10 Most Hated TV Finales Of All Time
9. Smallville - ‘Finale’
A reimagining of Clark Kent’s teenage years before he became Superman was always going to be an odd sell. What exactly was he going to be doing before he, you know, got interesting? It turned out that he’d be doing exactly what Superman had always done - fighting the same villains alongside the same supporting cast - only without the elements that made him iconic.
Vacillating wildly between comic book action and sub-soap-opera schmaltz, the two part finale - each part written and directed by different people - was a mixed bag until the climax.
Original showrunners Miles Millar and Alfred Gough had always intended the final scene of the show to be Clark donning the costume and assuming the Superman identity. Season ten’s producers Brian Peterson and Kelly Souders chose to honour that by ignoring that historic moment, and having the final reveal take place seven years in the future - long after he took on the name and the costume.
The audience, having waited for this moment for a decade, didn’t even get to see the full suit; just the ‘S’ under Clark’s shirt. Understandably, critics and fans alike weren’t best pleased, and the finale was named one of TV Line’s biggest disappointments of the year.