Select previews of this Fall’s upcoming science fiction and fantasy shows. You can see the full schedule of shows at this link.
The Flash: The CW, New Series, Premieres Tuesday October 7th 8 PM EST
Here is the description from the show’s website:
Barry’s latest obsession is a cutting edge particle accelerator, created by visionary physicist Harrison Wells and his S.T.A.R. Labs team, who claim that this invention will bring about unimaginable advancements in power and medicine. However, something goes horribly wrong during the public unveiling, and when the devastating explosion causes a freak storm, many lives are lost and Barry is struck by lightning. After nine months in a coma, Barry awakens to find his life has changed once again – the accident has given him the power of super speed, granting him the ability to move through Central City like an unseen guardian angel.
Barry has always had the heart of a hero and now he has the legs to match, but he quickly learns that being a superhero is not as easy as it seems — and he can’t do it alone.
Next to FOX’s Gotham and Syfy’s Ascension, this is probably one of the most anticipated genre entries on the Fall schedule. It is a spin-off from The CW’s Arrow which has done a pretty darn good job of bringing the Green Arrow and his milieu to the small screen. The Flash will have the same executive producers and should have a similar feel, though I have heard that the show will inject more humor into its stories. It will also be making a callout to the one-season-and-out 1990 Flash series–another one that did a good job of bringing superheroes to television–by bringing aboard John Wesley Shipp as Barry Allen’s father and Amanda Pays in a role similar to what she had on the earlier series. So the show sounds like it will be good fun and definitely worth checking out.
As far as The Flash‘s chances for success, it is probably one of the closest things to a sure bet among this season’s new genre entries. Its parent series Arrow continues to draw praise from fans. It gets paired up with consistent performer Supernatural on Tuesday nights which worked well for The Originals in its first year last season. It airs on the fifth place network which has lower ratings expectations and more patience with its shows. And it has picked up some good early buzz. It would basically have to be trying to fail to not do well. But then we’ve seen that before on TV, so I won’t rubberstamp it for a renewal just yet. And with the ratings slump that hit the broadcast networks last season–particularly hard for The CW–there’s always the chance that its network could shutter its doors. But beyond that, I give this one pretty good odds.
Buy the 1990 Flash TV series on DVD or Stream it for Free with Amazon Prime Membership:
