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 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?

The Flash is one of DC comics most endearing heroes for this simple reason; even though he has been given a tremendous gift of super-speed, he is still only human. Superman always could do the incredible tasks of saving the world and managing to rescue Lois Lane from the bad guys... The Flash is always trying to beat the clock. Batman makes detective work look easy, The Flash spends the majority of his day painstakingly analyzing evidence in a lab. Imagine one of the crew of CSI spending the whole day collecting evidence and then trying to stop villains in whatever time he had left of his day: all of this while working in a police station that is hunting down his alter-ego! For those who were not comic book fans, this series is still worth a look. It was ahead of it's time in many ways: X-men, Spiderman, and the upcoming Batman Begins all focus in on the people behind the masks and the costumes to reveal the true character of the Hero.

The Flash Series had a hero who was fast, but not too fast. He had weaknesses and limitations and problems with his love life. And no matter how fast he was he never seemed to be on time! Memorable performances from John Wesley Shipp, Amanda Pays, and Mark Hamill as the Trickster.

Budgetary reasons were the reason the show had to shut down, which was unfortunate. The show was definitely hitting a good stride between good characters and great plots. There was a large body of rogues to choose from, and I personally loved the adaptations of Captain Cold and the Mirror Master. No need for flashy outfits for these guys, the writing and action was so stylish that there was no need to put these two in ridiculous colored spandex.

If you can find either the Pilot or the Trickster episodes to rent, give them a look. You will be able to see where the movies of today were able to prosper for the ideas that either flew or fell in this show.

Simply said, this series was too advanced for the simple minds watching TV when it aired back in the 90's. The sets were past, present and futuristic giving it a non-era look. The acting was very good and the costumes, sets and writing were added bonuses each week. This series ran for 22 episodes and included an incredible two parter with Mark Hamill playing the Trickster, a role he seemed destined to play. He made the Joker look like Mr. Rogers. David Cassidy, Angela Bassett, M. Emmet Walsh and even Bill(y) Mumy from the original Lost in Space series made guest appearances as NON-forgettable characters. There is positive word that this series will be making it's way to a DVD box set soon. cut & paste this to read more - http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=3816

This is something you can watch with your family and be entertained by great writing and visual stimulation.

It just ran one season, 1990, and there were 22 episodes, including the 2hr pilot. It was heavily inspired by the recent Tim Burton Batman movies, even as far as a Danny Elfman theme. But still stylish, silly, and a lot of fun. They managed to capture the Barry Allen costume and not look silly, along with lots of innovative sets and lighting, and the effects were quite good for the time. The character was a mix of Barry Allen, killed off several years earlier in the comics, and Wally West, the current comic book Flash, and played by John Wesley Shipp. Amanda Pays played a sidekick/romantic interest fairly similar to her character on Max Headroom. Mark Hamill played the Trickster in two episodes (sidekick Prank seemed like a fairly direct reference to Joker & Harley Quinn), David Cassidy played Mirror Master in another. Another episode was a nice homage to the popular team-ups of "Golden Age" WWII era Flash with the modern day Flash in the comics, here a retired hero called the Prowler, complete with a deep-frozen villain of the originals. But, it was up against The Cosby Show and the Simpsons, got bounced around all over the place schedule-wise, and interrupted several times by Gulf War I. And it must been very expensive to produce. It never really had much of a chance.