The Flash just wrapped its final season. The Flash lasted 9 seasons and had a total of 184 episodes. The Flash was the last show standing part of the Arrowverse. Arrow which kicked off the Arrowverse ended after 8 seasons. Supergirl ended after 6. DC’s Legends of Tomorrow was canceled after 7 and Batwoman was canceled after 3. At one point it was believed the Arrowverse would continue for many more years. Even spinoff plans did not go through. The Green Arrow and the Canaries did not get picked up and it was recently revealed that the CW will not move forward on Justice U which would have seen David Ramsey reprise his role as John Diggle to train new recruits.

The Flash has achieved a lot over its 9 seasons. It is one of several DC shows to have over 100 episodes. Arrow, Supergirl, and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow also achieved that milestone. Arrow and Supergirl made it a little further. The Flash is one of the longest live DC shows surpassing Arrow. Smallville is the longest live DC show having lasted 10 seasons.

The Flash was able to maintain most of its cast for a good portion of its run. Season 7 was really when major departures happened with both Tom Cavanagh who played many of the Harrison Wells exited early on and Carlos Valdes who was Cisco Ramon left later in the season. Cisco returned for the last two episodes of season 7 while Tom Cavanagh returned as Reverse Flash in seasons 8 & 9.

The Flash was the lighter Arrowverse show and was a show of geeks so to speak. Arrow was dark and broody. Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) was a party guy before he got stranded on Lian Yu. He also was had a muscular build and constantly was training once he become the Green Arrow. The Flash was the opposite. Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) did not have abs and fit the builds that prior heroes had. The Flash celebrated in its geekiness. There were constant references to Star Wars and comic books. That made the show fun and relatable. Barry was not as broody despite having a tragic background. His mother was murdered. His father went to prison for that murder. From a visual standpoint Central City seemed much brighter than Starling City, that Oliver Queen lived in. Starling City was eventually renamed Star City.

The Flash had many twists and turns. Multiple speedster villains. It celebrated being a comic book show. The Flash was funny. Many of the best episodes were ones that had humor and drama. As the series progressed some seasons got darker than others. Season 3 was particularly broody. There was a lot of time travel. Barry had a habit of changing timelines more than once.

The Flash was an enjoyable show and instrumental in the Arrowverse. Grant Gustin is the longest Flash out of live iterations, and he is the best Flash so far and he probably will remain one the best forever. The Flash also had a great team. They all had a great dynamic. Barry and Iris (Candice Patton) are one of the best couples out of the Arrowverse. Their relationship was a huge part of the series. It’s hard to remember that they weren’t always together. They didn’t officially become a couple until season 3. Once they got together, they stayed together, which was nice for a change. They still had their issues, but they didn’t break up or get divorced or separated. On most shows, at some point it seems inevitable for a couple to finally get together to only break up later on.

The Flash may end up being one of the last great superhero shows. The rest of the Arrowverse shows are gone. Gotham Knights will probably not go beyond its first season. Superman & Lois probably won’t last beyond a fourth or fifth season if it gets renewed. Superman & Lois also has shorter seasons whereas The Flash had full seasons. Up until season 6 The Flash was averaging 23-22 episodes a season. Once Covid hit, the rest of the seasons were a little shorter. Season 9 is the shortest with 13 episodes. The Flash will also probably be one of the last superhero shows on network television. Marvel has shows but they are mostly limited series for Disney Plus. Loki is the only live show to get a second season. I don’t foresee Loki lasting 9 seasons. It also only has 6 episodes. The television landscape has drastically changed since The Flash premiered in 2014. The Flash had a long run and will have a lasting legacy for the rest of time. The Flash will always remain one of the best superhero shows of all time.