Michael McKean is no stranger to science fiction, having made a guest appearance once on UPN's "Star Trek: Voyager." But now, he's going to enter the realm of comic book in The WB's "Smallville," as a very important character.

McKean makes his debut this week on The WB series as a down-on-his-luck tabloid reporter named Perry White. And yes, it's the same White who eventually becomes Clark Kent's boss. McKean, whose wife Annette O'Toole plays the adopted mother of Clark in the series, said he fought for the part as soon as he heard about it.

"I acutally heard a rumor about it quite early on," McKean told Zap2it of the character of White being introduced in the series. "I thought, 'I'd like to be a part of the Superman mystique, having read and collected my share of 'Superman' comics as a kid.' And I've already done a Star Trek and an 'X-Files,' so come on, I'm Mr. Genre."

McKean is probably best known for his work on the sitcom "Laverne & Shirley," said that despite being married to one of the actors on the show, it still took some work to convince producers to cast him as the newsman.

"A lot of them are fans of what I do in my day job," he said. "But they hadn't seen me do anything dramatic. I'm mostly comedy-ghetto guy, which is fine."

McKean said he sent the producers the 2002 indie film "The 100-Mile Rule," which he described as a "dark comedy." However, his role was not a comedic role, and that eventually helped convince producers that McKean was right for the job.

So, what about a return of Perry White in the future?

"They're planning on it," McKean said. "Maybe one more show later this season. But the fact is, he's on his way to Metropolis. We know eventually what he's going to do. He's going to be editor of the Daily Planet. He's going to be Clark's boss.

"As to what tempo this proceeds at, it's not for me to know. They know what Perry White looks like now over at The WB, so I assume they'll call me when they need me, and I'll be there."

But what about O'Toole's on-screen husband, John Schneider, who plays Jonathan Kent?

"I worked with Michael a lot on that show," Schneider told Sci-Fi Wire about this week's episode. "He's a reporter, and he's prying into what's going on with Clark. Of course, I want to keep him away."

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