So, given the episode screentime totals for this season, and the subsequent discussion I figured it would be a good idea for us to have a place to post them after each episode airs, and then discuss it.

I'll dig up the screentime totals for the first three episodes and add them to this post.

And to get the ball rolling... This is the first time Clark has ever been overtaken by another character right? I remember someone saying that Savior was the first premiere where another character had more screentime than Clark.

Rabid screentimes, and the to-date season totals as compared to season 8 courtesy of mykka:



(If someone could let me know where the screentime totals are for Savior and Matallo that would be great!)

Metallo:


Savior:


These screentimes were compiled by BadToad. Any other past information can probably be found at a specific episode's forum at KSite.

Actually she posts them publicly on her Livejournal. Have it bookmarked just for the numbers.

Since she doesn't want it posted (Thanks for the link Teen Titan!) we can just copy-paste from now on :)

Ignoring the Lois shaped elephant in the room for now, can I just say how horrified I am that Dr. Emil Hamilton got more screentime than Chloe.

Does anyone know how many episodes that actor has been hired for? (I am blanking on his name right now)

Also, it's three episodes in and Chloe is already down by 14:00 minutes and Lois is up by 24:00. And it's only episode three!

How long before we get our first Chloe-less episode?

Even if you're just looking at the screentimes it should be clear to you if you're a Chloe fan what to expect this season.

Also, I've just found that the person that is compiling these doesn't want them reposted here at Television Without Pity, according to this: http://jeannev.livejournal.com/80000.html#cutid1.

I'm going to respect her wishes, but link to her journal as long as that is OK with her, so people can see the episode totals there.

S10, if we get there. Unless, for some reason I can't fathom, AM agreed to a contract that didn't guarantee her all 22 episodes in S9.

I assume she is guaranteed to be paid for all 22. However, that doesn't mean they have to pay her for all 22. Granted, given their budget woes they probably want to use her if they've paid for her, but if you look at the screentime trend it's not an impossibility that they might just decide there's no room for Chloe in an episode (see: Justice and Lana).

KK was written out of Justice because she was filming a movie, not because they didn't feel like making room for her. TPTB are not going to pay AM to sit around and do nothing just for plot purposes.

You couldn't be more wrong. KK wasn't in the episode because writer SDK couldn't find any room to fit her in the episode. That was officially said by him if I remember correctly. Because personally I have always wondered how they could fit in the Lois/Lolli drama yet have no room for Lana.

Then that's my mistake. Since it was right around the filming of Partition, I assumed they agreed to give her an episode off for that, as they did in S7 for Street Fighter.

I still doubt we'll see the same thing happen with AM. They can't afford to waste money and it's really nothing that didn't happen with MR in S7.

She got off 2 episodes the Season before that for Partition. Not in S6.

From SDK's Myspace.

"Too much story, not enough room. Which is sad for me, because I really enjoy writing Lex and Lana, as well as Lana and Clark. Lot of juice in there for me to soak in. Mmm... juice!"

I actually love that subplot. It may be the best work those two have done on the show. That or Siren.

Anyway, they didn't have much choice. That was Hartley's last contracted episode and they needed him to break up with Lois before Oliver left.

It amazes me that a season that is supposedly about Clark's final steps to becoming Superman actually has reduced screentime for TW. It's bad enough that Clark is playing Batman and treating people like crap, but reduced screentime too?

I think it's the best thing ever that he's playing Batman. That outfit is the funniest thing I've seen on TV all year. God I love it. I hope by the end of the year he's become a vampire that sparkles in the sun.

Technically, Injustice was a Chloe-less episode, even if Allison was present. The last episode not to feature Allison at all was Sacred back in Season 4.

I would have to agree with Season 10, Episode 1 as the next time Chloe/Allison misses an episode. She's signed for all 22, and TPTB are going to have her in all 22, even if only for one scene apiece.

