Smallville: All 10 seasons ranked from worst to best

3. Season 4

For its fourth season, Smallville decided to make things a little more light-hearted than before – and after the rather grim third season, that was very much needed. With that, we got a renewed focus on the high school element of the show and the relationships between the teens. This was aided by the fact that Lana’s new boyfriend, Jason Teague (Jensen Ackles), ended up becoming the assistant football coach at Smallville High.

It felt like more of a summer season, with more sunnier and funnier storylines. Not all of them landed, with Lana being possessed by a witch seeming a little too out there (even for Smallville), but they did freshen up the show and make it more enjoyable again. Moreover, its season finale, which sees Smallville subject to another meteor shower, was an explosive way to close out the show’s high school chapter and made season 4 all the more important in hindsight.

Other highlights included the prom episode, the arrival of Impulse, the poignant graduation storylines, and the guest appearance from Margot Kidder. Season 4’s greatest highlight, however, was definitely the introduction of Erica Durance’s Lois Lane, who quickly became a force-to-be-reckoned with (and one of the show’s most enjoyable characters!). An iconic arrival for an iconic character.