TV News
25 Comments | Add a Comment

0


Millar and Gough Exit SMALLVILLE

By: Jarrod Sarafin
Date: Thursday, April 03, 2008
Source: Alfred Gough & Miles Millar

Curiously, it seems that the Smallville showrunners are exiting the series just a few weeks after CW announced an upcoming eight season. Here's what Alfred Gough and Miles Millar had to say in an open letter to their friends.

As the creators of "Smallville" we look back at 7 amazing years. We look back at 152 episodes. We look back knowing that the show will continue into Season 8 without us. After much heartache and debate we have decided it is time for us to move on.

Over the last 7 years we have had the honor of working with a remarkable team of people here in Los Angeles and in Vancouver. We have been blessed with a wonderful cast who we have watched mature with admiration and affection. We have been rewarded with a fan base that is as loyal as it is vocal.

We are incredibly proud of our work on this show. We achieved what we set out to do. We never compromised our vision. We leave knowing that "Smallville" is the longest-running comic book based series of all-time. The show was featured on the covers of Rolling Stone, MAD magazine, TV Guide and Entertainment Weekly. The pilot had the highest-rated premiere in the history of the WB. Even in its seventh year it is still the #1 scripted show on the network. "Smallville" is watched by millions of people in hundreds of countries and in dozens of languages around the world.

The show's success is a credit to a fantastically talented group of people. We wanted to take this chance to single some of them out. Our writers – your work speaks for itself. James, Jae, Rob, David – the backbone of our team in Vancouver. Joe Davola, Chris and Shelly – remember those Friday night brainstorming sessions? Len Goldstein and Steve Pearlman – thanks for believing we could do this. David Nutter – for giving the show your magic touch. John Litvack – when the knives were out, you always had our backs. Ken Horton – our Yoda. Peter Roth – Smallville's biggest fan. Melinda, Michael R., Paul M., Susan and Suzanne – for steering us through 152 episodes. Greg Beeman – your passion is an inspiration. Jordan, David, Garth, Carolyn, Bob & Lew – and everyone at the much-missed WB. Paul Levitz, Greg Noveck and the guys at DC Comics. Lisa Lewis – our very own soccer mom/mafia accountant. Michael Gendler – aka mega-counsel. David Lubliner – we can finally focus on features now. And last but in no way the least, Renee Kurtz – the smartest TV agent in town, we would be nowhere without you!

Finally, to the fans who have stuck with us through the highs and the lows: know this – we never stopped fighting to make this show great. Thanks for watching.

Alfred Gough & Miles Millar


Related Products
Comments/Responses
1 2 3 > >>
AzuLTaLoN • Apr 03, 2008, 01:50am •
this should be a good thing i think

Dazzler • Apr 03, 2008, 04:40am •
Yeah it is a good thing. Their stories have been too inbreed of late. I hope to see better stories for final season. Where has mom been? I think the show lost it's edge when Pa Kent died. Hopefully the last season is Zod on Earth and episodic. And did Clark get rid of all the zoners that escaped? I really was hoping they focus on zoners for this previous year.

hanso • Apr 03, 2008, 05:34am •
The showrunners are obviously smart to leave, Lex & Lana had some sense aren't going to be in it for a full season. Why doesn't the WB realize the show need not go on cause it running 2 long and it sucks!

Hey, maybe now that these 2 cats are exiting, the new people can let Clark finally fly for once. The new showrunners won't be bound to the "no tight no flight" stuff.

madmanic999 • Apr 03, 2008, 05:52am •
Smallville sucks... I tried like hell over 7 years to give it it's due, even caught a couple episodes I liked, but always end up disappointed.... Superman 90210 is junk food for tweens... hopefully this spells the end.

WISEGUY562 • Apr 03, 2008, 06:06am •
The WB hasn't said that next year is going to be the final season. I hope it is and they wrap it up, and with all these defections hopefully it will be. But these guys should've left a long time ago and maybe the show could've turned out better. They're delusional IMO if they think they've done a great job and the shows success is definitely not a credit to a "fantastically talented group of people" but to the character and his established fan base and to the fact that it is the only show of its genre.

Redshirt1 • Apr 03, 2008, 06:09am •
What they need is a reformat. Clark is long past due to be leaving Smallville. He needs to move on get glasses and take up living as a reporter for the Daily Planet. Now that Lana and Lex are leaving they should be moving Clark towards his destiny. Change the title to Metropolis, have Lex guest star as the ultimate baddy controling things from behind the scenes. Have Lana move off to Paris to do something there like fashion design. As a closing scene for have Clark undergo his training by Jor El and have him emerge from that crystal thing (like in Superman the Movie which it was based on any way) several years later. Lois is now an established reporter for the Planet. Perry is now the editor, and Clark wearing glasses shows up looking for a job. And Superman takes to the skys. Anyway that's my thought.

bigthor • Apr 03, 2008, 06:36am •
Season 8? c'mon,

Hobbs • Apr 03, 2008, 06:51am •
This is good news. Maybe he'll fly now and become closer to Superman and they'll get away from that stupid Super Friends crap.

I'll give perks to these guys when the show first started but they ran out of ideas. It's time for something new.

This is the first time I'm interested in where the direction of the show is going. I'll be paying attention now.

monkeyfoot • Apr 03, 2008, 07:18am •
They are just seeing its time to leave the jumped shark. Don't get me wrong. I watch the show for the silly fun of seeing a comic based show every week, but it has long passed the alloted time that was best for it to run.From high school to maybe the first year of college. Then Pa Kent dies and it ends with him flying off to fulfill his destiny. But the ratings have been so great that they've beat that horse into a crazy kicking fit. Next season should be the last...and I'll be watching it.

FrozenFear • Apr 03, 2008, 07:43am •
I'm definitely in the camp of "Season 7 (or hell, even 6) should have been the last", but agree that it will be interesting to see what direction the show takes without these two running it. I'd rather not see a season of "Clark in the City", but wouldn't mind seeing them wrapping some story lines up (killing Cloe, Lionel, anyone left involved with Veritas) and ending the series with Clark moving to Metropolis.

In closing, I would like to thank Millar and Gough for bringing the series to the screen and giving us comic book geeks something to watch every week, especially in the dark days after Buffy ended.

1 2 3 > >>
Login to post a comment!