Michael Rosenbaum's departure from Smallville in season seven should have been a heavy blow to a series already suffering from flagging ratings and a bad batch of still-born stories. But the following season turned out to be one of Smallville's best, introducing a fine female successor to Rosenbaum's Lex Luthor and edging us closer into Superman territory.With season nine on the horizon, and the show getting its best reviews and ratings in years, the big question is coming up again: Will Rosenbaum return to Smallville?
Last season we watched a disfigured Lex, played by a different actor whose face was hidden, apparently die in an explosion. Of course, fans knew instantly that Superman's nemesis was still kicking somewhere (as confirmed by exec producer Brian Peterson at Comic-Con).
CW exec Dawn Ostroff recently said that fans shouldn't rule out the possibility of Rosenbaum's return, but it might not happen next season. "I don't know that we've had a conversation with Michael, but I think the idea was to keep the character alive and make his presence really felt." she said. TV Guide says Lex will definitely be back in an upcoming episode, but will it be Rosenbaum or Faux Lex?
I'd love to see Rosenbaum return to the role, but the show is doing fine without him. His absence isn't necessarily a deal breaker for me. Smallville has lost five major cast members over the last few years, not to mention its creators, but shedding some of that weight has only sharpened the show's creative focus. Now we're really riding on Clark Kent's hip on his epic journey to become the man in tights.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-07-2009 @ 12:26AM
Joseph said...
Will someone cancel this shit already?
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8-07-2009 @ 2:13AM
Nathaniel said...
No.
8-07-2009 @ 9:17AM
Jimmy_MO said...
You know, I'm kind of over Smallville. It's no longer must-see for me. The show has deviated from the Superman mythology so much that it's like an alternate universe version. Will I still watch, sure, but it will be DVR and when I can get to it. If it ended after this season I wouldn't care.
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8-07-2009 @ 12:06PM
Chris said...
I say bring him back for the final arc of the series 3-6 episodes. Hopefully this season. A guest appearance won't work if he disappears again and then Smallville goes on like the Lana arc. It would be doing a grave disservice to the best character on the show.
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8-22-2009 @ 7:54PM
Sam said...
I definitely agree with other people when they say Lex needs to return.
For me, and entire season without him was sort of unbearable. Sure, the show is supposed to focus on 'Superman', but...Lex Luthor is a huge part of the Superman story. If they killed him off officially, or just didn't bring him back into the show, it'd be a huge disgrace. --Also, if they get anyone other than Michael Rosenbaum to play him, it just won't be the same! Rosenbaum totally owned Lex's character!
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8-31-2009 @ 4:37AM
filmguy said...
Michael Rosenbaum not being on the show is a deal breaker for me. The show is doing fine with out him? Are you nuts? It's never been worse. The show has been limping ever since the end of season 5 but with the absence of Lex it has fallen flat on its face. This show was just as much about Clark's journey to becoming Superman as it was Lex's journey to darkness. They are supposed to be mirror images of each other. Their journey's reflecting each other. Half of the show is missing. Actually more than half seeing as how most of the best dialogue and story lines involved Lex. The show really is the parallel story of two men. This Tess, what ever her name is, is the saddest excuse imaginable to replace such a great character as Lex. She sounds like she is trying really hard to copy Rosenbaum but she totally fails.
I tried watching some of season 8 but just couldn't get into it. I feel that the show has gone on too long and has become repetitive. The show was supposed to be about Clark's journey into a man. Well he has been a man now for over four seasons and still isn't Superman. This has got to be the laziest Superman ever. It took him 3 years after high school to get off the farm. How many times have we heard him say "it's time that I finally except my destiny" now? When the hell is he? They should end the show with what very little dignity it has left. Get Rosenbaum back and tie everything together in a 3 part episode series finale.
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9-22-2009 @ 11:23AM
gracie said...
lex, MUST be back, he makes the flow of the story very captivating but now without him phyisically, this is soo boring, he suits the EVIL luthor, no one can replace him, and please, Clark should just change his ways, i totaly agree with 'film guy' the whole thing about him is becoming stale!! i need to see a reall Superman do his thing. but more emphasis of Rosenbaum being on the show, otherwise the quality of the whole series is going down!
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