Appreciation post for this show from a long-time Superman fan

FYI: SPOILERS BELOW!

I'm sure many people here feel the same way, but I think this show is terribly underrated. As someone who grew up on the Christopher Reeve films, loved Lois & Clark during the 90s, and enjoyed most of Smallville, Superman & Lois is my favorite depiction of these characters (sorry, really disliked Snyder's take on Superman). I can't remember the last time I felt this fulfilled and satisfied after a series finale.

I don't think this gets discussed enough, but it's refreshing to see Superman/Clark and Lois beyond their dating and "honeymoon" phase. We've seen plenty of stories of them flirting with each other, the sexual tension, the dating, the falling in love, the reveal that Clark is Superman, etc. (not to mention the dilemma of "does Lois love Clark or Superman"). I love how the opening 3-4 minutes of the pilot episode (one of my favorite scenes in all of television) beautifully captures the history of their relationship and establishes that we're going to see Superman and Lois in the next phase of their lives: Married and as parents of teenagers. There may be some personal bias here, but as a husband and father myself, I was able to resonate with many of the family themes this show touched upon. I'm also a therapist, so I appreciated the healthy parenting styles and emphasis on open and honest communication as well.

While the show didn't portray Lois and Clark dating (aside from flashback scenes), I thought it did a great job at showing the challenges that marriages can go through and how it's not always glamorous, yet still so precious and beautiful making choices to be there in solidarity with one another. There's an emotional maturity that this show promotes. One of the critiques I had about the Lois & Clark TV show is that the writers didn't seem to know how to write Lois and Clark after they got married (which is the case for a lot of TV shows). They only knew how to write them effectively when they were dating. Superman & Lois succeeds masterfully in giving these characters so much emotional depth and complexity post-marriage and as parents.

Would love to hear if others felt the same way! Btw, Tyler Hoechlin is my favorite Superman/Clark/Kal-El by far.