Smallville is an American television series developed by writer/producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, and was initially broadcast by The WB. After its fifth season, the WB and UPN merged to form The CW, which is the current broadcaster for the show in the United States. Smallville premiered on October 16, 2001, and completed its seventh season on May 15, 2008. An eighth season was officially announced by The CW on March 3, 2008. It is filmed in and around Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The plot follows the adventures of a young Clark Kent's life in the fictional town of Smallville, Kansas, during the years before he becomes Superman. The first four seasons focused on Clark and his friends' high school years. Since season five, the show has ventured into more adult settings, with some characters attending college. Recent seasons have seen an increase in the introductions of other DC comic book superheroes and villains. Smallville inspired an Aquaman pilot, which was not picked up by The CW network, as well as promotional tie-ins with Verizon, Sprint, Toyota, and Stride. In other media, the show has spawned a series of young-adult novels, a DC Comics bi-monthly comic book and soundtrack releases. The show broke the record for highest rated debut for The WB, with 8.4 million viewers tuning in for its pilot episode.