The Flash has been one of The CW’s most popular shows of the last decade. Along with Arrow, it set the foundation for the Arrowverse and helped change the landscape of superhero shows forever. Now, according to Variety, The Flash earned an early renewal for Season 9. It joins other comic book shows like Superman & Lois and Riverdale, who have also been renewed.
Mark Pedowitz, the chairman and CEO of The CW Network, talked about all the renewals in a statement, saying:
“As we prepare for the 2022-23 season, these scripted series, along with the alternative series we renewed earlier, will serve as the start of a solid foundation utilizing some of our most-watched series for us to build on for next year and beyond,” said Mark Pedowitz, chairman and CEO of The CW Network. “These dramas are also important to our overall digital strategy, as they are some of our most-streamed and socially-engaged programming, and we look forward to adding more new and returning series to help strengthen and expand our multiplatform footprint.”
The Flash being renewed should really come as no surprise, despite some fans feeling like the current season could have been the end of the road for the series. Back in January, The Flash himself, Grant Gustin, signed a new one-year deal for the show for fifteen episodes, which basically ensured a new season. Gustin has talked endlessly over the years about how much he has loved playing this iconic superhero. Because of this, as long as he still wants to play the character, the show will probably keep getting renewed.
The first couple seasons of The Flash are still considered to be some of the best superhero television to this day. The series brought so many comic book elements into live-action for the first time, like the Reverse Flash, Gorilla Grodd, King Shark, the speed force, and The Flash’s tragic backstory. It was praised for its love, respect, and faithfulness to the source material while adding some cool new elements to the lore in its own right.
The current season changed things up even further by starting up with the major crossover event “Armageddon”, which saw The Flash team up with Black Lightning, Mia Queen’s Green Arrow, and Batwoman to take down both the Reverse Flash and the villainous Despero. The eighth season started back up this month with a future-centric episode featuring The Flash’s children Impulse and XS. It will be interesting to see where the writers will take the rest of the season given the renewal.
It remains to be seen whether Season 9 will be the last run for The Flash, but whatever the case may be, the series is now the third-longest show in The CW’s history. Now it is only behind Smallville and Supernatural in that regard. New episodes of The Flash Season 8 are premiering every Wednesday at 8 p.m. E.T.