The Flash

There are 3 TV shows that remind me of my college days and that time period: Twin Peaks, Red Dwarf, and the Flash. I was an avid viewer of The Flash since I was a fan of the DC Comic superheroes growing up. I thought the special effects were terrific, and I didn't have as big a problem with John Wesley Shipp being cast as Barry Allen as others did. I liked Amanda Pays portrayal as a pretty and intelligent scientist who assisted the Flash with his crimefighting.

Unfortunately, the combination of the expensive special effects and low ratings led to the show's cancellation after only one season, which was too bad. Seems like nowadays TV shows aren't given much of an opportunity to gain viewers if they don't get high ratings at once.

The Pilot episode for the Flash TV series was the origin and was done very well. Barry Allen a scientist is working in a lab with many chemicals when lightning strikes through the window in which a small explosion occurs. What is so great about the origin is where he begins to discover how fast he is and how he learns to adapt to his new superpower. The discovering of his superspeed was done in a couple of semi-humorous situations. A scientist/physician (Amanda Pays -with big beautiful eyes) performs tests on him and helps him control his new found speed. She also gives him his costume so his clothes don't rip apart when he is running very fast. The subplot was fair to okay with The Flash catching a motorcycle gang who tries to take control of the city and killed his brother. - The rest of the series was up and down with good & bad scripts. Also the writers didn't do enough to build on the chemistry of Barry Allen and Christina McGee that was laid out in the pilot episode. John Wesley Shipp was an excellent choice to portray the Flash. The costume and the effects in the series were cool. The pilot can be found on video and the series has been occasionally shown on the SCI-FI channel.

This show was so special to me when I was a kid, because I felt like they were finally making something for the kids who were different, and before this show there wasn't really anything like it. John Wesley Shipp's flash had this way of speaking that always made you feel alright. It was a different time. There were a lot of kids who needed it, and I was definitely one of them. Of course the networks had no idea what to do with it - even Batman was a fluke at the time, because comic books were still considered something specifically for nerds - and liking nerd things meant being uncool. Now after 25 years, comic book movies rule entertainment. I gave it 8 stars out of ten, because there were some cheesy moments. It comes off very G-Rated these days, but we shouldn't measure our shows by how dark and violent they can be, because people are forgetting about the goodness and kindness that comes from the natural desire to do good. The flash is a kind person who respects the people around him, and I'm happy to see that the 2014 Flash series with Grant Gustin is carrying the torch in not only giving us another flash, but paying homage to the 90's version by including John Wesley Shipp. I hope to see more of the 90's cast make appearances as time goes on.

This was a "cute and fun" show which stands out in my mind as one of the first and most unfortunate examples of network mismanagement I'd seen.

I recall The Flash being bounced around the schedule more than a superball without advance warning. If I recall correctly, the third or fourth week it aired it was already a rerun! To make matters worse, the show was often not aired in the slot advertised in the TV schedules (which, in 1990/91, before the net, was pretty much the only way to know what would be on). The worst example was once when I tuned in to see The Flash, I was just in time to see it going OFF! I called the local TV station about this who informed me that "it was moved an hour earlier at the last minute by the network". No new show could have survived this kind of treatment.

Oh, well. It was a show that was genuinely fun to watch and captured a true "comic book" feel. It died far too early.

The Flash was a great series and I'm sure it would've really hit its stride in its second season, if it would've HAD a second season. It wasn't given a fair chance. I loved that show but, like others have on this forum have said, it was bounced around the TV schedule like a rubber ball, and often preempted because of the Gulf War, which took precedence on the airwaves. The acting was great, the special effects were quite good for the time, and the episodes were quite entertaining. I own on the complete series on DVD now that it's available on DVD and I really enjoy watching episodes. I wonder if it will become a sort of cult classic....Or maybe it is already?