Bkwurm, Dr. Emil Hamilton is portrayed by Alessandro Juliani. Fans of Battlestar Galactica know him well as Lt. Felix Gaeta.

I am sorry that I cannot answer your question about how much more we will see of him. I like the actor. I suppose that Dr. Hamilton will be paired with Chloe as her technical counterpart.

Oh, I'm very familiar with our poor gimpy Gaeta, but I just blanked out on his name.

I don't dislike the character, but I don't like how Chloe seems to be answering to him and I really don't like how much he has already encroached on what little Chloe has left in the show. In the old days, Chloe would just mention having talked to her contact and provided the info, but now, TPTB are taking time to show that stuff which uses up time that could be used for Chloe to actually be on screen for the appropriate time for the only other full time actor.

Smallville has had many, many episodes with only 3-4 minutes of Lex, and MR was around until season nine. Seeing Chloe play Exposition Girl while AM laughs all the way to the bank seems pretty likely to me, but YMMV.Didn't they cut ED down to 12 episodes last season for that exact reason? They could not find anyting for Lois to do after Super Shoe? I would be surprised if ED was not payed for her contracted 13th episode, but YMMV.

AFAIK, Erica's 13th episode was not a guarantee, but an option which she did not get paid for regardless. She would have had to work on a 13th to get paid for it. So while they did leave her out for plot, they didn't waste money by doing it, which they would be with AM.

I think I recall they paid (presumably) AA to appear in an episode that they then cut him out of for lack of screentime. So if Chloe's scenes get short enough that they are obviously symbolic "here, we paid you, better show up at least one morning this week" type of things, and the running time of the episode gets too long - I can see the total of her appearance landing on the cutting room floor for an episode or two, if they feel that whatever two lines of exposition she regurgitated was adequately covered elsewhere in the ep.

Yep. He filmed scenes for Hex, all of which got cut out of the final aired episode. He would have been paid, as he did work. I suppose it's possible AM could have the same thing happen to her, but Chloe is not Jimmy; they managed to find a may to work MR in every episode in S7, I think they'll do the same for AM.

I might have agreed till this season, but lately it seems to me the writing staff is bent on hanging a bunch of unfortunate attributes around the character's neck this season, whether they actually line up with what Chloe has been over the past 8 seasons or not; and the one that I think they most hope to stick her with is 'dispensable' (since willy-nilly they MUST do without her). IMO, the whittling down of her screentime fits in with that; also the hiring of another competent exposition spewer.

"Roulette" ST- Credit BOUROUX

How many episodes this season has Nois had more minutes than Clark? I'm thinking it's three out of five (the first two and this one)-- am I wrong?

It's disgusting to see Chloe (the second character shown in the credits!) with less than half of Nois' screentime, both in this episode and overall. That's precisely why I'm not watching.

And Ollie had 29 minutes in this one episode???! Seriously? I see he's far ahead of Chloe, too. I guess Ollie fans mean more to TPTB than Chloe fans do.

Waiting to see by which episode Tess will lap Chloe in the screentime department.

Thanks for the respect, PSW, you can go shove it.

I think that won't happen anytime soon. I am on board with everyone upset with Chloe's ST, but I can safely say that Tess(a character I like a lot) gets even worse treatment. She rarely gets to the 10 minute mark in an episode and her only use this season is to advance the Zod arc.

Wow. Justin Hartley must be happy (and that's not a dig at him, he seems like a great guy).

Could the message be any clearer? And also, didn't Chloe not even show up in the episode until halfway through? I was really starting to think that it was going to be an episode without Chloe at all.

Funny thing, TPTB are whittling AM's screentime down to practically nothing, probably because they want viewers to get used to not seeing her so they won't miss her when she's gone. Yet the only way to make her transformation to EVOL (if that's really what they're aiming at) remotely believable is to, well, SHOW it happening to her by allotting her sufficient time in several episodes to make her changes plausible. It's like TPTB's head simply cannot comprehend the contradiction.

Offscreensville. It's always been this show's MO.

