The first season of the American television series ''

The Flash The Flash (or simply Flash) is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover dat ...

'' premiered on

The CW ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

on October 7, 2014, and concluded on May 19, 2015, after airing 23 episodes. The series is based on the

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with their f ...

character

Barry Allen / Flash Barry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Barry (name), including lists of people with the given name, nickname or surname, as well as fictional characters with the given name * Dancing Barry, stage name of Barry Richards (born c. 195 ...

, a costumed superhero crime-fighter with the power to move at superhuman speeds. It is a spin-off from ''

Arrow An arrow is a fin-stabilized projectile launched by a bow. A typical arrow usually consists of a long, stiff, straight shaft with a weighty (and usually sharp and pointed) arrowhead attached to the front end, multiple fin-like stabilizers ...

'', existing in the same

fictional universe A fictional universe, or fictional world, is a self-consistent setting with events, and often other elements, that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed, or fictional realm (or world). Fictional universes ma ...

, and was produced by

Berlanti Productions Berlanti Productions is an American film and television production company founded by screenwriter, producer and filmmaker Greg Berlanti and producer Mickey Liddell. History The company was founded in 2000 as Berlanti-Liddell Productions by ...

, Warner Bros. Television, and

DC Entertainment DC Entertainment is an American entertainment company that was founded in September 2009 and was based in Burbank, California. The company is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery that manages its DC Comics units and characters in other unit ...

, with

Andrew Kreisberg Andrew Kreisberg (born April 23, 1971) is an American television writer, producer and comic book writer. He is best known as the creator of the television series ''The Flash'', ''Arrow'', ''Supergirl'' and ''Legends of Tomorrow''. Personal life a ...

serving as

showrunner A showrunner (or colloquially a helmer) is the top-level executive producer of a television series production who has creative and management authority through combining the responsibilities of employer and, in comedy or dramas, typically also the ...

. The series follows Allen, portrayed by

Grant Gustin Thomas Grant Gustin (born January 14, 1990) is an American actor and singer. He is best known for his roles as Barry Allen / The Flash on The CW series '' The Flash'' as part of the Arrowverse, and as Sebastian Smythe on the Fox series ''Gle ...

, a crime scene investigator who gains super-human speed, which he uses to fight criminals, including others who have also gained superhuman abilities. Gustin is joined by main cast members

Candice Patton Candice Kristina Patton is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Iris West-Allen in the television series ''The Flash'' (2014–2023), which earned her a Saturn Award from four nominations. Early life Patton was raised in Pla ...

Danielle Panabaker Danielle Nicole Panabaker (born September 19, 1987) is an American actress. She began acting as a teenager and came to prominence for her roles in the Disney films '' Stuck in the Suburbs'' (2004), ''Sky High'' (2005) and '' Read It and Weep'' ( ...

, Rick Cosnett, Carlos Valdes,

Tom Cavanagh Thomas Cavanagh (born October 26, 1963) is a Canadian actor. He is known for a variety of roles on American television, including starring roles in '' Ed'' (2000–2004), '' Love Monkey'' (2006) and '' Trust Me'' (2009), and recurring roles on ...

, and

Jesse L. Martin Jesse Lamont Martin (''né'' Watkins; January 18, 1969) is an American actor and singer. He originated the role of Tom Collins on Broadway in the musical ''Rent'' and performed on television as NYPD Detective Ed Green on ''Law & Order'' and Ca ...

. ''The Flash'' was picked up for a full season by The CW in October 2014, and filming took place primarily in

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, Canada. The

series premiere A series premiere is the first aired installment of an episodic entertainment series, most often a television series. In the United States, many series premieres are aired in the fall time or, for mid-season replacements, either in the spring or ...

was watched by 4.8 million viewers and had a 1.9 18–49 demographic rating, making it The CW's most watched and highest rated series premiere since ''

The Vampire Diaries ''The Vampire Diaries'' is an American supernatural teen drama television series developed by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec, based on the book series of the same name written by L. J. Smith. The series premiered on The CW on September 1 ...

