"Well, ain't that a mother?" - Sheriff Adams' last words, (Lockdown)
Nancy Adams was the sheriff of Lowell County. She was the hard line police officer who replaced Ethan Miller when he was exposed as corrupt.
Personality[]
Sheriff Adams didn't appreciate Clark's tendency to always be "at the right place at the right time." She warned him repeatedly against interfering in police investigations during the man hunt for Paul Hayden, but she accepted his help during the search for Van McNulty. She followed up on his tip regarding Jason Dante, but she was furious when it didn't pan out.
She had a dry, quirky sense of humor.[1]
She insisted on keeping a professional distance from the people in Smallville, in order to remain objective. [citation needed]
Early life[]
Nancy Adams grew up in Edge City. She graduated from the Siegel County Law Enforcement Academy in 1987, where she finished in the top one percent of her class. After ten years of service in Siegel County, Adams became the the second-in-command of the Siegel County Sheriff's Department, a position she remained in for about five years. After Ethan Miller, the sheriff of Lowell County, was arrested and removed from office, Nancy Adams took over the position. She was the first female sheriff of Lowell County.[2]
Season Two[]
The new sheriff in town.
Clark Kent made a negative first impression on Sheriff Adams when he threw Andy Arthur on top of her police car. Of course Clark was just saving Lana, but Adams decided to keep a close eye on him, so when Clark witnesses a robbery of a LuthorCorp truck, he phones in an anonymous tip rather than speak with her again, but it lead her to search Eric Marsh's locker and arrest him.
Season Three[]
Season Four[]
Sheriff Adams and Lois witness Clark's powers.
When Lois Lane and the sheriff saw Clark's superhuman powers, Kevin Grady used his memory altering powers to erase that memory.
Season Five[]
"Another day in Smallville."
Sheriff Adams led the capture of the metahuman convicts, Tommy Lee and the Twins. She was able to figure out that the metahumans were inside the Kents' house due to understanding facial expressions, conversation, and obviously realizing that Lana Lang does not smoke cigarettes. After Clark helped arrest these criminals, she asked if he ever thought about getting into law enforcement, commenting on another occasion that she could use someone like him on the force.
When Lex and Lana were held captive in the panic room at Luthor Mansion by two cops looking for the Black Ship, Sheriff Adams received an alarm and tried to break in and save them. Unfortunately, she was spotted on the security cameras, shot in the back, and killed by Deputy Harris.
Alternate Realities[]
Season Seven[]
Nancy Adams in the alternate universe.
In an alternate universe, Nancy Adams was alive and well in 2008. She worked for the government, saying that she left Smallville a long time ago. In this reality, she was secretly working with Lois Lane to expose President Lex Luthor's corrupt government.
Appearances[]
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | # | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | X | X | X | - | - | 3 | |
| Season 3 | - | - | X | - | X | X | X | - | - | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | - | - | - | - | - | - | 11 | ||
| Season 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | X | - | - | - | - | - | X | X | X | - | - | 4 | ||
| Season 5 | - | X | X | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | X | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | ||
| Season 7 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | X | - | - | 1 | ||||
| Total | 22 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Season Two
- Precipice: She investigated the beating of Helen Bryce.
- Witness: She arrested Eric Marsh.
- Accelerate: She searched Pete Dinsmore's basement in search of a lab, but found nothing.
Season Three
- Extinction: She led the manhunt for Van McNulty.
- Perry: She investigates the Kents' tractor wreck.
- Relic: She refused to investigate Mayor Tate but ended up taking his confession.
- Magnetic: She arrested Lana Lang (she was heard, but not seen).
- Whisper: She investigated Pete's kidnapping.
- Delete: She investigated Clark's attempt on Chloe's life.
- Hereafter: She investigated the disappearance of Megan Calder.
- Velocity: She led the raid on Jason Dante's barn.
- Obsession: She investigated the beating of Alicia Baker's father.
- Resurrection: She orders the sharp-shooter to take out Garrett Davis.
- Crisis: She investigates the mysterious phone call from the future.
Comics
- ID: She wants Clark to identify the man who started a fire.
- Magic: Pete mentions her when telling Danielle and later Paige that they're stealing his heart.
- Lies: She come to the Talon after Lionel's FBI Agents bugs the building.
- Rampage: She mentions to Lex a lead she has on the murder of his scientist, Dr. Brody.
Season Four
- Pariah: She questions Clark about Alicia Baker's possible involvement on an attack on Lana Lang.
- Spirit: Jason Teague takes her to the place where Bridgette Crosby's body was found.
- Blank: She helps Lois gain access to Summerholt.
- Ageless: She investigates the mysterious child found in Evan's Field.
Season Five
- Mortal: She tracks the escape of the Tommy Lee and the Twins to the Kent farm.
- Hidden: She leads a covert raid to try and locate Gabriel Duncan.
- Lockdown: She is shot and dies.
Season Seven
- Apocalypse: She was alive in the alternate universe.
Notes[]
Smallville Ledger article about Sheriff Nancy Adams.
- Nancy Adams appeared in 22 episodes, making her the 2nd most frequently seen recurring character in the series after Jor-El. She also appeared in more episodes than series regulars Whitney Fordman, Jason Teague, Kara Kent, Major Zod, and Davis Bloome.
- Despite this, the series never touched upon the private life of Nancy Adams, nor her life prior to becoming the sheriff of Lowell County. A Smallville Ledger tie-in article published during Season Two offers from insight into the past and personal life of Nancy Adams. According to the article, Adams is from Edge City and is in a relationship with a person still living there. No further details is established about Adams' romantic partner, whom she just refers to as "them" (a gender-neutral pronoun, making it possible that Adams is not talking about a man).[2]
| Previous Sheriff: Ethan Miller |
Next Sheriff: Sheriff Carson |