“SMALLVILLE,” the year-old series about Superman as a teenager, has surpassed “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” as the most successsful show in the history of the WB network.

The debut of the second season of “Smallville” was seen by 8.7 million viewers – most in the coveted males, 18 to 34 group.

On UPN, “Buffy” began its seventh season to just under 5 million viewers, far less than last season’s premiere which drew about 7.6 million.