The tenth and final season of Smallville, an American television series, premiered on September 24, 2010, and consisted of 22 episodes.

The series recounts the early adventures of Kryptonian Clark Kent as he adjusts to life in the fictional town of Smallville, Kansas, during the years before he becomes Superman.

Regular cast members during season ten include Tom Welling, Erica Durance, Justin Hartley, Cassidy Freeman, and Allison Mack.

[2][3] John Schneider, Annette O'Toole, John Glover, Laura Vandervoort, and Callum Blue all returned sporadically throughout the season as Jonathan Kent, Martha Kent, Lionel Luthor, Kara, and Zod respectively, while Michael Rosenbaum (Lex Luthor) and Aaron Ashmore (Jimmy Olsen) returned for the series finale.

By the end of this season, Smallville had become the longest running science fiction television series in North America.

[4] It's amazing to think that Chloe Sullivan and I have been one and the same for over a third of my life, I'm truly humbled by the love and loyalty of all the fans whose enthusiasm has carried me — along with a cast and crew that has become my second family — over the past nine and a half years.

[35] The studio's official press release was presented two months later and confirmed that Smallville would be remaining at its Friday, 8 p.m. time slot.

For the actress, watching as her character matured over the years—from sacrificing the things she wanted for the sake of her friends, to finally reaching a point where she can strive to satisfy her own needs and wants—has been important for her.

[37] Souders and Peterson also chose not to erase Lois's memory of Clark's secret, something she discovered in the season nine finale.

[38] Initially helping Clark and Oliver at Watchtower, Tess discovers a secret from her past, and the season explores whether she ends on the side of good or bad.

[40] When discussing how the series will end, Peterson stated that the creative team had multiple visions of the finale episode since the show began.

According to Peterson, there was the vision that series creators Miles Millar and Alfred Gough developed and shared with the team over the years.

[43] At the 2010 Comic-Con, Welling said that Rosenbaum acknowledged the importance of Lex in the series and wanted to return in some degree for the show's final season, but that he needed to iron the details out.

The producers also worked to bring John Glover back as Lionel Luthor, Lex's father; he appeared for two episodes in late November 2010.

[38] In addition, both Michael Shanks and Jessica Parker Kennedy returned as Hawkman/Carter Hall and Plastique, respectively, in the second episode of season ten.

[38] Keri Lynn Pratt, who portrays Grant, stated that her character has a crush on Clark, which annoys Lois more than threatens her.

[37] The version of Blue Beetle is that of Jaime Reyes, and Booster Gold is modeled directly after his comic book counterpart, including his personality and history.

[3] He noted that the two characters embody what Clark needs to learn: being in the public eye and fully accepting his alien heritage.

[3] Welling promised to long-time viewers that their main goal was to finish the series in a way that will satisfy the fans and give them hope that Clark becomes Superman by the show's end.

[72] The season ten premiere brought in 2.98 million viewers,[5] the highest viewing figures The CW had had in the Friday 8–9 pm timeslot in over two years.

By the end of its tenth season, Smallville became the longest running science fiction television show in the United States; it broke the Guinness World Record held by Stargate SG-1.

[74] The complete tenth season of Smallville was released on November 29, 2011, in North America in both DVD and Blu-ray format.