DC’s best live-action superhero series closes out the shared universe with a bang.

This year, a new Man of Steel flies onto the big screen in the form of David Corenswet. The actor will be starring in James Gunn’s Superman, which is set to launch a new DC (cinematic) universe. Over on the small screen, Tyler Hoechlin’s Superman hangs up his cape. His portrayal of the character on Superman & Lois might not have attracted the most attention or hype, but it has won the hearts of many Superman fans.

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Hoechlin first portrayed Kal-el/Clark Kent/Superman on the Supergirl TV series in 2016, reprising the role on the Elseworlds and Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover events in the Arrowverse (the interconnected DC universe spanning TV shows including Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Black Lightning, and Batwoman). During these events, he was joined by Elizabeth Tulloch as Lois Lane. The duo then headlined Superman & Lois, which premiered in 2021 and recently concluded with its fourth season.

The series is linked to but not strictly part of the Arrowverse. While Hoechlin and Tulloch first played Superman and Lois on shows that were a part of the Arrowverse, the decision was made to shift Superman & Lois into its own continuity, so it doesn’t take place on the Arrowverse’s ‘Earth-Prime’ (or version of Earth). This also provides a convenient explanation as to why different versions of characters already established in the Arrowverse appear in Superman & Lois. It might be confusing, in the way comics-related media often is, but it allows the show to be more of its own thing.

Superman & Lois differs from previous movie and TV adaptations of Superman by focusing on the eponymous couple’s life as parents — as if they didn’t already have enough on their plates. They have twin sons: Jonathan (Jordan Elsass, Seasons 1-2/Michael Bishop, Seasons 3-4) and Jordan (Alex Garfin). Jonathan is more outgoing and doesn’t appear to have inherited his father’s superpowers, while Jordan is quieter and an outcast but possesses abilities that he hones over time.

“I think the fans love this iteration of Lois and Clark because there’s no worry or hesitation or concern about whether or not they’re madly in love with each other,” Tulloch tells Entertainment Weekly. “The foundation of their relationship was incredibly strong and remains so throughout all kinds of obstacles that they had to overcome, both as far as fighting monsters like Doomsday (also played by Hoechlin) and Lex Luthor (Michael Cudlitz) and also fighting with their hormonal teenagers,” she adds, describing the show’s balance of character-focused drama and superhero escapades.

Showrunner Todd Helbing felt the pressure of bringing not just Superman & Lois but the Arrowverse at large to a satisfying conclusion.

“With the Arrowverse, I’ve had 10 years of working in these shows and these worlds, and you want to do it justice, but you have to separate yourself from those feelings, or you are not going to leave your house because it’ll be overwhelming,” he tells Entertainment Weekly.

“The best way that we could approach it was to just do the best version for our show,” Helbing explains, giving the disclaimer that “schedules and money and budgets” got in the way of what fans might think of as the ideal finale. Regardless, the final season packs a huge emotional punch, with the showrunners landing on a mix of sadness and hopefulness as the right note for the series to go out on.

“Somehow, we may have actually pulled off our strongest season of the series,” Hoechlin tells Entertainment Weekly. “And that’s saying a lot with some of the limitations that we had put on us.” Said limitations include a smaller main cast (seven actors are no longer series regulars, but some still appear in guest roles) and episode count (10 instead of 13) to reduce the show’s budget.

Hoechlin adds that since he thought he was only going to play Superman on a few episodes of Supergirl, he is grateful to have gotten four seasons of Superman & Lois. “It’s a special thing to be a part of … and now it’s time to pass the torch to the next guy, and I hope he kills it, and I’m sure he will. So, it’s in good hands,” Hoechlin says as he passes the baton to Corenswet.

Over its four-season run, Superman & Lois overcame hurdles like the COVID-19 pandemic, superhero fatigue, and the 2023 Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA strikes to present a version of the Superman mythos that was simultaneously fresh and familiar. Audiences became as invested in the Kent family as they were excited for action and spectacle — which the show delivered consistently throughout its run. Its fourth and final season bids a poignant and bittersweet farewell as the show heads up, up, and away.

Enduring characters like Superman will always be reinvented, but Superman & Lois captured the essence of the man that will always remain timelessly appealing.

Superman & Lois

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Superman & Lois

The fourth season picks up with Superman and Luthor's monster locked in a battle as Clark fights for his life.

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