The Flash (CBS)

For other uses of "The Flash", see The Flash.

The Flash
Information
Type	Television series
Original network	CBS
Seasons	1
Episodes	22
Original run	September 20, 1990 – May 18, 1991
Time slot	Thursdays at 8:30 pm* Wednesday at 8:30 pm* Saturdays at 8:00 pm*
Cast	John Wesley Shipp Amanda Pays Alex Désert Paula Marshall

"This is crazy. The Flash was just a man."

"Well, not to these people. Especially the younger ones? He's a hero."

—Barry Allen and Warren Garfield^[src]

The Flash is a television series based on the DC Comics character of the same name. The series ran for one season of twenty-two episodes from September 20, 1990, until May 18, 1991.

John Wesley Shipp later reprised the role of Barry Allen/The Flash during Elseworlds and ​​​Crisis on Infinite Earths, bringing the series into the same continuity as the Arrowverse.

Cast

Main cast

• John Wesley Shipp as Barry Allen/The Flash and Pollux
• Amanda Pays as Dr. Tina McGee
• Alex Désert as Julio Mendez
• Paula Marshall as Iris West *

Recurring cast

• Vito D'Ambrosio as Officer Tony Bellows
• Biff Manard as Officer Michael Murphy
• Mike Genovese as Lieutenant Warren Garfield
• Richard Belzer as Joe Kline
• Dick Miller as Fosnight
• Gloria Reuben as Sabrina
• Priscilla Pointer as Nora Allen
• Joyce Hyser as Megan Lockhart
• Justin Burnette as Shawn Allen
• Sven-Ole Thorsen as Mutated Carl Tanner, Swede and Omega
• Mark Hamill as James Jesse/The Trickster
• Michael Nader as Nicholas Pike
• Jason Bernard as Desmond Powell/Nightshade
• M. Emmet Walsh as Henry Allen
• John Toles-Bey as Michael
• Robert Shayne as Reggie
• Brad Sevy as Waiter
• Christopher Murray as Highway Patrolman and Williams

Notes:

