20 Best Superman TV Episodes Of All Time
18. "Pilot" - Smallville
Where "Finale" was all about endings, the pilot of Smallville was all about beginnings. Events and characters that would define the show for a decade strong begin right here.
The doomed friendship between Clark Kent and Lex Luthor, along with the future Superman's long-time relationship with Lana Lang, are all accounted for in Smallville's opening hour. Featuring charming and earnest performances, along with a sense of nostalgic yearning of innocence, the first episode of this beloved series made it clear that this was going to be a unique vision of Superman.
From the opening sequence, seeing Kal-El's ship descend to Earth and the chaotic meteor shower that follows, Smallville set out to establish a surreal, small-town vibe that it carried proudly for its first five seasons. As the show expanded to include more DC Comics characters and see them spend more time in Metropolis, the show underwent some profound changes.
Which is what makes the pilot of Smallville so wonderful to look back upon. It was simple, just the story of a young man looking to find himself in a world full of meteor freaks and questions. None of that is embodied more than in Smallville's first episode.