“Superman & Lois” ran for four seasons on The CW, from February 23, 2021 to December 2, 2024. It ends with 53 episodes and a premise that sounds like a dare: what if the most powerful man on Earth had to worry about his kids?
Trailer, via DC.
Smallville, Again
The show opens with Clark Kent and Lois Lane moving back to Smallville with their sons Jonathan and Jordan. They reconnect with Lana Lang, her husband Kyle Cushing, and their daughter Sarah. The town is not a refuge. A figure called the Stranger arrives, and Morgan Edge runs secret experiments that pull the family into a fight they did not ask for.
That setup is the show’s best idea. Tyler Hoechlin plays Clark Kent and Superman; Elizabeth Tulloch plays Lois Lane. Both actors came to these roles from “Supergirl” and “The Flash,” and the series began as a spin-off of “Supergirl.” The “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover served as a backdoor pilot.
The first season kept the show inside the Arrowverse’s Earth-Prime. Later seasons moved it to its own continuity on a different Earth, a change confirmed in the second season finale. That decision followed the cancellation of planned crossovers with “Supergirl” and “Batwoman” because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Two Sons, One Secret
The twins are the engine of the drama, and the show knows it. Jordan Elsass played Jonathan in seasons 1 and 2; Michael Bishop replaced him from season 3 after Elsass left for personal reasons. Alex Garfin plays Jordan.
Jonathan is the modest, kind-hearted, athletic son who initially inherits no Kryptonian powers. Jordan is the introspective one, an outcast with social anxiety who does inherit them. Early in season 1, Jordan’s abilities appear only in “small bursts.”
By season 2, he is powerful enough to fight Tal-Rho for a brief time. Jonathan’s powers manifest after an emotional outburst in season 4. The show takes its time with that asymmetry, and it mostly pays off.
The supporting cast is deep. Dylan Walsh plays Samuel Lane, replacing Glenn Morshower, who had recurred in the role on “Supergirl.” Emmanuelle Chriqui plays Lana Lang. Erik Valdez plays Kyle Cushing, Smallville’s fire chief, described as callous, abrasive, and a former alcoholic. Wolé Parks plays the Stranger. Inde Navarrette plays Sarah Cushing.
Adam Rayner plays Morgan Edge, a role Adrian Pasdar had played on “Supergirl.” Sofia Hasmik and Stacey Farber were cast in October 2020 as Chrissy Beppo and Leslie Larr. Hasmik was promoted to series regular for season 2. Tayler Buck, a guest star in season 1, was also promoted for season 2.
- Tyler Hoechlin as Clark Kent / Superman
- Elizabeth Tulloch as Lois Lane
- Alex Garfin as Jordan Kent
- Michael Bishop as Jonathan Kent (seasons 3–4)
- Jordan Elsass as Jonathan Kent (seasons 1–2)
- Erik Valdez as Kyle Cushing
- Inde Navarrette as Sarah Cushing
- Dylan Walsh as Samuel Lane
- Emmanuelle Chriqui as Lana Lang
David Ramsey reprised his Arrow role of John Diggle and directed at least one episode. Ian Bohen joined in a recurring role as Lt. Mitch Anderson for season 2. Jenna Dewan returned as Lucy Lane in season 2. Chad L. Coleman was cast as Bruno Mannheim.
The Run, in Order
The show was announced as a pilot in October 2019 and ordered to series in January 2020. It was developed for The CW by Todd Helbing and Greg Berlanti, based on the DC Comics characters Superman and Lois Lane, created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.
| Season | Premiere | Finale |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | February 23, 2021 | Not given in source |
| 2 | Not given in source | Not given in source |
| 3 | Not given in source | Not given in source |
| 4 | Not given in source | December 2, 2024 |
The source gives only the series’ overall run, not per-season dates. Only the first premiere and the final finale are known.
Bizarro, Doomsday, and Cancer
Season 2 gives Superman painful visions that lead him to Bizarro, while he clashes with Lt. Mitch Anderson. Lois deals with the Inverse Method cult led by Ally Allston, who swayed Lucy Lane to her side and made an enemy of Bizarro. Season 3 puts Superman against Intergang while Lois suffers from stage three inflammatory breast cancer. After Peia Mannheim dies and Bruno Mannheim surrenders, Lex Luthor is released from prison when the Mannheims’ frame-up of him killing Boss Moxie is exposed. He plans revenge involving a resurrected Bizarro.
Season 4 is the fight with the mutated Bizarro, now called Doomsday, as Luthor sets up a new base at the Manning Farm. Doomsday gives Superman’s heart to Luthor, as ordered. That is a bold swing for a network drama, and the show earns some of it.
What Holds and What Doesn’t
The premise is the strongest thing here. Clark and Lois as working parents is a real idea, and the show commits to it longer than most superhero series would. The cancer storyline in season 3 is the series’ high point, because it treats Lois as a person with a body and a diagnosis rather than a plot device. Hoechlin and Tulloch carry that weight.
The weakness is sprawl. Four seasons, 53 episodes, and a continuity that shifts from Earth-Prime to its own Earth. The Bizarro and Doomsday material in the final season leans hard on spectacle, and the show’s quieter instincts get crowded out. The recasting of Jonathan from Elsass to Bishop is handled as well as such things can be, but it costs the family scenes some history.
Hoechlin has been candid about the role. In an interview with Michael Rosenbaum on “Inside of You” after the finale, he said he accepted the part of Superman without fully understanding the character, and that he had grown up more of a fan of Batman and Indiana Jones. That admission is more interesting than most of what the show does with its cape.
“Superman & Lois” is a good show that could have been a better one. It understands the family, and it understands Smallville. It is less sure what to do with a universe that keeps changing under its feet. The result is a series worth finishing and worth arguing about, which is more than most comic adaptations manage.
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