Not to his employers, but perhaps to his fans or just the artistic work he created.

EDIT: I could understand his choice if he doesn't feel the script is up to par, and maybe that's the case.

Maybe he disassociated himself from "the artistic work" of Smallville when they kept the show going year after year to the point where the overall narrative of the series became a complete and utter incoherent mess.

And I completely reject the notion that he "owes" fans of the show anything. I've watched every episode of Smallville for almost ten years, and he doesn't owe me a single fucking thing.

hell, even megastar George Clooney came back to ER..... Rosenbaum could suck it up and do something nice for the fans.

^ lol No shit. Just a simple cameo like that would be cool.

Obviously not, but it would be nice considering it's the fans that kept the show on the air and helped pad his bank account to let him do the other things he is wanting to do.

Maybe he has had trouble shaking Lex in trying out for other gigs or something though.

Did Rosenbaum have any issues with the producers and/or network when he left? I ask because I'm surprised he wouldn't even provide a final scene cameo. Alexander has hair so it's not like he has to shave his head. They could always show him with a pair of clippers about to cut his hair and that's it.

I'm mixed on this. On the one hand I understand and respect this decision; afterall it's his perogative. However, as others have said it comes off as a *ickish thing to do. Other bigger stars have returned to their roots as a service to the fans and an act like this, if true, comes off as selfish. Welling even said he's called him on several occassions to try and get him to do it. Heck, Lionel and Jonathan are back.

On the flip side I think the new show runners have handled it well with both new cast additions (Tess) and the clone angle that honestly probably won't make me care too much if it doesn't come to pass.

The one thing I can't get over from a story perspective is how would it work if he knows the secret? The clones know the truth, but that doesn't seem to make much sense. It's always been my impression that he was against Superman and not Clark per se. Then again this is Smallvilleverse, so I guess anything goes.

Agree with the sentiment that while it's his perogative, but it's still a dick move IMO. Like TallGuy said, if George fucking Clooney can come back, why can't he come back for one appearance? Lame.

I havent seen Rosenbaum in anything since he left Smallville, and IMO the show got better after he left anyway.

He played Thug #1* on It's Always Sunny in Pennsylvania.


*just guessing on the name since it was so odd seeing him in such a bit part after playing Lex.

True, but I'm not sure that was his fault. The creators really painted themselves into a corner from the start since they had to resole the Clark/Lex friendship. If Clark and Lex were to be friends that's fine and actually interesting. What's to say that Clark and Lex couldn't be friends while he hates Superman? That would be an interesting angle! Instead they chose to go with "Whats' your secret???", but that was what they did with Lana as well and look where that ended up... Then they decided to let him learn the secret and see where that went?! How do you come back from that?

"Oh, I'm back and exactly the same SOB I was before, but I just happen to not remember that one key piece of information. But I know I still hate this Blur/Superman!!"

George Clooney probably didn't want to show up for the finale of ER.....but he respected the fact that the show was the launching pad for his career. And his fans thought better of him for it.

Rosenbaum isn't under any obligation, but not showing up is essentially a slap in the face to the fan-base and show that made him who he is. The show would definitley finish better if he were to show up, but if he doesn't I won't be very upset. Besides, its not like his career is taking off with him sitting in his small Hollywood Hills condo writing poetry and whatnot.

Right. It just boils down to "it would be a cool thing to do" for the fans.

Maybe he's bitter that the show got better once he left.

I thought he was playing Dee's boyfriend. I remember it being a fairly substantial role in terms of a Sunny guest spot.

Plus, that was three years before he left Smallville.

Not to be too nit-picky, but Clooney didn't show up for the ER finale. He showed up for Julianna Marguiles' final episode, which was actually several seasons before the show itself ended. But I agree that his coming back was a classy thing for him to do.

he also showed up again for one of the final episodes of the final season of ER, it wasn't the finale proper, but it was like the 3rd or 4th episode left of the entire show.

Ep. 328, Sam flew to Clooney's hospital to pick up a transplant or something like that.

So he should do it because Smallville made him who he is, and who he is essentially a nobody.

By the way, George Clooney still has personal friendships with many of the people he worked with on ER, including executive producers John Wells and Mimi Leder.

Plus Clooney did have a bit of an honorable obligation to pay back since they let him out of his contract early when he left the show in 1999.

Maybe, but he's a nobody with, what I would assume to be, a decent size bank account.

It's a rather odd move; no one "owes" a former employer much of anything after all. I could understand if the guy was making movies or was on a hit show. But as has been said, MUCH bigger stars have returned to the scene of the crime for farewells. There has to be some sort of history there that we are not aware of.

So you think he owes something to the fans because the fans gave him money?

I've watched since the beginning and have never sent any of the cast members a single dime. Should I send a check somewhere?

Here's your new Lex Luthor. And he's a much bigger star than Rosenbaum or George Clooney.

I guess you don't realize that just by watching - viewers like you - support a show to the point where a network renews it and continues running said show. If viewers don't watch - then a show is canceled and no one gets paid. Basically what you're saying is that your time is worthless. I would disagree as you could have just as easily watched something else all those years.

I get that you didn't literally put money in the man's pocket, but that doesn't mean that loyalty of the cultish group of people who faithfully watched the show for all these years didn't give him a pretty nice livelihood for more than a few years, because without them, the show is canceled pretty quickly.

In the end he sure doesn't "owe" anyone, anything, but it would be a nice gesture for the small group of fans who have kept the show on the air all these years - including the ones that he got paid for.

He can certainly do whatever he wants, but if he is still acting (or considers himself an actor), it seems weird that he wouldn't come back given that he doesn't seem to be doing anything else right now.

I realize that the entire situation you've described is the business model for broadcast television that has existed for over 50 years, and that Rosenbaum fulfilled his contractual obligation within that business model.

Now matter how many people post it, or how pretty the language is that you use to explain it, all I keep reading is the fanboy whine, "He owes it to us!"

[madcougar added to his post while I was replying]