Is Smallville not as good as it should be, because of the WB?

[user123456789]

I think all of Smallville's shortcomings come from WB's main restriction:

"No flights, no tights"

 

[04nbod]

no flights maybe but if he had the tights it would be superman and really that defeats the purpose of what it leads to. I don't mind no tights. Its practically a 'superman' show as it is when you consider the characters and storylines they are using

 

[AgentPat]

The no flights no tights axiom isn't a restriction from WB but a self imposed rule instituted by the SV producers themselves. It's been that way since the very beginning...
http://www.post-gazette.com/tv/20011016smallville1016fnp3.asp

But like every other self imposed rule on SV, they all get broken eventually...

 

[122290]

I've watched this show since season 5 and I think he's going to wear the tights. We already have the flight rule broken....why not the tights? Anyway I just want to see TW in a superman costume.

 

[user123456789]

The no flights no tights axiom isn't a restriction from WB but a self imposed rule instituted by the SV producers themselves. It's been that way since the very beginning...
http://www.post-gazette.com/tv/20011016smallville1016fnp3.asp

But like every other self imposed rule on SV, they all get broken eventually...

WOW WTF?

wb didn't put that on theM????

they did it themselves?!?!?!?!?!?!!!!!!!!!!

wow

omg wow

 

[Super_Ludacris]

Its not just the no tights, no flights aspect, its the teen love aspect as well. The CW as network has a supposed built in audience that they wanna cater to more (hence the Clana stuff, hence Lois with Ollie and now Supergirl coming in) because they look at previous comic book/sci-fi/cult shows and there's a long history of a lotta them having a short shelf life. So it is definetly bound by corporate restrictions, which is ironic considering how commerical and well know the Superman property is.

 

[triplet]

Actually, in a way I think the show was made better by not having Clark wear the tights, the show is about his journey to getting where he'll wear those and operate his powers out in the open, but I think keeping the no flights restriction is getting silly....

I mean, he's flown in one form or the other since the beginning but from it looks like he'll fly this year, finally...

 

[Super_Ludacris]

Its become its own origin and mythological story

 

[TwilightPro101]

Actually, in a way I think the show was made better by not having Clark wear the tights, the show is about his journey to getting where he'll wear those and operate his powers out in the open, but I think keeping the no flights restriction is getting silly....

I mean, he's flown in one form or the other since the beginning but from it looks like he'll fly this year, finally...

Sums up my general feelings at the moment.

 

[Cmill216]

The fact that this is a comic book based series, and it's now moving on to its seventh season without any heavy signs of slowing down, says something about the formula they cooked up. In other words, it's worked.

 

[Super_Ludacris]

The fact that this is a comic book based series, and it's now moving on to its seventh season without any heavy signs of slowing down, says something about the formula they cooked up. In other words, it's worked for a CW programme.

Fixed

 

[user123456789]

Fixed

LOL

 

[Tempest19]

The CW did NOT force the no tights, no flights- EVERYONE that is an involved SV fan knows that that is the vision Gough and Millar had from the beginning. Nothing forced by WB or CW.

Romance was also always a key aspect of Smallville. Maybe the CW told them to focus more on it, but not alot more than they already would have.

That said there are some limitations, obviously, but 'No tights, No flights' is definitely not one of them. That was part of their pitch to the network. One of the magazines had pages from their pitch to the network and written plainly and clearly against one of them is 'No Tights, No Flights'

 

[JUBJUB]

Does anyone recall an episode where Clark climbed up something, or maybe he was hanging out an airplane door-- and we were made aware Clark was AFRAID of heights??? How bizarre is that?

 

[avidreader]

Does anyone recall an episode where Clark climbed up something, or maybe he was hanging out an airplane door-- and we were made aware Clark was AFRAID of heights??? How bizarre is that?

That was Insurgence where he had to superjump from The Daily Planet building to the Luthorcorp Building so he could save Martha.

I thought it was a touch of irony, and a reason to keep him grounded, rather than something bizarre.

 

[triplet]

That was Insurgence where he had to superjump from The Daily Planet building to the Luthorcorp Building so he could save Martha.

I thought it was a touch of irony, and a reason to keep him grounded, rather than something bizarre.

He also mentioned the fear of heights in Mortal after he nearly fell through the bottom of the air duct he was in.

 

[amazingfantasy15]

I think a large part of Smallville's problems come from the self-impossed "No Flights, No Tights" rule. It worked for Clark's high school years, but now it's really started to hurt the show as the characters aren't evolving becasue the writers/producers don't want to move the story any further, Clark has just about everything he needs to actually become Superman now, but the producers don't want to move the character forward. As a result, he can't get over Lana and start being interested in Lois, he can't start working at the Planet, can't have an even bigger rivalery with Lex, won't become a true hero. This is my biggest problem with the show, lack of character development, especially with the television that's on now, you could get away with this type of storytelling in the '80s or '90s, but with shows like Lost, Heroes, 24, Supernatural that show characters evolving and moving forward it's very frustrating to see that Smallville refuses to move it's characters forward. It's time to ditch "No Flights, No Tights" and the Freak of the Week stories and start embracing the mythology more, give Clark the glasses, show some scenes of him in college studying journalism, completing his training at the Fortress of Solitude, actually get over Lana, working on ensuring a distinction between the Clark Kent and future Superman personas...

 

[ZIPBAGS]

I honestly think the "No flight, no tights" rule was imposed by the producers to seperate the show from other Superman shows that came before. I really don't think they expected the show to last over 6 seasons. Where both of the rules would need to be broken.

 

[Super_Ludacris]

Point taken, but getting intrested in Lois is not going to make him don the tights on its own, I dont know why people say this. Even Superman as we know him is always stuck on Lana sometimes because of the hometown connection. What you should be saying is, he should accept his destiny. And he will.

 

[Super_Ludacris]

I honestly think the "No flight, no tights" rule was imposed by the producers to seperate the show from other Superman shows that came before. I really don't think they expected the show to last over 6 seasons. Where both of the rules would need to be broken.

Basically

 

[storyteller]

What i think holds smallville back.

Premise, lets face it, i dont pick up a superman comic and hope for them to go back to the time when he wasn't superman every issue. Smallville premise prevents the majority of what makes superman great. I mean thats simple, they have to hole back and its obvious.

Its superman written like dawsons creek. I think these are 2 things that should never mix again. They had no real material to choose from that isnt a post superman story. That relates to the first part.


They force themselves to stay in the same premise. If they had simply chosen to turn to from origin to superman to old age, then they wouldnt have to draw out one certain storylines (cough lana cough) for the duration of the series.


The writing just sucks. The show is only as good as the writers and they dont impress if its not a superman like episodes( clark and the justice league for example)

 

[ariellem]

To get around "no tights, no flights" even more, Bizarro can choose a costume first.

 

[Superfreak]

it's not about the slogan that makes the show weak. It's the poor production. The writing on the show isn't too bad. It's pretty good. But i feel that the transition bw writing and production, something is lost, and opportunities not exploited.

I'd love to blame WB, and I think a little of their corperate behavior interferes, but I blame the producers on most levels. WB holds the $$$, but it's the producers who deliver the product. And the quality of product they deliver should have far more depth than it does.

 

[Kaboom]

its good to know that even though i only come by for a bit every month or two, were still having the same arguments with the same people.

joy.

 

[avidreader]

it's not about the slogan that makes the show weak. It's the poor production.
joy.

I'm not sure what you mean by production, because I think that Smallville is one of the most beautiful productions, visually, on television.

And Kaboom I miss you and Brainy terribly, and wish you would come by alot more often.