The teen-Superman saga has had its ups and downs, but in its third season last year, a big chunk of Kryptonite seemed to sap the show’s energy.

Though Smallville was never a "yuk fest," executive producer Al Gough saw problems in January, and so did viewers. Ratings fell 25%, in part from the show’s move to Wednesday, and the Clark-Lana relationship had "gotten stale," he says. A considerable comedown for a show that rocketed to success in 2001 and for a time eclipsed 7th Heaven as WB’s most-watched series.

"We probably went a little darker than we wanted to go and got a little too mythology-heavy," he says. "They were hanging out too much in secret labs, and that’s not any fun. Why the hell would teenagers want to watch this show anymore?"

This fall, they may have another reason: Gough promises a return to the show’s roots as a teen drama that explores the final year of high school for young Clark Kent (Tom Welling).

The season premiere introduces Superman fixture Lois Lane (Erica Durance), who journeys to Smallville to investigate her cousin’s death. It adds a potential forbidden-love interest for Lana in assistant coach Jason Teague (Jensen Ackles), who first meets her in Paris.

And in a big (if temporary) departure from its "no flights, no tights" rule, this Superman will fly in the season opener. Gough says the script provides a loophole because Clark has been "reprogrammed" as Kryptonian alter-ego Kal-El. "He can only do it once; by the end of the episode, he can’t do it anymore."