To call Superman and Lois' run a triumph for the ages would still be to undersell it. The DC TV series began as one of the many wheels in the massive machine that was The CW's Arrowverse but it very quickly evolved into something else entirely. Although it featured Supergirl stars Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch in the title roles, it isn't the same versions of the characters we met on the parent series, as it opted to tell a more grounded, family-driven story. The result has been nothing short of phenomenal.
Superman and Lois is renowned for choosing to tell a different story in the Man of Steel and the intrepid reporter's lives. It focuses on a time after their traditional adventures, looking at their family life and how the struggles of living in the big city of Metropolis haven't been good for them or their twin sons Jonathan and Jordan Kent. The four then move to Smallville to try to rebuild their life together as a family with no secrets between them. It's easier said than done, and there are new struggles along the way, but Clark Kent, Lois Lane, and their sons face them together, as a family.
One thing that never struggled, however, was Superman and Lois as a show. The series delivered four powerful, gripping, and compelling seasons throughout its time on The CW Network, and even though different leaderships and creative directions at both the network and Warner Bros. Discovery resulted in it ending long before it should have, it continued to deliver high quality television each and every week.
Its healthy mix of family drama and high quality super storylines has made it a fan-favorite, and it’s safe to say that its fans have adored watching it. As we bid farewell to season 4 and add it to the batch of super seasons Superman and Lois has produced, let’s take a look back at the show’s journey thus far and rank each season from worst to best (or in this show’s case “good to “great”).
4. Season 2
The second season of Superman and Lois introduced a very different type of villain for the show to explore. Ally Allston wasn’t a Kryptonian masquerading as a business tycoon, she was a manipulative cult leader who preyed on people’s vulnerabilities and attempted to get them to follow her Inverse Method. However, it was subsequently revealed that she was attempting to get these vulnerable people to merge with their Inverse selves from the Inverse world, a.k.a. the Bizarro World.
Season 2 did a great job of highlighting how Ally was a villain that both Superman and Lois had to defeat. Her history with Lois’ sister Lucy made the reporter determined to bring her down once and for all, while her destructive methods on the Inverse World brought Bizarro into play as a physical threat for the Man of Steel to battle. Moreover, she was a grounded adaptation of Parasite that felt believable in the world that Superman and Lois had created.
There were some flaws along the way, particularly with Sarah and Jordan’s storyline as well as the early death of Bizarro, but all in all, Superman and Lois season 2 was a strong continuation of the high-quality story set out at the beginning of the series. It also featured some remarkable episodes, including the brilliant “Bizarros In A Bizarro World” and the season finale, which saw Superman get super-charged to battle the Parasite in an excellent conclusion to the season.
3. Season 3
Superman and Lois season 3 took the show into new territory, leaning more into the family drama while also making time for a compelling superhero story.
At the heart of the season was Lois Lane’s cancer diagnosis, as she battled stage 3 inflammatory breast cancer. This was understandably the most emotional storyline that the show had ever tackled and to say that Elizabeth Tulloch delivered a remarkable performance would be a huge understatement. And the strength of writing, coupled with some stunning performances, really highlighted the importance of an awareness-raising story like this one.
The villain of the season was Bruno Mannheim, whose wife Peia was also suffering from cancer. This not only added layers to a rather one-dimensional comic book villain and made him a much more complex character, it set the stage for the live-action debut of Onomatopoeia. It was an unexpected twist, but one that enhanced the overarching storylines.
From its high-quality season premiere to its powerful storytelling, Superman and Lois‘ third season has been an incredible journey. Some cracks began to show as we headed towards the finale, with the shorter episode count leaving some aspects of the story feeling a little rushed, and the characterization of both Jordan and Sarah continuing to raise eyebrows, but that isn’t enough to take away from what has been a truly moving season.
2. Season 4
Considering how truly phenomenal season 3 was, it's a testament to the fourth and final season that it managed to get anywhere close to the level of storytelling that its predecessor achieved. It's also a testament to the cast, crew, writers, production team, and everyone involved that they managed to produce something this high quality after the show very nearly didn't get renewed and then had its episode count and budget slashed and its main cast cut significantly. But somehow, someway, they pulled it off.
Season 4 of Superman and Lois has been all about the Kent-Lane-Irons' family's attempt to withstand the onslaught of Lex Luthor. The demonic villain was hellbent on revenge after being imprisoned for a crime that he didn't commit so he decided to commit some more dastardly crimes because he's Lex Luthor and his logic is twisted. Targetting Lois, he had Doomsday kill Superman and Sam Lane to make her life a living hell. But this is Lois Lane we're talking about, and she fought back, holding her family together while using the one thing that Lex couldn't hide from: The truth.
Superman and Lois' final season is a cinematic masterpiece that doesn't just make the most of what it's got, it exceeds all expectations, delivering one of the finest entries that the world of superhero television has ever seen. It successfully manages to utilize its former main cast members in a capacity that it feels like you never go too many episodes without seeing them again while also producing battles that are absolutely worthy of the biggest screen imaginable.
The end is a part of every story, and Superman and Lois bows out every bit as strong as it arrived on the scene. A truly phenomenal outing from a truly phenomenal series.
1. Season 1
Superman and Lois caught everyone by surprise. The show was set up as a Supergirl spinoff, with Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch returning as the Man of Steel and Lois Lane, but it was only when the first trailer was released that we learned how different a show it would be. This wasn’t just another superhero show on a network full of them, it was a family drama that just so happened to be about an iconic superhero and the world’s most famous reporter.
There was something different about Superman and Lois that really worked for it. The community of Smallville was alive, full of layered, realistic characters worn down by the town’s struggles who were still hopeful it could be saved. Those characters included Clark’s best friend Lana Lang and her family, Smallville Gazette editor Chrissy Beppo, and new arrival John Henry Irons, who was in search of answers about his lost Earth.
From the family dynamics that breathed a whole new life into the Kryptonian hero’s story, to the excellent villain that Morgan Edge turned out to be, Superman and Lois‘ debut season was absolutely spectacular. A win for DC TV, it was an amazing introduction to these versions of the classic characters and it set the stage for quite possibly the best Superman story ever told.
What’s your favorite season of Superman and Lois?