Superman and Lois remains top-notch TV

I know, I know, I’m an easy mark for this stuff.

But I want you to know that this one is better than the others. You probably had to be a really serious superhero comic fan to watch all (or even most) of the CW Greg Berlanti superhero shows.

All of those shows followed a basic formula that mostly worked. TV Budget level superhero hijinks in the opening, some light comedy followed by 35 minutes of crying in hallways, 5 minutes of TV Budget level superhero hijinks and then a group hug or a cliffhanger and finis.

I’m not, necessarily insulting the formula here, despite a lot of what happened over the last 20 years most great TV usually needs a formula. Law and Order, Columbo, House, The Office and dozens of others understood the mission and nailed it down and were rewarded by audiences that loved them for it.

Anyway, Superman and Lois follow the CW formula but it is usually miles better than its contemporaries. It’s one of those things that sticks out to me because every time I watch the thing I am happy surprised. And it’s nice to be happy surprised because usually surprises from the CW go the other way.

Here’s what I decided.

First, the premise of this particular flavor of Superman is the right thing at the right time. It presents Lois and Clark as the parents of teenagers trying to raise their boys while also fighting supervillains and uncovering evil plots.

That’s a new wrinkle. We’ve had decades of Superboy in Smallville, Superman starting out in Metropolis, and established and married Superman and Lois. But the super-couple with teenagers? I like it.

One of the boys should have been named Bruce though.

Also, I think the acting is a cut above.

Bitsie Tulloch manages to make world famous multi-time Pulitizer prize winning reporter Lois Lane larger than life without stretching it too far. The best bit from a recent episode is that Lois did a Masterclass on reporting. Of course she did!

This season features Chad Coleman (he’s been in everything but was a big presence in early years of The Walking Dead and The Expanse) as Metropolis gangster Bruno Mannheim. Coleman is one of those actors who always brings something interesting and, again the writers have given him a range of reasonable emotions to play.

Tyler Hoechlin can really do the Superman and Clark Kent thing quite well. I think his Clark isn’t quite as nerdy as you might want but since the series is set in Smallville and he’s a dad of teenagers what he does with Clark works within the show’s parameters.

There’s a moment I loved recently when, coming home to find his family had been accosted by a local neer-do-well Hoechlin, with fire in his eyes, announces that he’s going to confront the jerk at the Smallville diner.

Lois: Superman can’t get involved.

Clark: Oh he’s not going!

And then an angry Clark Kent makes that dude pay.

Incredibly good bit.

It’s a show full of good bits. A show that makes a meal out of the soap opera elements but also understands the comic book lore and is able to twist that to its own ends.

The first season featured a unique take on John Henry Irons that had a decent twist along the way. The second season started with the familiar origin of Doomsday and twisted it to present a unique twist on Bizarro Superman. And season three used the soap opera elements to emotionally connect Lois Lane and John Henry Irons’ daughter to the bad guys.

It’s moments like that when the show plays a card you didn’t quite expect, that it really soars.

Also, this show is either written by people who love the comics or at least by people who did their research before launching into the superverse.

Just one example: Lois Lane’s newspaper partner and clumsy sidekick character is named Chrissy Beppo. Beppo is the name of one Superman’s pets. In case you were wondering its Krypto the superdog, Streaky the supercat, Comet the superdog and Beppo, the supermonkey.

That knowledge is something I’ve carried around forever and is just a freeby for y’all.

Finally, and to be fair to the other CW shows, Superman and Lois has the advantage of coming along in the era of 12-episode seasons. If this thing had to grind through 22 episodes, I doubt it could work as well as it does. The other CW super shows also started strong and tended to end somewhere between decent and “oh God I gave up.”

The long middle full of crying hallway scenes were often too much to manage.

Nor has every moment or storyline in Superman and Lois been a winner. I tend to tune out on subplots involving the teenagers. But what I do find compelling is that the cast has enough people, that you usually understand and care about, that when one of them is in trouble you can get concerned.

Comic Book Scribe Gail Simone recently noted on Twitter that heroes need those supporting characters to add drama to the super battles.

A show named Superman and Lois is probably not going to kill off either Superman or Lois. But Lana Lang’s ex-husband? Lois Lane’s military dad (played perfectly by Dylan Walsh of Nip/Tuck) or John Henry Irons’ daughter (Taylor Buck)? All these people could bite the bullet at any moment.

Season 3 is wrapping up as both the CW and DC Entertainment get new management. All the other CW related shows are done and CW won’t get any new ones. Meanwhile, James Gunn is gearing up for a new future that features a keystone movie that he is writing and directing about a (much younger) Superman.

I’m not sure there is space in this brave new world for this show. I’m hopeful though, that they get at least one more season to write themselves and their characters a happy ending.