'' in 2009. It also became The CW's second-most watched series premiere ever, behind '' 90210'', and the third-highest rated in the 18–49 demographic. The first season finished as the 118th ranked show, with an average viewership of 4.62 million, making it the most watched series ever on The CW, and also the highest rated series among men 18–49 and men 18+ ever on the network. The first season of ''The Flash'' received generally positive reviews from critics. Reviews for the series became increasingly positive as the season progressed, with the finale receiving critical acclaim. The series was renewed for a second season on January 11, 2015.

Episodes

Cast and characters

Main

Iris West Iris West is a fictional character, a supporting character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She has been the main love interest and later wife of Barry Allen, the alter ego of the Silver Age version of the superhero Th ...

as Caitlin Snow * Rick Cosnett as

Eddie Thawne '' The Flash'' is an American television series developed by Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg, and Geoff Johns, based on the DC Comics character the Flash. The series premiered on The CW television network in the United States on October 7, 2 ...

* Carlos Valdes as

Cisco Ramon Vibe (real name Paco Ramone or Francisco "Cisco" Ramon) is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Carlos Valdes portrayed Cisco Ramon in The CW's Arrowverse, especially ''The Flash'', in which he was one ...

as Eobard Thawne / Reverse-Flash and

Harrison Wells Harrison Wells is the name of several characters portrayed by Tom Cavanagh in The CW's Arrowverse franchise, primarily the television series '' The Flash''. The character, created by Geoff Johns, Greg Berlanti, and Andrew Kreisberg, is an or ...

as Joe West

Recurring

Robbie Amell Robert Patrick Amell IV (born April 21, 1988) is a Canadian-American actor and producer. He is best-known for his roles as Stephen Jameson on The CW series ''The Tomorrow People'', Ronnie Raymond/Firestorm on The CW series '' The Flash'', Nath ...

as Ronnie Raymond / Firestorm *

Clancy Brown Clarence John "Clancy" Brown III (born January 5, 1959) is an American actor. Prolific in film and television since the 1980s, Brown is often cast in villainous and authoritative roles. Brown's film roles include Viking Lofgren in ''Bad Boys'' ...

as General Wade Eiling *

Victor Garber Victor Joseph Garber (born March 16, 1949) is a Canadian-American actor and singer. Known for his work in film, television, and theatre, he has been nominated for three Gemini Awards, four Tony Awards, and six Primetime Emmy Awards. He has also ...

as Martin Stein / Firestorm * Michelle Harrison as

Nora Allen Abel Abin Sur Abra Kadabra (character) Abby Holland Ace the Bat-Hound Acrata Acrata (Andrea Rojas) is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics who was created as part of the ''Planet DC'' annuals event. Sh ...

Roger Howarth Roger Howarth (born September 13, 1968) is an American actor. He played character Todd Manning on the daytime drama '' One Life to Live'' (''OLTL''); the character earned Howarth a Daytime Emmy Award in 1994, and is cited as an icon in the soap ...

Mason Bridge ''The Flash'' is an American television series developed by Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg, and Geoff Johns, based on the DC Comics character the Flash. The series premiered on The CW television network in the United States on October 7, ...

* Malese Jow as

Linda Park Linda Park (born July 9, 1978) is a South Korean-born American actress, best known for her portrayal of communications officer character Hoshi Sato in the television series '' Star Trek: Enterprise''. Early life Park was born in South Korea and ...