I wonder if this is how Lana fans felt in Season 7 (I'm not one of them, but I remember thinking that "Blue" might be Lana-free until she finally showed up).

"No lines in the premiere? One scene in 'Kara'?" Not to mention all the times where she either didn't show up until a ways into the episode or disappeared in the second half ("Blue," "Fracture," "Traveler"). I remain surprised to this day that she had so little screen time in "Veritas," which was essentially her last episode of the season.

But yes, I also have issues with Chloe getting such (relatively) low screentime and Lois getting so much. And I really don't have too much of a problem with Lois, but no character should surpass Clark in 3 out of 5 episodes. I really hope both problems are corrected as the season goes on.

"Crossfire" ST- Credit BOUROUX


Lois with the most again? I wonder, with a Lois-less episode next week it would be interesting to see if Chloe will have more ST. Perhaps break the 15 min mark?

I'm still baffled as to how the lead actress/2nd billed has less time than Tess and pretty much ties with Zod.

Thanks for the numbers. So much wasted screentime on Lois and that dating game. She just had to fight the gang didn't she? And she also had to handle her own against them didn't she? I feel really bad for Chloe fans. I am a Tess fan, but Chloe has a warm place in my heart. Both characters deserve better. Maybe in Kandor they will get a better share. That's 4 episodes this season where someone has more screentime than Clark. Could it be possible that Tom's new obligations are forcing him to spend more time away from set?

Lois getting more screentime than Clark again is just ridiculous, as is the lack of Chloe screentime. But I can't honestly say I noticed it all that much during the ep, so job done anyway I guess.

Still, it shouldn't be occurring on a regular basis.

These screen times are utterly ridiculous and I feel like it points to toward the producers having somewhat of a petty attitude toward Allison for not wanting to come back next year. I almost feel like they are purposely icing her out of the show just because they are mad at her for not planning on coming back next year. I realize that's complete speculation on my part, but these numbers are just crazy and it's the only thing that makes sense to me. YMMV.

I will say I'm thrilled that I decided not to watch the show (live or recorded) this year and thus far I've kept my commitment. Maybe, if the mood hits, I'll go in for the Justice Society two-parter. But other than that I just can't see watching with this type of screen time distribution.

I see nothing surprising or unjust in the screen times so far this season. Clark has the most, befitting his status as star of the show and central subject of the story. Second is Lois; well when I think of "Clark Kent" the next name that immediately comes to mind is "Lois Lane"... just like "peanut butter & jelly". The only surprising thing, really, is that Lois has been used so little in the past.

Chloe still has more screen time than Tess. More screen time than Zod. I find that surprising... Tess is a fresh character, exciting and new to the show, a kickass character played by an impressive acress. Tess fills an essential role, basically stepping into the shoes of Lex Luthor. She's Clark's nemesis, for crying out loud! As for Zod, he's an icon from the comics and this season is supposed to feature him. He's at the heart of the whole Kandorian story, he's the current villain threatening the survival of humankind. Yet even in "Crossfire" he had less time than Chloe. "Crossfire", where Chloe served no real plot function whatsoever, while Zod makes his grab for control of Luthorcorp. Seems to me the writers tossed Chloe a bone, giving her screen time just to give her a couple of pleasant moments with Clark and to show her super-hacking again. I'm always happy to see Chloe in a scene, I think she and Clark have a great dynamic. But her presence wasn't really necessary in that episode; not the way Tess and Zod were.

Chloe got lots of screen time in the second part of last season. Plots centered around her and Davis. I see no reason why that trend has to be continued. Among the supporting cast (Lois, Oliver, Chloe, Tess, and Zod) her screen minutes for S9 put her square in the middle. Seems fair to me.

Lastly, in terms of AM: she gets paid for a short work week, and that doesn't suck. She's likely gearing up for the next phase of her career, so it seems to me that, if anything, the producers and the writers are doing her a favor in lightening her work load.

