Superman & Lois will finally arrive in the UK next month, with BBC One and iPlayer snapping up the exclusive rights to the hotly anticipated DC Comics drama.
A spiritual successor to cult favourite Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, which also aired on the BBC back in the ’90s, the series follows the couple as they relocate to Smallville and attempt to raise two teenage sons.
In addition to all the usual challenges and concerns that working parents face, the Kents have the added worry that one or both of their sons could inherit their father’s super powers – making life endlessly more complicated.
The show has been a hit in the United States, attracting praise from critics and an early second season renewal, so there’s every chance this could be a perfect fit for the BBC’s Saturday evening schedule.
Read on for all your essential information on DC’s Superman & Lois, including UK air date, cast, plot synopsis and trailer, as the show heads to BBC One and iPlayer.
Superman & Lois UK air date
CONFIRMED: Superman & Lois will premiere on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Saturday 4th December. No specific time has been announced just yet, but the show will be in an “early evening” slot.
It’s something of a surprise get for the Beeb, which hasn’t taken any interest in the previous Arrowverse shows, many of which were snapped up by Sky One, while others went to E4 and Netflix.
Sue Deeks, Head of Programme Acquisition for the BBC, said: “Superman & Lois is an ambitious and involving new superhero series – one we are sure will intrigue and excite not just existing fans, but BBC viewers of all ages.”
Back in the 1990s, BBC One was home to Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman starring Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher, which proved popular with British viewers, so here’s hoping the Man of Steel can capture our hearts once more.
The entire 15-episode first season of Superman & Lois will be available as a box set on BBC iPlayer, while fans of terrestrial viewing can watch along weekly on BBC One.
The show was renewed for a second season back in March, but it’s not yet known whether the BBC will remain its UK distribution partner – watch this space for details as they come in.
Our friends across the pond are way ahead of us on Superman & Lois, which premiered on The CW in North America back in February, before going on a brief hiatus and returning with more episodes in May. The series finale aired in August.
Fly high. New episodes return May 18! Stream from the beginning free only on The CW: https://t.co/LpX1i0MSUq #SupermanAndLois pic.twitter.com/YTCvv98LnU
— Superman & Lois (@cwsupermanlois) April 19, 2021
Superman & Lois cast
Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch will reprise their roles as the eponymous characters of Superman – also known by his alias of Clark Kent – and Lois Lane, respectively.
This will mark the fifth Arrowverse series the two actors have appeared in, having appeared in all of the previous TV series with the exception of Black Lightning.
Dylan Walsh (Nip/Tuck) will join them as a series regular, playing Lois’s father General Sam Lane.
No-nonsense army general Lane was previously portrayed by 24 actor Glenn Morshower in four episodes of Supergirl between 2015 and 2016.
!["Dylan]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2020/04/dylan-walsh-sam-lane-79d773e.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C349" "\"dylan-walsh-sam-lane\"")
Another character being recast is ruthless tycoon Morgan Edge – previously portrayed by Adrian Pasdar on Supergirl, Deadline broke the news that the villain will be played by Adam Rayner in this new series.
Also set to appear in this new show are Jordan Elsass and Alexander Garfin, who will play Clark and Lois’ teenage sons Jonathan and Jordan. Deadline reports that Jonathan, played by Elsass, is “clean-cut, modest and kind-hearted, with an aw-shucks attitude that somehow doesn’t seem dated”.
Jordan, played by Garfin, is described as “wildly intelligent, but his mercurial temperament and social anxiety limits his interactions with people… Jordan prefers to spend most of his free time alone”.
Entourage star Emmanuelle Chriqui has been cast as Lana Lang, an old flame from Clark Kent’s younger days in the quaint town of Smallville, while Erik Valdez (Graceland) will star as Lang’s husband Kyle Cushing – the fire chief of Smallville, known locally as a hero, according to Deadline.
Entertainment Weekly broke the news that Sofia Hasmik would recur on the show as Chrissy Beppo, a journalist at the Smallville Gazette who “has a knack for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time”.
The Big Bad of the first season looks set to be The Stranger, a “mysterious visitor hellbent on proving to the world that it no longer needs Superman” according to Deadline, who will be played by The Vampire Diaries star Wolé Parks.
!["Arrow]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2020/01/diggle-8d805c0.jpg?quality=90&crop=182px%2C0px%2C1051px%2C700px&resize=620%2C413" "\"Arrow")
David Ramsey, who played Oliver Queen’s friend and ally John Diggle across all eight seasons of Arrow, is also set to make a series of guest appearances across all the Arrowverse shows this season, including Superman & Lois – Ramsey will also direct at least one episode of the show.
“There was like a five-episode story,” showrunner Todd Helbing told EW of Diggle’s appearance. “It was pretty cool. And then because of availability and shutdowns and delays, it was impossible to make it make sense [across the shows]. There’s still a through-line, but it’s not as A-to-B-to-C [as planned]. Ours is kind of a little bit more of a one-off, but thematically it still plays.”
“[Our episode] gets into the mentality of where he is in his life based on everything that happened to him over the last [several] years.”
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What is Superman & Lois about?
The series picks up at a late stage in Superman’s career, where he has taken a step back from being Metropolis’ frontline of defence, instead focusing on raising his two sons (Jonathan and Jordan) with his legendary journalist wife, Lois Lane.
They’ll be dealing with the same challenges as ordinary working parents as they relocate back to Smallville to sort out some family business, which also brings them back into contact with some old friends.
Most notably, Clark Kent’s childhood sweetheart Lana Lang, who is now married to local fire chief Kyle Cushing, with whom she has a rebellious daughter named Sarah.
But it won’t all be family drama, as General Samuel Lane will continue drafting Superman to save the day from all manner of threats to planet Earth, while there could be nefarious forces closer to home as self-made mogul Morgan Edge comes to town.
Though the show’s creative team have taken inspiration from both the classic Superman movies and the more recent Man of Steel (2013), showrunner Todd Helbing has suggested they are taking a “post-mythology” approach to the comic book source material.
“There’s no version where Lois and Clark are married and have two teenage boys,” Helbing told EW. “We’re going to explore stories that haven’t been told in a way that they haven’t been told before.”
“Seeing him struggle as a dad brings in a whole other element,” Hoechlin added. “To see somebody who, in one part of his life, feels supremely confident, but in the other areas is still trying to figure it out, I thought that was a really appealing way of approaching a character that had been done several times before.”
Superman & Lois trailer
The first trailer for Superman & Lois dropped back in February, just prior to the show’s US premiere, re-introducing this distinct new version of the iconic superhero and his family. Watch below.
Previously, a first-look image for the series was revealed back in December 2020, unveiling Tyler Hoechlin’s new Superman suit – a redesign of his old outfit. Notable tweaks include a smaller ‘S’ symbol on his chest and the removal of the old costume’s “cape claps” around the shoulders.
Carrying on the symbol. #SupermanAndLois premieres Tuesday, February 23! Stream next day free only on The CW. pic.twitter.com/ZPdz90PLB0
— Superman & Lois (@cwsupermanlois) December 9, 2020
Superman & Lois comes to BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Saturday 4th December. Check out more of our Sci-Fi and Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.