Wentworth Miller Wentworth Earl Miller III (born June 2, 1972) is an American-British actor and screenwriter. He rose to prominence following his starring role as Michael Scofield in the Fox series ''Prison Break'', for which he received a nomination for the ...

as Leonard Snart / Captain Cold *

Patrick Sabongui Patrick Sabongui (born January 9, 1975) is a Canadian actor, stunt performer, theatre actor, and drama teacher. He is also known for his role as David Singh in the CW series '' The Flash''. Personal life Born to an Egyptian family, Sabongui o ...

as David Singh *

John Wesley Shipp John Wesley Shipp (born January 22, 1955) is an American actor known for his various television roles. He played the lead Barry Allen on CBS's superhero series '' The Flash'' from 1990 to 1991, and Mitch Leery, the title character's father, o ...

as Henry Allen

Guest

Production

Development

On July 30, 2013, it was announced that ''

'' co-creators

Greg Berlanti Gregory Berlanti (born May 24, 1972) is an American screenwriter, producer and director of film and television. He is known for his work on the television series ''Dawson's Creek'', '' Brothers & Sisters'', '' Everwood'', '' Political Animals'', ...

and

, ''Arrow'' pilot director

David Nutter David Nutter (born 1960) is an American television and film director and television producer. He is best known for directing pilot episodes for television. In 2015, he received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Seri ...

, and DC Comics CCO

Geoff Johns Geoffrey Johns (born January 25, 1973) is an American comic book writer, screenwriter, and film and television producer. Johns's work on the DC Comics characters Green Lantern, Aquaman, Flash and Superman, has drawn critical acclaim. He se ...

would develop a television series based on the Flash for

, and it would detail Barry Allen's origin. Kreisberg revealed after the announcement that Allen would first appear as a recurring character on ''

'' in three episodes of season two—all written by Berlanti, Kreisberg and Johns—and the last of the episodes would act as a

backdoor pilot A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie), in television in the United States, United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a te ...

for the new show. Kreisberg added that Allen would be a forensic scientist and the introduction of his superpowers, as well as the reactions to this, will be very human and grounded. Johns stated that the character of the Flash in the show would resemble his comic book counterpart, complete with his trademark red costume, and not be a poor imitation. Kreisberg elaborated: "No sweat suits or strange code names; he ''will be'' The Flash." While researching the best way to depict the Flash's lightning speed, Johns stated it would not just be the standard "blurring around". Barry ultimately appeared twice in ''Arrow''s second season, with the planned backdoor pilot canceled in favor of a traditional pilot by The CW executives, who had been impressed by early cuts of Barry's first two episodes on ''Arrow''. This allowed the creative team to flesh out Barry's story and his world on a bigger budget, as opposed to a backdoor pilot's constraint of incorporating characters from the parent show. The pilot was officially ordered on January 29, 2014, and was written by Berlanti, Kreisberg, and Johns, and directed by Nutter. On May 8, 2014, ''The Flash'' was officially picked up as a series, with an initial order of 13 episodes. Three more scripts were ordered in September 2014 following a positive response to newly completed episodes by executives, while a back ten was ordered on October 21, 2014, for a full 23-episode season. In July 2014, Johns described the series as "the most faithful DC Comics adaptation ever... We've incorporated almost everything of the mythology into it and added a new backstory with S.T.A.R. Labs." In October 2014, Johns explained that DC's approach to their films and television series would be different from

Marvel Studios Marvel Studios, LLC (originally known as Marvel Films from 1993 to 1996) is an American film and television production company that is a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, a division of the Walt Disney Company. Marvel Studios produces the Mar ...

' cinematic universe, stating that their film universe and TV universes would be kept separate within a

multiverse The multiverse is a hypothetical group of multiple universes. Together, these universes comprise everything that exists: the entirety of space, time, matter, energy, information, and the physical laws and constants that describe them. The di ...

to allow "everyone to make the best possible product, to tell the best story, to do the best world."

Casting

On September 13, 2013,

was cast in the titular role of

Andy Mientus Andrew Michael Mientus (born November 10, 1986) is an American actor. He is best known for starring in the Broadway musicals '' Spring Awakening'', ''Les Misérables'', and '' Wicked'', and on television in the NBC musical drama ''Smash'' and as ...

