 SMALLVILLE 200: Interview With Warner Bros. Television President Peter Roth
Interview by Craig Byrne
At the Smallville 200th Episode Red Carpet on September 25, KryptonSite and several other media outlets spoke with members of the show's cast and crew for exclusive interviews.
We've been posting interviews here on KryptonSite for the past few weeks (you can find them from the News page), and this week specifically, we will be rolling out even more interviews about the show's 200th episode, which airs Friday, October 15 on The CW.
Today, we post an interview with a man who was very instrumental in the initial creation of Smallville - Peter Roth. The well-respected Roth has been the President of Warner Bros. Television since 1999 and has overseen the studio at a time that has brought the studio many hit series. All through this time he has been a huge supporter of the show. The interview follows.
Please do not repost this interview on other websites; instead just link directly to it. Thanks! The 200th episode of Smallville airs Friday, October 15 at 8PM on The CW. Questions to Peter Roth are printed in bold; answers are not.
In 200 episodes, is there anything about the series that surprised you?
The level of its success. It has actually exceeded our expectations, and therefore I have to say that I've been surprised at just how it big it has been. It was hopeful; I knew that I loved it; I knew that it was a very powerful notion with a great cast, with great writers, but I never knew that it would last ten years. I never knew that it would reach and satisfy so many peoples' expectations.
You've shepherded a lot of shows over the years. In having so many shows come through, is there something about Smallville that has been special in your heart?
I began my career in children's programming, and one of the first television shows I worked on was a show called Superfriends. Beyond that, as a little boy, I used to read DC Comics voraciously, and I always had a particular affinity for Superman and Superboy, and all of the characters associated with them. In every phase of my career, I find myself drawn to these kinds of characters, actually to this character in particular, so when the idea of updating and contemporizing this iconic character came to light, I got very, very excited. It became something like my baby. It is our first and most successful mega-hit in the eleven and a half years I've been at the studio, so it has a very special place in my heart. It feels a little bit like my first born.
Was there a specific episode in the 10 years that stood out for you?
I have to confess that I love the pilot. It will always stand out to me, because it was the genesis. It was the first time we all got together. It was so romantic, and so fulfilling for me, and then to see the realization of an idea that we had worked on for months, arduously, long into the night. With Al Gough and Miles Millar, and Steve Pearlman, Len Goldstein, myself, David Nutter, the entire team that put together and worked so hard on this first pilot. I think the realization of that, into film form, was and has to be, to me, the most memorable of them all.
Don't miss Smallville Friday Nights on The CW!
Episode #200 airs on October 15!
See some images from the 200th episode of Smallville - "Homecoming!"
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