The CW's Superman & Lois: Character Breakdown

Superman and Lois is one of two shows this pilot season to earn an early season pickup from The CW (the Walker, Texas Ranger reboot starring Supernatural's Jared Padalecki is the other). It's no wonder, really, as the network's latest addition to its growing stable of DC Comics-based shows comes from a group of known quantities. The Flash executive producer and former showrunner Todd Helbing and Greg Berlanti are behind the show, which is, of course, based on the DC characters created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.

Starring Supergirl's Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch, who reprise their roles as the world’s most famous super hero and Metropolis' most famous journalist, this new take sees the couple at yet another stage of life. Where Smallville was about Clark Kent's teenage years, and the 90s series Lois & Clark ended with the iconic couple becoming parents, Superman and Lois will see the two characters dealing with all the stress, pressures and complexities that come with being working parents.

As the series opens, LOIS LANE is still working at the Daily Planet, but CLARK KENT has just been fired following a massive layoff plan at the journal. His father JONATHAN KENT is no longer with them, while his mother MARTHA KENT is living alone on the farm where he grew up in Smallville. They have twins, JONATHAN and JORDAN KENT, who are thirteen and very different -- both physically and otherwise. Jonathan is the popular one, an all-star athlete who's about to enter the Varsity team, while Jordan is more introverted, anxiety prone, and very much into computers and video games. They don't know who their father really is... yet. And they may or may not have inherited his powers.

Lois's father GENERAL SAMUEL LANE is in the picture and knows about Clark. LANA LANG is also a big part of the show. She's a banker, still living in Smallville, with her husband KYLE CUSHING, a firefighter, and their daughters, SARAH, who's fourteen, and younger SOPHIE who's eight. They are in a dark place: Kyle is a drunk and Sarah tried to take her own life a year ago.

And yes, Superman has an enemy in this version of the story, who appears as THE STRANGER in the pilot. His true identity is revealed at the end of the episode...

Bookmark our pilots area for more information, including casting details for Superman & Lois and all the other series in contention this pilot season.

People are talking about Superman &  Lois in our forums. Join the conversation.

Jean-Maxime Renault is a TV addict based in Paris who writes about television and movies on AlloCiné (aka "the French IMDB"). In 2015 he created Season Zero, a website about television development and pilot season, which is now a part of Primetimer. Follow him on Twitter @SeasonZeroCom