, who would eventually be cast as Hartley Rathaway, also auditioned for the role. Gustin began researching the character during the audition process, and reading as many comics as possible. Gustin primarily focused on

The New 52 The New 52 is the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire Line (comics), line of ongoing monthly superhero American comic books, comic books. Following the conclusion of the "Flashpoint (comics), Flashpoint" Fictional crossover, cross ...

series of comics, because he knew it would be difficult to read everything and he felt the New 52 was the closest to the show's "look and feel". In January 2014, actor

was cast as Detective Joe West, while Rick Cosnett was cast as

and

as Caitlin Snow. In February 2014,

was cast as

and Carlos Valdes as

. Patton's casting as Iris caused significant backlash among comic book fans due to Patton being of African descent, while Iris has typically been depicted as a Caucasian woman in comics. Though the writers discussed early on to make Barry and Caitlin lovers, Gustin vetoed this idea in favour of Barry and Iris, as in the comics. Also in February 2014, ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly large ...

'' reported that the remaining regular roles to be cast were for the parts of Harrison Wells and Hartley Rathaway. On February 10, 2014,

was cast as

, with his role described as "a rock star in the world of physics and the mind and money behind Central City's S.T.A.R. Labs Particle Accelerator". It was eventually revealed that Cavanagh's character was actually

Eobard Thawne Eobard Thawne, otherwise known as the Reverse-Flash and Professor Zoom, is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino, and first appeared in ''The Fla ...

, who stole the appearance of the real Wells (also portrayed by Cavanagh) after killing him, with

Matt Letscher Matthew Letscher is an American actor, director and playwright, known for his roles as Captain Harrison Love in the 1998 American swashbuckler film '' The Mask of Zorro'' and as Colonel Adelbert Ames in the 2003 American film '' Gods and Genera ...

portraying Thawne's original likeness. Several cast members from the 1990 television series appear in the series.

, who portrayed Barry Allen/Flash in the 1990 series, joined the cast in a recurring role as Barry's father, Dr. Henry Allen, and

Amanda Pays Amanda Pays (born 6 June 1959) is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Theora Jones in the film and television series '' Max Headroom'' and as Christina "Tina" McGee in ''The Flash'' and reprised her role in the 2014 series of t ...

once again portrays a character named Dr. Tina McGee. In the episode "Tricksters",

Mark Hamill Mark Richard Hamill (; born September 25, 1951) is an American actor and writer. He is known for his role as Luke Skywalker in the ''Star Wars'' film series, beginning with the original 1977 film and subsequently winning three Saturn Awards ...

returns as James Jesse / Trickster and Vito D'Ambrosio plays Mayor

Anthony Bellows ''The Flash'' is an American television series developed by Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg, and Geoff Johns, based on the DC Comics character the Flash. The series premiered on The CW television network in the United States on October 7, ...

(a character he played in 1991, but as a police officer), with images of Hamill as Trickster from the 1990 TV series being used in a police report.

Design

The Flash costume was designed by

Colleen Atwood Colleen Atwood (born September 25, 1948) is an American costume designer. Atwood has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Costume Design twelve times, winning four times - for the films '' Chicago'' (2002), '' Memoirs of a Geisha'' (2 ...

. While remaining largely faithful to Barry's costume from the comics, it was designed as a more "functional, textured quality" costume than previous live-action Flash ones.

Filming

Production on the pilot began in March 2014, with filming taking place in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. Th ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...

; additional filming for the series takes place in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populou ...

. On how action sequences are shot for the series, compared to ''Arrow'', Gustin said, "When 'Arrow''shoot action sequences, pretty much what you see is what you get and they're really doing everything. We do a lot of plate shots that are empty shots of the area we’re going to be in and then they’re putting us in later in post. I do a lot of the fighting. I don’t have to do it full speed and then they ramp it up and a lot of people have to freeze and I keep moving. Then I have to clear frame and step back into frame. It’s really tedious stuff that we have to do. On theirs, they learn fight choreography and they shoot it from the perfect angles and what you see is what you get." Filming for the rest of the season began on July 11, 2014 and, ended on April 14, 2015.