The problem, IMO, is that Lois has more screen time than Clark in four of the first six episodes. Lois and Ollie both had more screen time than Clark in the Ollie-centric Roulette. If you remove TW's 24 minutes in Roulette, this gets even crazier.

Forget Chloe. (It seems like PSW have.) Why in the blue hell is anyone getting more time than Clark on a regular basis? I would also like more Zod and Tess. But when ED is out-clocking the fucking lead 2/3 of the time, I think debating who should get the C plot versus the D plot is a bit like re-arranging deck chair on the Titanic. Of course, YMMV.

Why should it be surprising. This has been Smallville, not Superman. What role should Lois Lane "really" play in a pre-Superman Clark Kent. The answer is none. The fact that she is here at all should be enough.


I admit Zod has potential, but feel the show will not allow him to be properly used, which is too bad because the actor seems to portray him pretty well from what I have seen. (Again, only watched Savior, part of Metallo & a few clips here & there, so not really up to date on everything)


Chloe is getting not even 1/2 the screen time of Green Arrow. I mean come on, GA should be a bit player on this show, but has become nearly as big as Clark. Lois screen time is completely absurd. I mean people used to bash Lana & call the show Lanaville, but you never saw this type of situation w/screen time. The most screen time she ever had per episode was 11 minutes in s6. The saying that its Lois & Clark doesn't work in terms of screen time on the show. Overexposed Lois is never a good thing on Smallville.



How nice of the producers to pretty much crap all over her character in the meantime. I am one of the few people on this site who doesn't really like Chloe, but I respect the work that AM & writers had put into her character for years. Too all of a sudden turn her into a bit player just to push Clois is an insult to her. They are giving her the KK Season 7 treatment, she is on the show, but disappears for long periods & routinely gets 5-6 minutes of air time. I know why they are doing it, I just don't agree with it.

Holy crap. That's...that's bad.

Are they making Lois and Ollie the centerpieces of the show intentionally, I wonder? And why are they overloading on Lois right now, anyway?

I don't completely get what you mean. That it's okay to shove her off to the side line because at least she gets paid? That she should be used to doing nothing because she'll be unemployed at the end of this season? From the little I know about the acting profession, many actors do get upset when their screentime/role is shrunk/worthless. It's not a "well, I get to go home early, so that's awesome" type job.

And of the character's fans, yes.

Clark does not always have the most screentime. Chloe had more screentime than Clark a couple of times last year. In "Abyss" and "Beast" she outstripped him by quite a bit, and in "Eternal" they were onscreen roughly the same. Nois outstripped Clark in "Committed" and "Stiletto," too. Technically "Chloe" had more minutes than Clark did in Hex, but the majority of that was EDChloe.

I think we all understand that in an ensemble cast, some episodes are going to feature a particular character at the expense of others, even Clark. The problem for me is that Nois has suddenly become pretty much the main character, getting more screen time than Clark two-thirds of the time, and having plots revolve around her regularly.

No matter what her name is, this is hard to digest when she was simply not onscreen that much last year. It's also hard to accept Chloe being sidelined so abruptly when she was onscreen a good deal, particularly toward the end of last season. It's not as if the producers have been slowly cutting Chloe's screentime while upping Nois'-- on the contrary, it seemed as if the end of last season was cutting Nois' screentime while featuring Chloe more heavily. So when Nois is suddenly the featured character in four out of six episodes, and Chloe is only getting five minutes per episode, of course a lot of viewers are going to be upset by this. It's a profound shift in the show's focus.

I recognize that TW probably negotiated for a bit less screentime, and I can understand that. But that does not justify or explain the producers giving all the extra screen time to ED. Splitting that time among the other characters, and giving a reasonable proportion of it to AM, would be less insulting to Chloe fans, IMHO.

I'll be curious to see what happens next week, when ED isn't in the picture. Will AM get more minutes, or will she still be sidelined?

