"Smallville" Not So Super After Cast Departures?

The news that Allison Mack aka Chloe may be leaving "Smallville" after this season leaves CW in an ugly mess. Michael Rosenbaum has already decided that he won't be coming back as Lex Luthor, and Kristin Kreuk will only return as Lana Lang for a handful of episodes. That's in addition to the previous departures of the grownups from the show - Annette O'Toole and John Schneider as Martha and Jonathan Kent and, just recently, John Glover as Lionel Luthor. Really, who's left?

Well, Tom Welling as Clark Kent and Erica Durance as Lois Lane, that's who. And you have to wonder if they're enough - remember Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher in "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman?" I don't think the "Smallville" audience is old enough to make the comparison, actually. But should the CW pony up a wheelbarrow of cash to keep Mack on board for what presumably will be the final season of "Smallville." Or is there a chance they'll pull the plug right now? Well, that begs the question of what else CW has to put on the air. And the answer is, um, well, er...But if "Smallville" were to self-destruct, it would make "Reaper's" prospects for renewal better, anyway.

Comments

[Cris]

Actually Kristin/Lana will be back for a few episodes, so she's not completely gone.
And next to Clark and Lois, show also has Jimmy and Kara.
Clark, Lois and Jimmy can be new team at the Daily Planet, and if Clark gets a job there maybe we'll finally see him do his own research. And Kara can take over the confident role Chloe usually had.
What this show needs is to get Michael/Lex back. If anyone should have lots of money throw at them it's him, and they should rather spend all that money they'd pay Allison to come back for a full season to get Lex back for the last few episodes. He is more important for the story and Michael is a damn fine actor who always makes episodes better just by being there.

As for Smallville audience not being old enough - most of us have been with the show for 7 years so it's not like we're still in our teens. I remember watching Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman when I was a kid, and seeing our Smallville Lois and Clark slowly grow into those parts would be amazing.

[leothelion]

I don’t think Smallville can or should survive without Chloe. If Chloe hadn’t been written with the spirit of a young iconic Lois Lane or made to be Clark’s closest confidante and BFF, then she might be a little more expendable, but the show has long since crossed over that bridge.

Add to the problem the lack of genuine character development for the remaining supporting characters, and the problems are glaring. Mack is the reason we even know what’s happening on this show because Chloe is so integral to the show’s narrative. She’s it’s resident exposition hag, secret keeper, BFF and soulmate to Clark–you can’t replace that relationship by contriving new and redefined relationships with other secondary characters in the show’s final season. It won’t work.

I’m acquainted with lots of people who are more than prepared to walk away from this show after the season 7 finale–many many people will not return for season 8 without Mack fully onboard with the show. Mack brings a lot of viewers to this series and has since the Pilot episode--if she departs, many of those same people will pull up anchor and sail to other networks and shows.

I don't think Durance has the acting chops, fan support or the character credibility to pull it off at this point. Chlois & Chlark story developments are the last possibility for the show to go out with a bang, and moreover, there are fans out there who have literally waited for those developments for years. Erica's character has been intentionally destroyed by the show's writers in order to install Chloe as the revealed icon of legend. Allison Mack has got to be there for this show to even make sense when it's over.

A Clark & EDLois pairing will not have the same iconic flair or appeal that Clark & Chloe have and would have if this show plays it's cards right. The show will not last it's final season with Clark being supported by the B cast of poorly developed and irrelevant characters.

[nzs]

I agree, leothelion. I've watched the show for 7 years and the Chloe/Clark relationship has been steadily and organically developed. Chloe is the intrepid reporter on SV and she's best friend/confidante/partner of Clark. Since s1 we've seen Chloe versus Lana for Clark's affections. Throughout s7, the writers have made a point of comparing the girls. In "Persona", it was obvious that Chloe knew Clark better. In "Wrath", Chloe was willing to die for Clark while Lana was willing to kill. In "Fracture" Chloe literally died to save Clark. In "Traveler" she faced the crazy Jor-El AI to help save Clark. More recently in "Quest", she once again came to Clark's rescue.

Lois Lane's character, on the other hand, has been systematically deconstructed. In s7, she stumbled into a job at the Daily Planet, has no journalistic integrity, had an affair with her boss, chose the affair over her career, bumbled and stumbled into clues that she promptly lost/gave to the villain, hasn't published anything at the DP (despite the advantage of sleeping with the boss) and, the icing on the cake, cannot handle being a superhero's significant other ("Siren").

The SV writers have written themselves in a corner (I believe it was done intentionally). SV won't make sense without Chloe Sullivan/Allison Mack.