The CW’s Superman & Lois, starring Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch as the titular duo, begins with the Kent-Lane family moving from Metropolis to Clark’s hometown of Smallville. In the first two seasons, the famous couple has faced world-ending threats in both Morgan Edge a.k.a. Tal-Rho (Adam Rayner) and Ally Allston (Rya Kihlstedt), uncertainty in their careers as they left the Daily Planet, and the double-edged sword of raising teenage sons Jon (Jordan Elsass) and Jordan (Alexander Garfin). But, together, they’ve taken on these changes as they stepped into the next phase of their lives with a group of new (and old) friends, working with everyone to create a safer world and a stable Smallville that can withstand the pressures that have caused so many other small towns to crumble. With two seasons wrapped, we’ve barely gotten to know this world and these characters. So, headed into the upcoming third season, it’s clear there is much more story left to tell.

Less than a month after Superman’s defeat of Ally Allston and the Bizarro world, life is pretty different in Smallville — not just because Jon has been recast (now played by Michael Bishop) either. With Chrissy Beppo (Sofia Hasmik) in on the big secret, Clark has joined the Smallville Gazette and the three have formed an unlikely, yet surprisingly intriguing reporting team. Clark and Lois are happier than we’ve seen them, flying off for the occasional romantic rendezvous in a luxurious setting. Lana is sinking her teeth into the job as Smallville’s new mayor, which is proving far more challenging to handle than she imagined, while her marriage with Kyle hangs in the balance. Life is good, moving forward in new ways for many of our beloved small-town residents. But, the threat of Bruno Mannheim (Chad L. Coleman) is rising on the horizon after last season’s reveal from John Diggle (David Ramsey) that Mannheim is responsible for the death of this Earth’s John Henry Irons (Wolé Parks). After watching the first two episodes of the third season, it’s clear that the stories introduced have potential and, if handled correctly, this could become the show’s best and most powerful season thus far. However, there are still some major issues.

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From the start of the premiere episode, it’s clear that Clark and Lois are on an interesting journey this season. More so than ever, they are a team facing whatever comes their way in both their working and personal lives. Almost right off the bat, Lois is ready to investigate Bruno Mannheim after what they learned in the previous season, showcasing the new normal of the Smallville Gazette with Chrissy in on their big secret and Clark joining the team. Working with Clark also brings back fun memories for the duo of their past investigative adventures. It’s truly great to see this side of things, although I already wish the show had more of it. The first two episodes are criminally light on this new dynamic, which should certainly be showcased for as much of the season as possible.

Lana becoming Mayor of Smallville was also a much-needed development in the second season, and it’s intriguing to see her try to pick up the pieces left by her predecessor, particularly as the town is running low on money and there’s an emergency she is forced to figure out how to deal with. It’s depicting a side of Lana that we always want and need to see: Level-headed, intelligent, and brave. She’s on a slippery slope, though, as she’s so focused on work that other things are slipping through the cracks. She needs balance, but it will hopefully be an enjoyable ride until she gets to that point. As for the others, there’s not much to say. Kyle (Erik Valdez) remains an all-but-useless character on the show, and John Henry is pretty much just a dad in these first two episodes. (For now, as we know he’ll be quickly pulled into the Mannheim story, it’s nice to see more of this heartwarming daddy-daughter relationship in the meantime.)

The teenage aspect of the series hasn’t much improved in between seasons. Jordan is still dominating the story as his powers continue to grow, demanding Clark’s attention and leaving Jon on the sidelines again. Sarah (Inde Navarrette) and Jordan are no longer dating, but they remain in each other’s orbit, especially as Sarah knows the truth about Jordan, Clark, and their powers. Once again, Jordan is trying way too hard in this relationship. At the same time, there’s been a shift in Sarah and her personality, which is very interesting to see play out. Ultimately, Jon and Sarah’s presence and stories in the show are still the mandatory dusting of teen drama and angst required for this otherwise stellar series to live on The CW. Jon continues to seem out of place in his own family, which is the direct result of making him the “normal” child and giving literally everything else to Jordan. So far, the teenager with the most compelling story is Natalie Irons (Tayler Buck). While I won’t say much about it, Natalie is trying to make this new Earth her home. She has a touching story with Sam Lane (Dylan Walsh) in the premiere, something that begins with the two acknowledging that he was her grandfather back on her Earth.

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That said, the beginning of Season 3 also proves that the cast of Superman & Lois is far too large when considered against the relatively small episode count each season and the big stories the series attempts to tackle. The show could be doing so much more with Clark as a character of his own, just as Jon remains in his brother’s overwhelming shadow and isolated to meaningless stories that pale in comparison to what the rest of his family is dealing with. Sam and Kyle, in particular, feel like outliers that do not need to be present for more than a select few episodes each season. Plus, we have the addition of Mannheim to focus on, and it has been revealed that Lex Luthor (played by Michael Cudlitz) will be joining the show later this season. There just isn’t enough time to tell well-developed stories with so many characters inside a 15-episode season. This is extremely evident in the premiere episode, with its unsuccessful attempt to balance and set up stories for every single one of the main characters.

All in all, there’s some great content in these first two episodes, with Tulloch giving an awe-inspiring performance in the second. There are nice moments of pure friendship between Lana and both of the leads in the premiere, which is personally one of my favorite elements of the series. Some of the new developments are outstanding, while others are leaving some hesitation about being too positive going into the rest of Season 3. Not much can be said about the Mannheim arc yet, but it will captivate you from the first moment and make you eager to learn more. There’s promising potential and the Mannheim story is simultaneously similar and different to what we’ve seen on Superman & Lois thus far, but here’s hoping the show will break from its established formula and go down a different path.

Rating: B-

The third season of Superman & Lois premieres on March 14 on The CW.