Smallville season 10

The tenth and final season of Smallville, an American television series, premiered on September 24, 2010, and consisted of 22 episodes. It was the tenth and final season to air, and the fifth one to air on The CW television network. The series recounts the early adventures of Kryptonian Clark Kent as he adjusts to life in the fictional town of Smallville, Kansas, during the years before he becomes Superman.

Regular cast members during season ten include Tom Welling, Erica Durance, Justin Hartley, Cassidy Freeman, and Allison Mack. John Schneider, Annette O'Toole, John Glover, Laura Vandervoort, and Callum Blue all returned sporadically throughout the season as Jonathan Kent, Martha Kent, Lionel Luthor, Kara, and Zod respectively, while Michael Rosenbaum (Lex Luthor) and Aaron Ashmore (Jimmy Olsen) returned for the series finale.

In the final season of the series, season ten continues the romance first developed between Clark Kent and Lois Lane in season nine, as well as the continuation of Clark's trials, and the forging of his superhero identity "Superman". The season premiere was seen by 2.98 million U.S. viewers. The series finale aired on May 13, 2011. By the end of this season, Smallville had become the longest running science fiction television series in North America.

Development
In March 2010, The CW renewed Smallville for its tenth and final season, which consists of 22 episodes. Tom Welling, Erica Durance, Cassidy Freeman, Callum Blue, and Justin Hartley were the only regular cast members from the previous season who were contracted for the tenth season, although Blue was not picked up for the second year of his deal. As Allison Mack's contract was reportedly not renewed before the end of season nine, her status was in question. To put doubts to rest, executive producer Brian Peterson told to Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello that he was "very optimistic" that Allison Mack would be back.

The studio's official press release was presented in May 2010 and confirmed that Smallville would be remaining at its Friday, 8 p.m. time slot. It also revealed that Smallville would be reteaming with Supernatural, a series that was originally slotted just behind Smallville on Thursday nights for four seasons. The press release did not list Mack in the list of stars. On May 21, Mack released a statement confirming that she would not return as a series regular, but would return for multiple episodes to wind up her storyline. However, at the 2010 Comic-Con, Peterson stated that, despite her long absence and limited episode count, Mack would remain a series regular. Mack said that her hope was that the character of Chloe will hold on to her integrity as the writers closed out her storyline. For the actress, watching as her character matured over the years—from sacrificing the things she wanted for the sake of her friends, to finally reaching a point where she can strive to satisfy her own needs and wants—has been important for her. Tom Welling, who served as a part-time producer for season nine, was promoted as a full executive producer for season ten. Welling was also set to direct two episodes during the season, and Justin Hartley was contracted to direct another episode.

Story
Souders and Peterson revealed that the theme for season ten is "facing the ghosts of your past and how [the effect of seeing the past] helps you move on in the future"; as such, the return of previous cast members played into this. Souders and Peterson also chose not to erase Lois's memory of Clark's secret, something she discovered in the season nine finale. Instead, Lois helped Clark do what he needs to do to get away and fulfill his destiny without telling him that she knows. The producers explained that there are "some twists and turns" before Lois tells Clark that she knows. Initially helping Clark and Oliver at Watchtower, Tess discovers a secret from her past, and the season explores whether she ends on the side of good or bad. Chloe's ending was also told in a way that was fitting for Chloe. She "sacrifices" herself for Oliver, who has been informed that she was killed. As a result, Oliver spends much of the season looking for Chloe, trying to find who is behind her murder. In addition, Oliver is "literally and figuratively stripped down to his bare essence" early on this season.

Similar to season eight and nine, the tenth season introduced a new main villain, Darkseid, but producers said that it is a different incarnation than his comic book counterpart. They explained that Darkseid's presence is felt throughout the whole season, but that he does not actually appear until near the end, unlike in previous seasons where the main villain was present from the start. Instead, Darkseid's minions—Granny Goodness, Desaad, Glorious Godfrey, and others to be named—appear throughout the season as the physical presence for Clark to battle. That said, Darkseid makes an appearance in the season premiere, digitally created to start with, but with "more solid forms" making a short appearance by the third episode. The plan is for Darkseid's presence to be established as he takes over the bodies of various characters. The executive producers also wanted to take a look at the history of Smallville's Clark Kent in the 200th episode of the series. According to Peterson, the episode explores the past, the present and the future.

