“You like it here, in this small town?”

It’s an innocent enough question on its face. But here, early on in the fourth (and final) season of The CW’s “Superman & Lois,” it’s delivered with a nonchalant malevolence promising nothing but heartache and loss. That unease permeates the first three episodes provided for review, which makes a gallows-humor sort of sense: After all, the series is loosely adapted from the highly regarded (and bluntly named) “Death of Superman” comic-book arc, and we’re almost at the final page. But even as Clark Kent, Lois Lane, their children and the town of Smallville face their greatest threat yet, the series’ final season provides a reason to keep hope alive — to keep watching — thanks to heartbreaking performances and a laser-like focus on what matters most.

To say Season 3 of “Superman & Lois” left off on a cliffhanger would be a severe understatement. The final sequence had Clark/Superman (Tyler Hoechlin) and this series’ version of Doomsday (a longstanding Man of Steel nemesis) racing toward each other above the moon as Soundgarden’s “Blow Up the Outside World” screams in the background, and then … cut to black, season over.

But the path to see the conclusion of that slugfest would be complicated by real-life struggles for the show, including a change of network ownership for The CW, a pivot away from the superhero genre the channel’s long been known for, and the actors' and writers' strikes. So instead of the seven seasons originally envisioned, we would get a fourth and final one, truncated to 10 episodes and shorn of many of its regular cast members.

Sounds like a supersized recipe for disaster, right? Fortunately, “Superman & Lois” delivers a master class in working with what you have. From its blistering opening sequence to the heart-shattering final minutes of the third episode, this season races forward like, well, a speeding bullet. Despite that thrilling pace, the season maintains at its core what’s made the series so enjoyable over the years: a focus on the Kent family. Hoechlin continues to utterly charm as Clark, a total dork whose love for his family — Lois (Elizabeth Tulloch) and twin 16-year-old sons Jonathan (Michael Bishop) and Jordan (Alex Garfin) — shines in every scene he’s in. (The response to Clark revealing his secret by simply removing his glasses is hilarious.) Multiple scenes between Lois and the boys are heartrending, with Tulloch deftly shifting from distraught to resolute, all captured in her expressive face. And Michael Cudlitz adds a fantastic dose of menace as the sadistic Lex Luthor, whose entire goal in life is to seek revenge on the Kent family.

That revenge plot gives the season a darker, more mature tenor than previous ones, unsurprising given its source material. But it feels like a natural evolution rather than a sudden shift caused by a shortened season — yet another testament to the writers and actors working with what they have.

Speaking of, on the visual front, the CG and action sequences in “Superman & Lois” are feature-film quality. The effects particularly stand out any time something Kryptonian is on screen (just watch those veins pop when Clark unleashes his heat vision), but the cinematography is equally impressive throughout.

But to answer the original question: Yes, I do like it here in this small town. It’s home to one of the best superhero shows on TV, one that’s unafraid to lean into the silly charm and mature themes of its comic-book origins. And while it’s a shame we have to leave at the end of this season, “Superman & Lois” is going out in a way the Man of Steel would be proud of: with the heart of a hero.

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'SUPERMAN & LOIS' SEASON 4

Rating: TV-PG

How to watch: 8 p.m. ET Mondays on The CW (episodes stream the next day on cwtv.com)

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