Will Tom Welling be back on TV?

The year was 2011 when, after 10 seasons, 'Smallville' said goodbye as one of the most powerful teen series of the 21st century. After that, it was difficult to keep track of Tom Welling. But that changed in 2022.

Tom Welling came back to his home base, 'The CW', to be part of the series 'The Winchesters.' The show is a prequel to the successful 'Supernatural.'

After several years away from acting, the actor is working with his co-star Jensen Ackles again. In case you can't tell who's who after all these years, Tom Welling is in the middle and Ackles on the left. He posted the photo on his Instagram account (@jensenackles). On the right in the picture, by the way, is Michael Rosenbaum, who also used to play in 'Smallville.'

The actor, born in 1977, plays Samuel Campbell, the father of Mary Campbell and grandfather of Dean and Sam, the famous Winchester brothers. He has a recurring role that was introduced into the story in December 2022, during the seventh episode of its first season.

Image: The CW

Considering that 'Smallville' lasted 10 seasons and 'Supernatural' made it as far as 15, one would hope that 'The Winchesters' will have a long way to go. However, a decision about the next 'Winchesters' season has not yet been made.

The CW

If the show returns, that would mean a major, long-term comeback for Tom Welling on television. But where had he been all this time?

Tom Welling was 24 years old when filming for 'Smallville' began. The series told the story of a teenage Superman before he would go on to become a superhero.

Despite his 'advanced' age, he gave life to a high school boy. It worked: he became a huge teen idol.

For 10 years and 10 seasons (2001-2011), Tom Welling starred in a series ahead of its time. In a way, it made room for the rise of today's superheroes.

But at the end of 'Smallville', Tom Welling disappeared.

The curious thing about the matter is not that he disappeared, but that when the world got to see him again with a completely different look. Tom Welling was no longer that actor who passed for a high school boy but a 'sugar daddy' with gray hair; just as attractive but with an unexpected look.

He had kept his physical appearance and even increased his musculature, something that seemed impossible during 'Smallville.'

During the decade that the CW series was filmed, Tom Welling had to spend long periods on the filming set. The production was spectacular and introduced many novelties, mostly in the special effects section. However, this required many hours and commitment from the cast.

During the series' 10 seasons, Tom Welling had no time to participate in other projects, even though he was at the height of his career.

As if that weren't enough, the few projects in which he did participate were badly chosen. 'Cheaper by the Dozen' (2003), The Fog (2005), and 'Cheaper by the Dozen 2' (2005 ) were not the most memorable titles of the early 21st century.

Curiously, after finishing 'Smallville' in 2011, Tom Welling did not take advantage of his fame to look for big film projects.

The actor had the financial resources to live two lives. In fact, in the last seasons, he came to earn $175,000 per episode, which meant around $4 million per season.

Added to this is that the actor tends to flee from fame and just wants a quiet life, as he confessed to 'YM Magazine.' "I don't want to be a celebrity for the sake of being a celebrity. I wanna work and then go home and live in private."

With this premise, Tom Welling became much more selective in his roles and, in addition, he set up his own production company to remain linked to the industry without showing his face.

In the following five years, Tom Welling participated in three films that had a lukewarm reception between the public and critics. 'Parkland' (2013), 'Draft Day' (2014), and 'The Choice' (2016). And those were, for the moment, his last forays into film.

After the film fiasco, Tom Welling chose to return to television. There, he did achieve glory. The actor made a pact with the devil. Literally.

The actor was going to appear in 6 episodes of the third season (2018) of 'Lucifer,' giving life to Marcus Pierce. This character had supernatural overtones and a very long story to tell. Thanks to the success of the role, Welling ended up signing 20 appearances and increasing the audience of one of the biggest series of the moment.

In 2020, Tom Welling gave in to the wishes of 'Smallville' fans. He brought Clark Kent back to life.

He appeared in the special crossover series 'Crisis on Infinite Earths,' combining 'Batwoman' with 'Supergirl,' 'The Flash,' and other superheroes. Clark Kent, however, had no powers!

Still, not having powers did not mean that the hypermuscular Clark Kent could not throw a successful punch at Lex Luthor (played by Jon Cryer).

Tom Welling seemed eager to go back to television and that's how in 2020 he returned to star in 'The Professionals'.

In this action series, the actor took on the leading role together with another long-lost idol: Brendan Fraser. Elena Anaya completed the cast.

On a personal level, Tom Welling married Jamie White in July 2002. The marriage lasted until 2013, but then the model filed for divorce due to "irreconcilable differences." The separation process lasted two years.

During that process, the actor met Jessica Rose Lee, Amazon and founder of the Saddle Club, whom he would end up marrying in November 2019. The couple lives in California and has two children together.

Since July 2022, Tom Welling and Michael Rosenbaum, that is, Clark Kent and Lex Luthor, have a podcast called 'TalkVille.' Each week, they review one of the 217 chapters of 'Smallville.' In addition, they invite colleagues to discuss them with them. A jewel for nostalgics.

Photo: @talkvillepodcast / Instagram

And that's how Rosenbaum and Welling managed to stay in touch after all these years! Together with Jensen Ackles, they bring back memories of the iconic series of 'Smallville.'

If Tom Welling feels like acting in big projects again, maybe Marvel or DC can put him in the shoes of a superhero. Because, after all, Tom Welling is the savior the world needs.