 According to co @-@ creator Miles Millar , " unlike most shows , which pick up in January and you 've got four weeks [ ... ] to do your casting " , Millar and co @-@ creator Al Gough had five months to cast their lead characters . In October 2000 , the two producers began their search for the three lead roles , and had casting directors in ten different cities . The following is a list of all the characters that are , or at one time were , a main character in the show . During its first season , Smallville had eight regular characters . Six characters from the original cast left the show , with eight new characters coming in over the course of nine seasons . 