Others have already stated, quite well, why the screen times have been unfair this season. The most important reason being that this is Smallville, not Lois & Clark or any other previous incarnation of the Superman story. For 8 years we've had this character named Chloe Sullivan whose been a key/core person in the show and to just blatantly shove her off to the side isn't fair. It's not fair to the character, to the character's fans, to AM the actress, to AM's fans, nor to long-term fans of the show who've followed the "big picture" of Smallville since day one and understand just how important this character has been to the series. It's garbage, and I personally think the producers know what they are doing and don't care one bit.

Seems to me less screentime was part of the TW production deal.

What an abomination that "Smallville" is now centered around their version of Lois Lane.

I think they should be sued for false advertising, this is NOT "Smallville". It's "The Adventures of Lois Lane", featuring Clark Kent/The Blur as her love interest and other random comic bits.

That's it. I like the concept of Smallville: it's something like superman begins. Moving on to the Lois and Clark show it's a turn off. They lost Lex, Peter, Lana, etc, and if they ditch Chloe I simply won't watch again.

Right now, keeping her at 3 minutes/episode, shows how evil they are, because i always end up watching (using the FF button a lot, though). But by now, they must think that Smallville and Chloe fans are a little masochistic.

It is very upsetting for me as a Chloe fan to see her go from having more screentime than any character ever (except for Clark) to going back to Season 2-3 screentime. She is the only reason I'm still watching this show.

Kandor Screentime.

Compiled by BOUROUX



I thought that Chloe was still getting short changed. A great deal of what Oliver did could have been done IMO even more logically by Chloe. But that seems to be a trend (ie give Chloe's parts away to others)

I started to try and watch my first episode of the season last night but I just couldn't get into it after the credits. Turned it back on near the end and it was very obvious to me that where we have Clark and Ollie talking at the farm it would have normally, in years past, been Clark and Chloe. That was all I needed to see to confirm my belief since day one of this season: Chloe's being majorly phased out, and to me the reason why is more than plain. Those couple of minutes of viewing were definitely it for me. No more. They had one chance to show me they were not just screwing AM/Chloe because they wanted to increase ED's screen time. After last night it's clear to me that AM's lack of screen time this year isn't just about Clois pimping. It's about Chloe hating. Of this I personally have zero doubt.

This episode was a great opportunity for both Chloe and Tess to get a lot of sceentime under their belts. I wanted both girls to reach double figures. And they would have, if Oliver wasn't a part of this episode. He really had no reason to be in this one. One of the major flaws of this season has been the screentime allocation that's going on. And it's not just Chloe, Tess and Zod getting minimal screentime. We are 7 episodes into the season and the star of the show has had the most screentime in only 2 episodes.

Is this the first time a guest star has had the most screentime? Especially a one-shot, as opposed to recurring (I'm guessing Ollie may have beat out Clark once or twice in S6).

I would have figured Chloe's screentime to be higher, but I guess that's just because she appeared throughout the episode and had scenes with both Clark and Jor-El.

Michael McKean had a lot of screen time in Perry (a good thing!) He may have surpassed Clark's total, as he had scenes with Chloe, Lana, two scenes with Lex, in addition to his scenes with Clark.

Thank you. This is my point about the situation. Lois Lane was not supposed to be the prime focus of Smallville. Even if you subscribe to the Chlois Theory, she wouldn't have been the focus. They've screwed up the character to the point that many of us, myself included, just can't seem to like her. No matter how much they light switch her into her iconic status, it just doesn't seem natural.

For me, when you take the focus away from Clark, you lose what this show was supposed to be. It was that way with Lana, and now it's that way with Lois, IMO.

However, SueB is right. I think less Clark is due to Tom's new contract and producing duties. I think it may have been a requirement of his resigning. Less time in front of the camera. And, I think he deserves it. The man has worked his tail off for years. The problem is that the time to lessen his screen time was years ago..Now, when he is getting closer and closer to becoming the man in blue, is not the time to cut his screen time.