particularly because this isn’t Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. This is a story about a Clark and Lois that have already gone through the awkward “love triangle” involving the same person stage. This Lois doesn’t just know Clark’s secret, she’s his partner. This Clark has no doubts about his place in the world – he belongs with his wife, and his two kids. This means the show has a chance to go where no other Superman live-action adaptation has and focus on the rich mythology and supporting characters surrounding the Man of Steel.
The show is now on a break, with the final four episodes slated to air starting July 13th. The first season has already set up Morgan Edge as Tal-Roh, Superman’s older brother with a grand plan to take over Earth and bring Krypton back. It’s already brought up Kal-El’s mother, whose consciousness momentarily occupied Lana Lang’s body. It’s already given one of Lois and Clark’s twins, Jordan, powers he has absolutely no idea how to control. It’s already introduced John Henry Irons, and with him, the notion of another universe where Superman is the greatest villain to ever exist.
All of that in eleven episodes. And as the show gears up for what is sure to be a charged ending to season one, it’s clear why the CW thinks this show can be the center of the Arroweverse going forward. It was always a gamble to bring in Superman. So many stories have been told about Superman before. How could this show introduce a character everyone already knows and make him interesting? How could they make people invest in a story they already know the ending to?
Superman & Lois has an answer. Cast the right actors, play to the chemistries, focus on the mythos and refrain from adding any unnecessary drama to the Lois and Clark relationship. Been there, over that. There’s already enough drama in being a family, superpowers or not. Particularly when some members of the family come from a different planet. All the show had to do was exactly what it’s been doing – play of off that.