‘The Flash’ Is Ending With Short Season 9 on The CW
The Arrowverse keeps getting smaller and smaller.
The CW Network and Warner Bros. Television have announced that The Flash will be ending with its upcoming ninth season. Production is slated to begin next month. The ninth and final season, consisting of 13 episodes, will premiere in 2023.
Bettina Strauss/The CW
“Nine seasons! Nine years of saving Central City while taking audiences on an emotional journey full of heart, humor, and spectacle. And now Barry Allen has reached the starting gate for his last race. So many amazing people have given their talents, time, and love to bring this wonderful show to life each week,” executive producer Eric Wallace said in a statement. “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 helped make The Flash such an unforgettable experience for audiences around the world.”
This news isn’t too surprising, especially given that Wallace told TV Insider, “when we were writing [the Season 8] finale, it was like, ‘OK, this could be the final episode of The Flash.’ That was our other reason to wrap everything up: It really wasn’t until the 11th hour, until we were well into the writing of the script, that the news came down that we got a ninth season.”
The Flash began following Barry Allen’s (Grant Gustin) journey as the speedster in 2014, following the character’s introduction in Arrow Season 2. The Flash also stars Candice Patton as Iris West-Allen, Danielle Panabaker as Caitlin Snow/Frost, Danielle Nicolet as Cecile Horton, Kayla Compton as Allegra Garcia, and Brandon McKnight as Chester P. Runk. It was previously announced that Jesse L. Martin (who plays Joe West) would be exiting as a series regular but still appear in multiple episodes in Season 9.
Throughout its run, The Flash has been one of The CW’s most popular shows. Season 8 was one of the network’s most-watched shows of the 2021-2022 season, with 1.03 million viewers. It also ranked among its most streamed shows on its digital platforms.
The Flash is just the latest Arrowverse show to be saying goodbye. It will have lasted longer than the show that started it all, Arrow, which wrapped with a shortened (10-episode) eighth and final season in 2020. Since then, Black Lightning ended after four seasons in 2021, Supergirl wrapped with Season 6 in 2021, and both Batwoman and Legends of Tomorrow were canceled in 2022 after three and seven seasons, respectively. Superman & Lois will also be back for its third season on The CW in 2023, though as was just established, it takes place on a different Earth.
The Flash also won’t be the only CW show to end in 2023. The network announced in May that Riverdale will be wrapping up its run with the upcoming seventh and final season.
The Flash, Ninth and Final Season, 2023, The CW
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