‘Superman & Lois’ Heroics Don’t Extend to Parenting in the Arrowverse’s Newest Series

DC’s most iconic lovebirds fly onto The CW’s heroic lineup with this promising new drama that’s way more grounded than the “up, up and away” of it all.

In fact, as Superman & Lois showrunner Todd Helbing (The Flash) recalls, his first question for executive producer Greg Berlanti was, “How do you do Superman differently?” Berlanti’s answer: Saddle the unstoppable couple with the obstacles that come with married life and children. “I was like, of course!” says Helbing. “That’s the next evolution.”

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Stars Tyler Hoechlin (above) and Elizabeth Tulloch (Grimm) have already charmed viewers with their takes on Man of Steel Clark Kent and star reporter Lois Lane; they appeared on Supergirl and two of the network’s annual Arrowverse crossover events.

On February 23, the characters move into the Kent family home in Smallville and face “new responsibilities and pressures,” teases Hoechlin. Adds Tulloch, borrowing Helbing’s comparison to the 2006–11 family drama Friday Night Lights: “This isn’t a superhero show like we’re used to seeing.”

In the 90-minute premiere, which is followed by the preview special Superman & Lois: Legacy of Hope (9:30/8:30c), an otherworldly villain (Wolé Parks) emerges; at the same time, a Smallville tragedy triggers a major development for the duo’s twin teenage sons, jock Jonathan (Jordan Elsass) and the moody Jordan (Alexander Garfin). That plot, and the tremendous chemistry between Hoechlin and Tulloch, infuses the series with a heart as big as the planet Krypton.

Dean Buscher/The CW

“They’re not killing it as parents, in particular Clark,” Hoechlin notes. “But we really wanted to show that even though they’re struggling, they still make each other laugh.” Sounds super to us.

Superman & Lois, Series Premiere, Tuesday, February 23, 8/7c, The CW