Music

''Arrow'' composer

Blake Neely Blake Neely (born April 28, 1969) is an Emmy Award-winning American composer, conductor, and orchestrator. He has been nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards for his work on ''Everwood'', ''The Pacific'', and ''Pan Am'', and won the Emmy (202 ...

is the primary composer of the series, and was first hired in April 2014 to score the pilot. He had previously composed a theme for Barry Allen which was featured in ''Arrow''s

season two Season 2 may refer to: * ''Season 2'' (Infinite album) * ''2econd Season ''2econd Season'' is the second and most recent album by Atlanta-based rapper Unk. Release It was released on November 4, 2008. Guest Performers The album features gue ...

episodes "The Scientist" and "Three Ghosts". The theme was titled "The Scientist" when it was released on the ''Arrow: Season 2'' soundtrack. According to Neely, "It had to be different rom ''Arrow''... but it also couldn't be so different that it couldn't fit in the ''Arrow'' universe, ... it had to be in a style that could hold hands with ''Arrow''." On December 18, 2014, WaterTower Music released a selection of music from ''The Flash''/''Arrow'' crossover episodes, as well as two bonus tracks from their respective 2014 midseason finales. The first season, two-disc soundtrack was released on October 16, 2015 by La La Land Records. All music composed by Blake Neely.

Arrowverse tie-ins

In March 2014, it was announced that Gustin would not appear in a third episode of ''Arrow'' as originally planned. However, Panabaker and Valdes appear in the ''Arrow'' episode "The Man Under the Hood" in their roles as Caitlin Snow and Cisco Ramon, respectively. ''Arrow'' executive producer Marc Guggenheim stated, "This was something that really came about because obviously Barry is in a coma at the end of Three Ghosts" That pretty much made it impossible for Barry to appear in he third episode, as originally planned.. The idea of bringing in aitlin Snow and Cisco Ramonreally, really appealed to us because it allowed us to honor our original intention fdoing something Flash-related around episode 19 or 20 f season twowithout having comatose Barry and basically paying Grant Gustin a lot of money to sit around with his eyes closed just unconscious the whole episode... It allows us to further flesh out the ''Flash'' universe in ''Arrow''." Gustin had a brief cameo appearance in the ''Arrow'' season three premiere, "The Calm". Valdes appeared once again in the season three episode "Broken Arrow", while Gustin appeared in the final episode of season three, "My Name is Oliver Queen".

Stephen Amell Stephen Adam Amell (born May 8, 1981) is a Canadian actor. He came to prominence for playing the lead role of Oliver Queen on The CW superhero series ''Arrow'' (2012–2020). Amell also appeared in subsequent Arrowverse franchise media, along w ...

appears as Oliver Queen / Arrow in the pilot episode. Kreisberg announced that

Emily Bett Rickards Emily Bett Rickards (born July 24, 1991) is a Canadian actress. She is known for her role as Felicity Smoak on The CW series ''Arrow'', her first television credit. She has also reprised the role in the Arrowverse shows ''The Flash'', ''Legends ...

would appear in the fourth episode as Felicity. Previous ''Arrow'' adversary William Tockman / The Clock King (

Robert Knepper Robert Lyle Knepper (born July 8, 1959) is an American actor best known for his role as Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell in the Fox drama series '' Prison Break'' (2005–2009, 2017), Samuel Sullivan in the final season of the NBC series '' Heroes' ...

) was in the seventh episode. Members of

The Royal Flush Gang The Royal Flush Gang is a group of supervillains appearing in DC Comics. The group, which debuted in ''Justice League of America'' #43 (March 1966), use a playing card theme. Their code names are based on the cards needed to form a royal flush in ...

, who previously appeared on ''Arrow'', made a cameo appearance in the eleventh episode of the series. Rickards and

Brandon Routh Brandon James Routh (; born October 9, 1979) is an American actor. He portrayed Superman (1978 film series character), Superman in the 2006 film ''Superman Returns'', which garnered him international fame. In 2011, he played the Dylan Dog, titul ...

Ray Palmer Ray Palmer may refer to: * Raymond A. Palmer, science-fiction writer and editor * Raymond F. Palmer, medical professor * Ray Palmer (pastor), American pastor and author of hymns * Ray Palmer (Arrowverse), a TV show character based on his comic bo ...

had scenes in the eighteenth episode, "All Star Team Up".

Katie Cassidy Katherine Evelyn Anita Cassidy (formerly Rodgers) (born November 25, 1986) is an American actress. Following several minor television roles, she came to attention as a scream queen after starring in the horror films '' When a Stranger Calls'' ...

and

Paul Blackthorne Paul Blackthorne (born 5 March 1969) is an English actor. Although born in Shropshire, he spent his early childhood on UK military bases in Britain and Germany. Blackthorne broke into acting via television commercials in England. His breakthro ...

, as Laurel Lance / Black Canary and Detective

Quentin Lance ''Arrow'' is an American superhero television series developed by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, and Andrew Kreisberg based on the DC Comics character Green Arrow, a costumed crime-fighter created by Mort Weisinger and George Papp, and is ...

, respectively, appeared in the following episode, "Who Is Harrison Wells?", while Amell and Doug Jones as Jake Simmons / Deathbolt appeared in the twenty-second episode, "Rogue Air".

"Flash vs. Arrow"

On July 18, 2014, Kreisberg stated that a crossover event would occur in the eighth episode of the first season of ''The Flash'' and the third season of ''Arrow'', respectively. In early January 2015, The CW president

Mark Pedowitz Mark Pedowitz is the former chairman and CEO of The CW. He replaced Dawn Ostroff in 2011, who had been the Head of Entertainment since the network's inception in 2006. Pedowitz oversaw all aspects of The CW, including programming, sales, marketin ...

announced the intention to do a ''Flash''/''Arrow'' crossover every season, after the success of the first one.

Marketing

In April 2015, to celebrate the season three finale of ''Arrow'' and season one finale of ''The Flash'', The CW released a short promo titled "Superhero Fight Club". The short features characters from ''Arrow'' and ''The Flash'' battling each other in a hero vs. villain showdown. Characters include Arrow, Flash, Arsenal, Black Canary, Merlyn, Captain Cold, Heat Wave, Firestorm, Ra's al Ghul, Reverse-Flash, and the A.T.O.M. in a cage match fight.

Release

Broadcast

''The Flash'' was screened at the Warner Bros. Television and DC Entertainment panel at

San Diego Comic-Con International San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is ...

in July 2014. The series officially premiered on

on October 7, 2014, during the 2014–15 television season and also premiered in Canada on the same night. The second episode was screened at

New York Comic Con The New York Comic Con is an annual New York City fan convention dedicated to Western comics, graphic novels, anime, manga, video games, cosplay, toys, movies, and television. It was first held in 2006. History The New York Comic Con is a ...

on October 9, 2014, as a way to repay the viewers that watched the series' premiere episode. The series premiered in the United Kingdom and Ireland on October 28, 2014, and in Australia on December 3, 2014.

Home media

The season began streaming on

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

on October 6, 2015, and was released on

Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of s ...

and

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...

in Region 1 on September 22, 2015.

Copyright infringement

The first season of ''The Flash'' was the fifth most-pirated TV series in 2015.

Reception

Ratings

Live +7 ratings were not available, so Live +3 ratings have been used instead. The first episode of ''The Flash'' was watched by 4.8 million viewers and had a 1.9 18–49 demographic rating, making it The CW's most watched and highest rated series premiere since ''

'' in 2009. It also became The CW's second-most watched series premiere ever, behind '' 90210'', and the third-highest rated in the 18–49 demographic. Factoring Live + 7 day ratings, the pilot was watched by a total of 6.8 million viewers, becoming The CW's most-watched telecast and the highest-rated premiere among men 18–34 (2.5 rating). It broke the previous record for the most-watched telecast held by the cycle 8 finale of ''America's Next Top Model'' in 2007 (6.69 million). Additionally, across all platforms, including initiated streams on digital platforms and total unduplicated viewers on-air over two airings the week of October 7, 2014, the premiere was seen more than 13 million times. The Canadian premiere was watched by 3.11 million viewers, making it the most-watched broadcast that night and the second for that week. In the United Kingdom, the premiere was the fourth highest-rated broadcast of the week and the eleventh of that month, with 1.53 million viewers. The timeshifted version got 82,000 viewers. The premiere in Australia was the most-watched broadcast on pay television, with 129,000 viewers tuning in. The first season finished as the 118th ranked show, with an average viewership of 4.62 million, helping to deliver The CW's most watched season in seven years. ''The Flash'' finished the season as the most watched series ever on The CW with 5.85 million viewers, and also the highest rated series among men 18–49 (2.8 rating) and men 18+ ever on the network.

Critical response

Season 1 of ''The Flash'' received generally positive reviews from critics. The

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...

reported a 92% approval rating with an average rating of 7.75/10 based on 63 reviews. The website's consensus reads, "''The Flash'' benefits from its purposefully light atmosphere, making it a superhero show uniquely geared toward genre fans as well as novices."

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 73 out of 100, based on 27 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa dist ...

's Eric Goldman and Joshua Yehl praised the show's premise and cast after viewing a press screening copy of the pilot. Goldman and Yehl favorably compared it to ''Arrow'', stating that ''The Flash'' progresses with a confidence that ''Arrow'' did not get until later in the series. Reviews for the series became increasingly positive as the season progressed, with the finale receiving critical acclaim. Noel Murray of

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cr ...

gave the season a B+ overall, giving praise to the pacing of the plot, the performances of the cast and the special effects, and also pointing out the series' boldness to embrace its comic book influences, something that conventional superhero shows tend not to do. Weekly episode reviewer Scott Von Doviak gave consistently high ratings to the season and awarded the season finale a perfect A grade, calling the episode "richly satisfying" and also commending the show for " apturingthe essence of its source material in a fun, light-on-its-feet way that few other comic book adaptations have managed." He also gave high praise to the emotional value and performances of the cast, as well as the cliffhanger and multiple easter eggs found in the episode.

Accolades

''The Flash'' was included on multiple Best/Top TV Shows of 2014 lists, ranking on '' NPR'' and ''

Omaha World-Herald The ''Omaha World-Herald'' is a daily newspaper in the midwestern United States, the primary newspaper of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area. It was locally owned from its founding in 1885 until 2020, when it was sold to the newspaper c ...

''s (7th), and ''

Film School Rejects Film School Rejects is an American blog devoted to movie reviews, interviews, film industry news, and feature commentary. It was founded by Neil Miller in February 2006. The site was nominated for Best News Blog by '' Total Film'' magazine and na ...

'' (10th). In its first season, ''The Flash'' was nominated for 35 awards, including an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Special Visual Effects for the episode "Grodd Lives", and winning nine. The show was nominated for four

Saturn Awards The Saturn Awards are American awards presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, but have since grown to reward other films bel ...

, winning Best Superhero Adaption Television Series and Wentworth Miller winning for Best Guest Star on Television. Gustin was honored with the Breakthrough Performance Saturn Award at the ceremony for his electrifying performance as Barry Allen/The Flash. The series received eight

Leo Awards The Leo Awards are the awards program for the British Columbia film and television industry. Held each May or June in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, the Leo Awards were founded by the Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Foundation of British C ...

nominations, including Best Dramatic Series and winning Best Visual Effects in a Dramatic Series for the episode "Going Rogue". It also won the

People's Choice Award The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show, recognizing people in entertainment, voted online by the general public and fans. The show has been held annually since 1975, with the winners originally determined using Gallup Polls unt ...

for "Favorite New TV Drama" for the 2014–15 season. ''

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...

