In Retrospect, DC’s The Flash Was Actually a Pretty Good Show
It’s easy to take The Flash for granted. The CW’s superhero universe (Arrowverse, as fans affectionately dubbed it) was once a powerhouse, churning out interconnected storylines, massive crossover events, and a steady supply of comic book action on a TV budget. But in the golden age of peak television, when cinematic-level production values became the norm, The Flash often felt like the underdog.
Yet, looking back now, it’s clear that The Flash was actually a pretty good show—sometimes even great.
The Heart of the Show
At its core, The Flash was always about heart. While Arrow leaned into darkness and brooding, The Flash embraced optimism, humor, and the sheer joy of super-speed. Grant Gustin’s Barry Allen wasn’t just a hero—he was a friend, a mentor, a husband, and, most importantly, a guy who genuinely loved being The Flash.
Gustin was the perfect lead. Unlike Ezra Miller’s take in the DCEU, which leaned more into awkward comic relief, Gustin’s Barry was endearingly nerdy but also deeply human. His relationships—whether with his surrogate father Joe West (the ever-charismatic Jesse L. Martin) or his eventual wife Iris West (Candice Patton)—gave the show its emotional core.
And let’s not forget Tom Cavanagh, who played multiple versions of Harrison Wells with an almost absurd level of range. Whether he was the sinister Reverse-Flash or the goofy yet brilliant Sherloque Wells, Cavanagh kept audiences entertained with each new iteration.
The Villain Problem—And Its Bright Spots
Like many long-running shows, The Flash struggled with repetitive storytelling, particularly when it came to villains. The “evil speedster of the season” formula got old fast, with Zoom, Savitar, and Godspeed all blurring together (pun intended). The non-speedster villains, however, often shined brighter.
Eobard Thawne/Reverse-Flash (also played by Cavanagh and Matt Letscher) was easily one of the best villains in the entire Arrowverse. His personal vendetta against Barry made him compelling, and every time he showed up, you knew things were about to get serious. Then there was Gorilla Grodd—one of the most ambitious CGI villains on network television—and Captain Cold (Wentworth Miller), whose campy, calculated performance made him an instant fan favorite.
The Highs and Lows
No show runs for nine seasons without some missteps, and The Flash had its share. The later seasons, especially after Crisis on Infinite Earths, struggled to recapture the magic of the earlier years. The storylines got convoluted, some supporting characters were sidelined or written out, and budget constraints led to some questionable CGI moments.
But when The Flash was good, it was really good. The Flashpoint adaptation, while different from the comics, was one of the show’s most ambitious swings. The early seasons nailed the balance between procedural and serialized storytelling, making each episode feel like a fun comic book adventure.
And then there were the crossovers—Crisis on Earth-X, Elseworlds, and Crisis on Infinite Earths—which showcased just how much love The CW had for DC’s history. Seeing Gustin’s Barry interact with John Wesley Shipp’s ‘90s Flash and even Ezra Miller’s DCEU version was a dream come true for fans.
The Lasting Legacy
Despite its flaws, The Flash will be remembered as a defining superhero show of its era. While Marvel dominated the big screen, DC found a home on TV, crafting an interconnected universe that, for a time, was more consistent than the DCEU.
The show also had an undeniable cultural footprint. Remember the explosion of The Flash merch in the mid-2010s? If you walked into any pop culture store, you’d find The Flash hoodies, hats, and, of course, tv show t shirts. It became a staple of geek fashion, right alongside Batman, Superman, and The Walking Dead.
And let’s not forget how many future superhero projects it influenced. Without the Arrowverse, it’s unlikely we’d have gotten Superman & Lois or even Peacemaker, both of which carry on the legacy of fun, serialized superhero storytelling.
So, in retrospect, The Flash wasn’t just “another CW show.” It was a genuinely solid superhero series that, for a while, gave fans the best live-action Flash we’d ever seen.
And for that, we should be grateful.