When discussing how the series will end, Peterson stated that the creative team had multiple visions of the finale episode since the show began. According to Peterson, there was the vision that series creators Miles Millar and Alfred Gough developed and shared with the team over the years. Then there was the vision that Peterson and the current set of executive producers had. The producer said that ultimately, the finale episode is a combination of all their visions that he believed will not disappoint anyone. In addition, the producers stated that they did not want to hold anything back for this season, and they gave the fans what they wanted to see.

Characters
With the season being the show's last, plans began to bring back previous cast members for at least one appearance. Welling expressed his interest in having Annette O'Toole (Martha Kent), John Schneider (Jonathan Kent), Michael Rosenbaum (Lex Luthor), Kristin Kreuk (Lana Lang), and Michael McKean (Perry White) return. Welling even stated that he was doing everything to get Michael Rosenbaum back. For Welling, Rosenbaum was the only person he could have seen portraying Lex Luthor on the series. He said that the thing that he sees inspiring Clark to become Superman would be the return of Lex Luthor and the interaction between the two characters; he explained that there is no Superman without Lex Luthor. At the 2010 Comic-Con, Welling said that Rosenbaum acknowledged the importance of Lex in the series and wanted to return in some degree for the show's final season, but that he needed to iron the details out. According to Welling, the tenth season teased Lex's return with the introduction of bodies that Lex could tap into and heal himself later in life. Welling also stated that Lana could possibly have closure by season's end.

John Schneider returned for the season premiere, and filmed three total episodes for his return to the series. He reprised his role in the episode "Kent", where Clark meets Jonathan Kent in an alternate universe. The actor would make his third guest appearance in the series finale, along with John Glover and Annette O'Toole. The producers also worked to bring John Glover back as Lionel Luthor, Lex's father; he appeared for two episodes in late November 2010. Laura Vandervoort, who portrayed Clark's Kryptonian cousin Kara in season seven returned for the season's third episode, "Supergirl". According to Souders, Kara returns to Earth more as "Supergirl" and less as "Kara". Souders emphasized that because Kara's return is in a heroic capacity, also revealing her ability to fly to the world, Kara works on developing an alter-ego through the use of eyeglasses and a wig. In addition, Kara provides her own input into Clark's development of his "Superman" persona. Vandervoort appeared in the season's 20th episode, titled "Prophecy".

James Marsters also returned for the series' 200th episode. Marsters first appeared as Brainiac/Milton Fine in season five and again in seasons seven. This time, Marsters portrayed Brainiac 5, the version of Brainiac from the future that the Legion of Super-Heroes created after removing the original version of Brainiac from Chloe's body in the season eight episode "Legion". In addition, both Michael Shanks and Jessica Parker Kennedy returned as Hawkman/Carter Hall and Plastique, respectively, in the second episode of season ten. Hawkman made a brief appearance in the season nine finale, while Plastique was last seen in season eight. The return of Carter Hall means a deeper look into who that character is, while seeing a "more human side" to him than previously seen. Michael Ironside and Peyton List returned for a mid-October episode. Ironside previously portrayed Lois's father, General Sam Lane; while List played Lois's sister, Lucy. Both characters were last seen in separate season four episodes. Alan Ritchson reprised the role of Arthur Curry/Aquaman in a November episode. Ritchson described his character's return as "darker" and less "bubble-gummy" than previously seen on the show.

Cat Grant, a gossip columnist for the Daily Planet in the comic books, appeared as Clark's new partner during season ten, acting more as a "comedic foil" for Clark, and was not intended to interrupt the relationship he has with Lois. Instead, Grant acts as Lois's professional rival, and is considered by the producers to be her opposite. Keri Lynn Pratt, who portrays Grant, stated that her character has a crush on Clark, which annoys Lois more than threatens her. Pratt described her character's motivations: "Cat really believes in what she's working on and her message. She just really wants to get that through and have everyone on the same page as her. She kind of loses track of the big picture".

This season made the introductions of villains Granny Goodness, Desaad, and Glorious Godfrey. Lindsay Hartley was cast as another of Darkseid's minions, Mad Harriet, who works for Granny Goodness. Hartley explained the traditional claws her character wears are powered by kryptonite, which give her an advantage over Clark. She also said that Harriet is the leader of Granny Goodness' Female Furies.

In addition, Geoff Johns, who previously wrote the introductions for the Legion of Super-Heroes and the Justice Society of America, wrote an episode featuring the introduction of superheroes Blue Beetle and Booster Gold, along with Suicide Squad member Rick Flag. In an interview with Comic Book Resources TV, Johns noted that the version of Blue Beetle is that of Jaime Reyes, and that Booster Gold is modeled directly after his comic book counterpart, including his personality and history. Johns also explained that the episode will introduce the second Blue Beetle Ted Kord. He admitted that his choice of which comic book character to introduce was based solely on his personal preference, as he is a fan of Blue Beetle and Booster Gold and has a history of writing for those characters. These introductions come at a time when Clark needs to have interactions with the characters to "propel him forward". He noted that the two characters embody what Clark needs to learn: being in the public eye and fully accepting his alien heritage. Johns pointed out that Booster Gold is all about being in the spotlight, while Clark is not. At the same time, Blue Beetle is trying to understand the alien technology he has been given. Johns also stated that Booster's introduction will serve to show Clark that society needs a hero to look up to.

Eric Martsolf was cast as Booster Gold. Sebastian Spence was cast as the Ted Kord version of the Blue Beetle and Jaren Brandt Bartlett as the Jaime Reyes version. In addition to the return of Lois's father and sister, Teri Hatcher was cast as Lois's mother. Hatcher, who starred as Lois Lane for four seasons of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, appeared in lost video footage that Lois discovers. Callum Blue returned for the 19th episode, "Dominion". Rosenbaum returned to the series after he finally agreed to appear in the series finale and expressed that his return for the final episode was for the fans. Chris Gauthier reprised the role as Toyman.

Superman mythology
With a glimpse of the iconic Superman costume in the season nine finale, Peterson confirmed that the costume will return and play a more prominent role in the final season, even going as far as to hint that the last scene of Smallville will see Clark wearing it. The producers were able to acquire the Superman costume worn by Brandon Routh in Superman Returns. DC Comics offered the suit worn by Christopher Reeve, but Peterson explained that it did not fit so much for the show. Welling promised to long-time viewers that their main goal was to finish the series in a way that will satisfy the fans and give them hope that Clark becomes Superman by the show's end. Executive producer Kelly Souders said that in order for Clark to do this, Clark has to "wrestle" with the internal things that are preventing him from being an "inspirational hope". Though Clark is still in his "dark hour", he becomes Superman by the end of the season. Peterson explained that the palette of the show will grow brighter and what he wears is going to change; Clark will end up exploring his destiny and work toward his future of becoming a hero.

Broadcast and reception
The season ten premiere brought in 2.98 million viewers, the highest viewing figures The CW had had in the Friday 8–9 pm timeslot in over two years. The series finale brought in 3.02 million viewers. By the end of its tenth season, Smallville became the longest running science fiction television show in the United States; it broke the Guinness World Record held by Stargate SG-1. TV Guide ranked the series finale 5th in its review of the Top TV Episodes of 2011.

Home media release
The complete tenth season of Smallville was released on November 29, 2011, in North America in both DVD and Blu-ray format. The DVD and Blu-ray box set were also released in Region 2 and 4 on October 17, 2011, and April 4, 2012, respectively. The box set included various special features, including episode commentary, a documentary on the 200th episode called "Smallville: Coming Home", a featurette on Clark's father/son relationships over the course of ten seasons titled "My Father, My Son", and the music video "How Do We Do".