1. Marshall appeared in the pilot as a co-star, though she was written out of the series as of the second episode.

Episodes

#	Episode name	Directed by	Story by	Teleplay by	Original airdate
1	"Pilot"	Robert Iscove	Danny Bilson & Paul De Meo		September 20, 1990
Police chemist Barry Allen's life radically changes one night when his lightning strikes his lab—and the combination of chemicals and incredible electrical power transform him into the fastest human on earth, The Flash.
2	"Out of Control"	Mario Azzopardi	Gail Morgan Hickman		September 27, 1990
Someone is performing horrible, deathly experiments on the homeless people in skid row. The police won't help—but The Flash will.
3	"Watching the Detectives"	Gus Trikonis	Howard Chaykin & John Francis Moore		October 18, 1990
A woman detective has been hired to discover the true identity of The Flash.
4	"Honor Among Thieves"	Aaron Lipstadt	Howard Chaykin & John Francis Moore	Milo Bachmann, Danny Bilson & Paul De Meo	October 25, 1990
A gang of thieves is determined to steal a valuable art treasure—and The Flash is determined to stop them.
5	"Double Vision"	Gus Trikonis	Jim Trombetta		November 1, 1990
An evil genius working for a Guatemalan death squad is able to gain control of The Flash's mind and force him to be his accomplice.
6	"Sins of the Father"	Jonathan Sanger	Stephen Hattman		November 8, 1990
The life of ex-policeman Henry Allen, is in danger when a bank robber he arrested 20 years ago escapes from prison seeking revenge.
7	"Child's Play"	Danny Bilson	Stephen Hattman & Gail Morgan Hickman	Howard Chaykin & John Francis Moore	November 15, 1990
The Flash helps a street kid who steals a computer disc that could unravel the plans of a chemist/criminal who's developed a new hallucinogenic drug.
8	"Shroud of Death"	Mario Azzopardi	Howard Chaykin & John Francis Moore	Michael Reaves	November 29, 1990
Barry tangles with a vengeful killer, who's claimed two victims, a judge and a lawyer, and who is now aiming for Barry's boss, Lt. Garfield.
9	"Ghost In The Machine"	Bruce Bilson	John Francis Moore & Howard Chaykin		December 13, 1990
A demented electronics genius, who once tried to blackmail the city, reappears after 35 years only to face the masked crime fighter who defeated him in 1955 and a new crime fighter—the Flash.
10	"Sight Unseen"	Christopher Leitch	John Vorhaus	Gail Morgan Hickman & John Vorhaus	January 10, 1991
An invisible man steals a poison toxin from Star Labs, contaminating the building and trapping Tina inside until the Flash can find the man—and the antidote.
11	"Beat the Clock"	Mario Azzopardi	Jim Trombetta		January 31, 1991
The Flash sets out to prove the innocence of Julio's close friend, a musician convicted of killing his songstress wife, but less than an hour remains before his execution.
12	"The Trickster"	Danny Bilson	Howard Chaykin & John Francis Moore		February 7, 1991
A crazed killer, who fancies himself a sort of evil magician called the Trickster, vows to defeat the Flash so he can have the Flash's/Barry's new girlfriend.
13	"Tina, is That You?"	William A. Fraker	David L. Newman	Chad Hayes, Carey Hayes & David L. Newman	February 14, 1991
An accident with a biofeedback machine splits Tina's personality and turns her into a criminal who wants to defeat the Flash.
14	"Be My Baby"	Bruce Bilson	Jule Selbo		February 21, 1991
Barry helps a young mother keep her infant daughter from the hands of the father, a suave criminal who's determined to get his child back no matter what.
15	"Fast Forward"	Gus Trikonis	Gail Morgan Hickman		February 27, 1991
Blasted ten years into the future by the killer of his brother, the Flash must return to the present to prevent Central City from being taken over by criminals.
16	"Deadly Nightshade"	Bruce Bilson	John Francis Moore & Howard Chaykin		March 30, 1991
Barry "The Flash" Allen teams up with Dr. Desmond "Nightshade" Powell, combining their super powers to defeat an insane vigilante known only as "Deadly Nightshade".
17	"Captain Cold"	Gilbert Shilton	Paul De Meo & Gail Morgan Hickman	Gail Morgan Hickman	April 6, 1991
Barry "The Flash" Allen is nearly frozen to death when he battles an insane criminal mercenary known as "Captain Cold."
18	"Twin Streaks"	James A. Contner	Stephen Hattman		April 13, 1991
When a scientist clones Barry , the clone is an perfect match—physically—but emotionally it is still a child.
19	"Done with Mirrors"	Danny Bilson	Howard Chaykin & John Francis Moore		April 27, 1991
Barry "The Flash" Allen confronts two industrial thieves: Stasia Masters, his old high school girlfriend, and her partner, Samuel Scudder, whose secret weapon is an array of micro-projection hologram discs.
20	"Good Night, Central City"	Mario Azzopardi	Jim Trombetta		May 4, 1991
Harry Milgrim uses an ultra-frequency transmitter to put everyone asleep so he can loot Central City, but it's up to "The Flash" to find the device before the entire population dies from a sleep-induced coma.
21	"Alpha"	Bruce Bilson	Gail Morgan Hickman & Denise Skinner	Gail Morgan Hickman	May 11, 1991
The Flash uses his powers to protect a beautiful android who wants to be free. Meanwhile, her owners, the U.S. government, attempt to capture her in order to reprogram her to be an assassin.
22	"The Trial of the Trickster"	Danny Bilson	Howard Chaykin & John Francis Moore		May 18, 1991
While awaiting trial for murder, a man known as the Trickster is rescued by a beautiful sociopath. Determined to get revenge on the Flash who helped apprehend him, the Trickster kidnaps the Flash and tries to brainwash him into subservience.

Gallery

Promotional images

Shared universe

On December 12, 2018, Marc Guggenheim confirmed their version of Barry Allen follows the same continuity as CBS's The Flash.

Trivia

• The Flash has had one supplemental comic book series, The Flash TV Special​​, two supplemental TV movies, The Flash II: Revenge of the Trickster​​​ and The Flash III: Deadly Nightshade​​​, and one supplemental video game, The Flash.
• The Flash is the only Arrowverse show that never had a main antagonist.
• Until the Trickster, no supervillains were used; instead Flash dealt with common crimes.
• The only cast members to appear in every episode of the series were John Wesley Shipp (Barry Allen), Amanda Pays (Tina McGee), and Alex Désert (Julio Mendez).