"Smallville" -- the adventures of Superman while he was a boy! Well, not quite. The Superman saga takes a new twist in this series from WB Television. Clark Kent is an almost normal teenager living in a farm near Smallville, Kansas. He possesses some superpowers such as super speed, strength, and invulnerability, but he hasn't yet donned the red and blue tights as Superman. Nor can he fly -- Clark's superpowers are still somewhat limited.

In another twist, Lex Luthor is not (yet?) an evil villain, although his father Lionel Luther, a ruthless businessman, fits the bill. Clark rescues Lex from drowning, so they become fast friends, although not without objections from Clark's adopted father Jonathan Kent (who is not called Pa Kent in this updated version of the Superman myth). Lex, even as a young man of 20 or so (he's somewhat older than Clark), already sports a bald pate due to an encounter with a shower of kryptonite meteorites. Lex manages the local Luthercorp fertilizer factory, while his evil father hangs out in nearby Metropolis.

	Kristen Kreuk plays Lana Lang

On the neighboring farm lives Clark's would-be girlfriend Lana Lang. Unfortunately, she's in love with the high school football quarterback, Whitney. In the series premiere, Whitney discovers Clarks attraction to Lana is being reciprocated by Lana, so he leaves Clark dangling from a cross with a big red "S" painted on his chest (Whitney unwittingly uses a piece of kryptonite to weaken Clark, thereby saving himself from being pounded into rubble).

Which brings up another twist -- Smallville, formerly the "Creamed Corn Capitol of the World" is now the "Meteor Capitol of the World," because hundreds of kryptonite meteorites struck Smallville and the surrounding farmland. These kryptonite fragments not only weaken Clark at inopportune times, but also result in numerous "meteor freaks" -- ordinary people who gained extraordinary powers when the kryptonite meteorites struck Smallville. One of these meteor freaks turns up in every episode, it seems.

Clark has two other friends who work with him on the Smallville High newspaper -- Chloe Sullivan, who has the hots for Clark but pretends not to, and Pete Ross, Clark's best friend.

Tom Welling plays the teenage Clark, while Kristen Kreuk plays Lana, and Michael Rosenbaum plays Lex. Rounding out the cast are Allison Mack as Chloe, Sam Jones III as Pete, John Schneider as Jonathan Kent, and Annette O'Toole as Martha Kent. Schneider is best remembered for his role in the "Dukes of Hazzard" TV series of the '80s, while Annette O'Toole played Lana Lang in the "Superman III" movie of 1983. "Smallville" is produced by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar.

-- 21 Oct 01