So we recently got Hulu, and now I have access to Smallville and watching for the first time (7 episodes in). Enjoyable so far… I’m not wowed, but I’m liking it enough to keep watching. One thing is bugging me though… how old are they supposed to be in season 1? Freshman in high school, so 14/15 years old, right? The looks, mannerisms, and dialogue of Clark & co strike me as older than that. Suspending disbelief to enjoy the show, obviously, but wondering if it’s just me or if anyone felt the same.
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Typical 20 year old freshmen
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I didn’t mind it because I was already used to suspending disbelief since many high school TV series and movies cast actors who are already in their 20s or older.
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It’s not just the casting, but it just seems to me the dialogue and characterization is more like 18/19 year olds vs 14/15 year olds. It’s been 25 years since I was 14, so maybe my memory is just off 
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@moro My POV is that most of the starring characters of Smallville are smarter/more advanced than most kids their age, which explains why they act beyond their years.
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@Vroom, one very convenient POV… sold to the guy on the right complaining about the superhero show!
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@moro It might be the designer clothes, freshly coiffed hair and/or the strategically placed music of the day’s music meister’s (remember how The WB hyped songs from shows after they aired via the albums they were on?) that also adds to Clark and crew’s notable advancements over the rest of Smallville’s yutes.
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I do remember that. The song selection for the show is actually not half bad .
Add the music to the rather mature conversations these kids are having about relationships and family, and the effect is rather over the top.
Spoiler
Just watched the episode where at the end Lana and Clark meet to watch the sunset on his loft. Clark is reluctant to confess his feelings because he doesn’t want to take advantage of a family situation her current boyfriend is going through. Lana says something along the lines of “Make your move” or “Take your shot”… or something. Nice scene. However, I’m sitting there watching the whole thing thinking “They’re not 14… they’re not 14… they’re not… ah just go with it!”.
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If I remember correctly doesn’t Chloe also get her driver’s license at age 15? I think unless it’s been changed that under certain circumstances in Kansas you can get your drivers license at 15. Without looking the info up for the first time in about 10 years I think those circumstances apply more to someone like Clark than Chloe.
I’m not sure if teen speak like in Smallville is people thinking this is how teens talk or if they’re trying to portray how s teen thinks they talk. I’m sure it’s also has to do with trying to appeal to a wider audience and have people relate to the characters even though they’re not teens them selves.
Good point you bring up @LPCustom76. Had they really made the characterization age accurate, the show may have lost its appeal to many viewers.
The meteor shower made them all age prematurely. LOL, but really all of the “teen” shows were like that at the time. It’s easier to have an adult stay on set for all of those hours than to have to adhere to child labor laws.
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I’ll never get over the fact that they cast a 25 year old as a 14 year old Clark (or the fact that Tom Welling was among the younger actors who auditioned for the role, some were nearing 30).