Pick6: Smallville v2.0, what’s next?

Season nine of Smallville kicked off to some very lackluster ratings. Ratings so lackluster that they were actually the lowest season premier out of all Smallville seasons.

Now don’t get me wrong, The CW did the show no favors by shuffling it off to Friday nights, a growing wasteland for television. But at the same time, The CW got to crow about its highest ratings in the timeslot in the last year.

But Smallville is showing its age. Nine seasons is going to be a very good run the show. But with Smallville’s bulk of success, and the small little hit it has in genre series The Vampire Diaries, it seems inevitable that The CW will be look for something similar to fill Smallville’s shoes.

So what should The CW consider putting forward? Here are my list of six characters who should be considered for the Smallville treatment.

Dick Grayson aka Nightwing

Deep in the heart of a city with an umlaut in it’s name, Blüdhaven is in need of protection. And who else who be better than Dick Grayson. That is right, Robin himself, all grown up and out of the shadow of Batman. Only this time he likes blue and black tights and calls himself Nightwing. Like Smallville, it could fudge the lore a bit and maybe make Grayson a bit younger. Perhaps a college man, or a cadet in police academy. And with his super batty skills, he can solve a crime each week in a quest to save Blüdhaven. You will understand later why this is probably likely not to happen.

Odds on a tv show: 250:1

Odds on a tv show: 250:1

Peter Parker aka Spider-man

If DC’s flagship title gets nine seasons, the Marvel flagship should also. Forget that we have had three movies with a fourth on the way, we all want to see much more of awkward, geeky Peter Parker try and put the movies on hot Mary Jane Watson. And it all started in high school. What a perfect place to begin a teen series. Coincidence? I think not. Plus who wouldn’t kill to see a teen angsty version of The Rhino or Morbius?

Odds on a tv show: 200:1

Bruce Wayne aka Batman

If there was ever the perfect specimen to repeat the Smallville format, it would have to be Bruce Wayne in those weird teenage years millionaires always face. And creators don’t even have to worry about special effects for super powers. Plus with him in training to be like the greatest detective ever, it gives you some pretty convenient plot lines as a teenage detective solving crimes around Gotham High, then the U of Gotham. But alas, Batman Begins and The Dark Knight have all but guaranteed that this will never happen.

Odds on a tv show: 5000:1

Odds on a tv show: 5000:1

Oliver Queen aka Green Arrow

On the face of it, cranky old Oliver Queen and his anti-establishment trick arrows really do not have a leg to stand on. Look! Its Green Batman with a bow! But then you have the past three seasons of Smallville where Queen has showed up. And if you are a spoiler junkie and have looked into the upcoming season you can easily infer that a couple of the Green Arrow storylines could have been designed to serve as a basis for a Green Arrow series. And with all the help he has in the books, Roy, Connor, Mia and even the stockinged Black Canary, it makes it very plausible.

Odds on a tv show: 20:1

Diana Prince aka Woman Woman

This is like a total duh! of an idea. It also might be a bit of a cop out, but who wouldn’t want a teenage Amazon goddess strutting her stuff around in high school as she tries to adapt to the ways of mortal life while still trying to balance the ideals and expectations of the Amazons. From a culture of no men to a world full of them, just how will she juggle all of that and still find the time of day to take care of the bad guys? And most of all, a show designed directly to females between the ages of 12 and 24 is exactly what The CW wants. It all seems too easy. But then, I guess we should ask Joss Whedon how easy Woman Woman is exactly.

Odds on a tv show: 150:1

Stephen Strange aka Doctor Strange

In what would be a total departure from all source material, I would honestly love to see a younger Strange developing his hand at the occult. A good genre show, perhaps more in the vein of Supernatural, but with the power of Marvel behind it, could prove to be a nice companion with The Vampire Diaries. Just the supernatural rogues gallery he would have adapted could fuel the series for some time. But in the end what most would want was a hunky Dr. McStrangey to be on screen. I just want to see magic. By the Vishanti!

Odds on a tv show: 1000:1

Those above are mainly desires, but there may be a couple of other hiding out there that are just made to step into Smallville’s shoes. Who are they? What do you want to see? Is it time to just take it out behind the shed?

PS I am now mentally scarred from the pictures I saw during research of this topic.