'' named the season finale, "Fast Enough" one of the best television episodes of 2015. , - ! scope="row" rowspan="2" , 2014 ,

Visual Effects Society Awards The Visual Effects Society (VES) is an entertainment industry organization representing visual effects practitioners including artists, animators, technologists, model makers, educators, studio leaders, supervisors, PR/marketing specialists and pr ...

, Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects-Driven Photoreal/Live Action Broadcast Program ,

Armen V. Kevorkian Armen V. Kevorkian is an Armenian-American visual effects supervisor and television director. He is best known for his work on television series such as ''Ghost Whisperer'', ''Hawaii Five-0'', ''Banshee'', ''The Flash'', ''Supergirl'', and ''Le ...

, James Baldanzi, Jeremy Jozwick, Andranik Taranyan , , , - , TV Guide Award , Favorite New Show , ''The Flash'' , , , - ! scope="row" rowspan="28" , 2015 ,

People's Choice Awards The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show, recognizing people in entertainment, voted online by the general public and fans. The show has been held annually since 1975, with the winners originally determined using Gallup Polls unt ...

, Favorite New TV Drama , ''The Flash'' , , , - , rowspan="2" ,

Kids' Choice Awards The Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards (also known as the KCAs or Kids' Choice) is an annual American children's awards ceremony show that is produced by Nickelodeon. Usually held on a Saturday night in late March or early April, the show honors ...

, Favorite Family TV Show , ''The Flash'' , , , - , Favorite TV Actor ,

, , , - , rowspan="4" ,

, Best Superhero Adaption Television Series , ''The Flash'' , ,
, - , Breakthrough Performance , Grant Gustin , , , - , Best Actor on Television , Grant Gustin , , , - , Best Guest Star on Television ,

, , , - , rowspan="8" ,

, Best Dramatic Series , ''The Flash'' , , , - , Best Direction in a Dramatic Series , Glen Winter , , , - , Best Cinematography in a Dramatic Series , C. Kim Miles , , , - , Best Visual Effects in a Dramatic Series , For episode "Going Rogue" , , , - , Best Production Design in a Dramatic Series , Tyler Bishop Harron , , , - , Best Make-Up in a Dramatic Series , Tina Louise Teoli , , , - , Best Hairstyling in a Dramatic Series , Sarah Koppes , , , - , Best Guest Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Series ,

, , , - , Publicists Awards , Maxwell Weinberg Award – Television , Bonanza Productions,

and Warner Bros. Television , , , - ,

TCA Awards The TCA Awards are awards presented by the Television Critics Association in recognition of excellence in television. There are eleven categories, which are presented every summer towards the end of the organization's summer press tour. Due t ...

, Outstanding New Program , ''The Flash'' , , , - , rowspan="6" ,

Teen Choice Awards The Teen Choice Awards is an annual awards show that airs on the Fox television network. The awards honor the year's biggest achievements in music, film, sports, television, fashion, social media, and more, voted by viewers living in the United S ...

, Choice TV Actress: Fantasy/Sci-Fi ,

, , , - , rowspan="2" , Choice TV: Breakout Star , Grant Gustin , , , - ,

, , , - , Choice TV: Chemistry , Grant Gustin and Candice Patton , , , - , Choice TV: Liplock , Grant Gustin and Candice Patton , , , - , Choice TV: Villain ,

, , , - ,

Hugo Awards The Hugo Award is an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year, given at the World Science Fiction Convention and chosen by its members. The Hugo is widely considered the premier ...

, Best Dramatic Presentation – Short Form , For the episode "Pilot" , , , - ,

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...

, Outstanding Special Visual Effects , For episode "Grodd Lives" , , , - , rowspan="2" ,

IGN Awards ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa dist ...

, Best TV Series , ''The Flash'' , , , - , Best Comic Book Adaptation TV , ''The Flash'' , , , - , Poppy Awards , Best Actor, Drama , Grant Gustin , , , -

Notes

References

General references

* *

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Flash (season 1), The 2014 American television seasons 2015 American television seasons The Flash (2014 TV series) seasons Identity theft in popular culture