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It’s official: The flashits upcoming ninth season will be its last.
The CW announced Monday that its Grant Gustin-led DC Comics superhero drama from Warner Bros. TV and Greg Berlanti Productions will end with a 13-episode final series. The conclusion to one of the network’s most-watched shows will air in 2023 as part of its midseason slate. Production on the final season starts next month.
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“Nine seasons! Nine years of saving Central City while taking audiences on an emotional journey full of heart, humor and acting. And now Barry Allen has reached the starting gate for his final run,” executive producer/showrunner Eric Wallace said in a statement on Monday. “So many amazing people have given their talents, time and love to bring this amazing show to life every week. So, as we get ready to honor the show’s incredible legacy with our exciting final chapter, I want to say thank you to our phenomenal cast, writers, producers and crew over the years who have helped make The flash such an unforgettable experience for audiences around the world.”
News that The flash nearing its end has been widely speculated since before the ninth season was officially announced as part of The CW’s early renewals in March. The series was set to end with season eight, but both the network and the studio were able to sign leading man Gustin and co-stars including Candice Patton to new deals. It paved the way for a ninth season and Wallace and company to rework the previous season’s ending, which was originally written as a final season as rumors of the show’s conclusion had been circulating for much of the past year.
Season eight ended its run as one of the CW’s most-watched shows in its most recent 2021-22 broadcast cycle, averaging north of 1 million viewers and ranking among the most-streamed series on digital platforms.
The flash was among The CW’s early ventures into DC Comics properties under ex-producer Berlanti. The shared universe helped redefine The CW and bring in male viewers to what had previously been an all-female network. Remaining DC properties set to join The flash on The CW’s 2022-23 schedule includes Superman and Lois (season three) and rookie Gotham Knights. The latter will join The flash in 2023.
With the formal finale set The flashwill be the series with Warner Bros. TV-produced drama Riverdale as a series that ends in the 2022-23 season. The conclusion of both shows comes amid the CW’s reduced volume of scripted originals as the younger-skewing network is on the sales block, with station group Nexstar close to a deal to buy it from owners Warner Bros. Television and CBS Studios.
After canceling more shows than it renewed/ordered for the first time in more than a decade, The CW’s scripted slate also includes All American and its spinoff, Kung Fu, Nancy Drew, Superman and Lois, Walker and beginners Gotham Knights, Walker: Independence and Supernatural precursor The Winchesters.
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