Superman & Lois Showrunner Reveals What Makes It Stand Out From Other Superhero Shows

The upcoming Superman & Lois will mark the seventh show to be added to The CW’s Arrowverse and one of probably half a dozen new superhero TV series that will premiere in 2021 (Marvel Studios alone will debut five live-action shows and one animated series on Disney+). Shows such as these are as popular as ever, but at the risk of oversaturating that market, each show needs to do something to make itself stand out from the rest of the crop. Luckily this was something that they had at the front of their mind when developing the spin-off of Supergirl and the other shows.

“Whenever you do any of these shows, you want to make them slightly different,” showrunner Todd Helbing said in a TCA panel (via Deadline). “We just approached this as much as we could like a feature — from the aspect ratio to the cinematography to the look to the design of the house and farm. We are competing with shows on cable and streamers…we wanted to be able to do that and offer audiences something of equal quality.”

Series co-star Elizabeth Tulloch, reprising her part of Lois Lane from the Elseworlds and Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover alongside Tyler Hoechlin’s Man of Steel, also opened up about the differences in the series and other shows, noting that being told the writers were comparing it Friday Night Lights was what sold her on the series.

“It was really grounded and really real,” she added. “Part of what I am hoping audiences respond to in our show is that this couple — even though she’s this dynamic journalist and even though he is Superman — are incredibly relatable and they are dealing with the same issues that normal people deal with.”

Set in Smallville, Superman & Lois will see the titular couple deal with some major life changes as they try to navigate professional and family life challenges made all the more complex given that Clark is Superman — a secret he can’t keep from his sons, Jonathan (Jordan Elsass, “Little Fires Everywhere”) and Jordan (Alexander Garfin, “The Peanuts Movie”), anymore. The series will also feature a number of characters from the larger Superman story, including Lana Lang (Emanuelle Chriqui) and Lois’s father, General Samuel Lane (Dylan Walsh).

Superman & Lois will premiere on Tuesday, February 23, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The CW, followed by Superman & Lois: Legacy of Hope, at 9:30 p.m, which rounds out the two hours of primetime programming following the 90-minute premiere.