
By now, television audiences everywhere have found themselves captivated with the new WB hit series SMALLVILLE. The show, which focuses on the life of a young Clark Kent before he becomes the legendary Superman, has boasted a weekly top 10 ratings position amongst fellow genre offerings, was already picked up for an entire season after only its second episode, and has managed to turn series stars Tom Welling (Clark), Michael Rosenbaum (Lex Luthor) and Kristin Kreuk (Lana Lang) into overnight sensations.
The original concept for the series, however, was quite different than what fans have come to expect. Focusing on yet another DC Comics staple one executive producers felt would be perceived as "cooler" by a younger audience SMALLVILLE is actually the product of a rather sticky rights issue.