THE FLASH (1990) Television Series Discussion

[Avilos]

When Jonathan Frakes' character shows off their collection he says about the car that him and his wife are "Batty" about. Before that as they first walk into their private museum and the Batmoblie is seen as part of their collection you briefly hear the opening notes of Danny Elfman's Batman theme.

I do not understand the complaint of television Superhero shows not being epic either. Its better to focus on the characters which they can effectively handle. Lois & Clark was criticized for not having have big powerful super villains. Well it was wise that they did that, look at Smallville's use of Doomsday and Darkseid. A lot of build up over the season to quick, poorly done fights which disappointed the fans.

[Silver Nemesis]

The Flash and Lois & Clark were both shot at Warner Bros Studios in Burbank. In almost every episode you can see parts of the backlot used in both shows. Also some parts of Batman Returns, Batman Forever, and Batman & Robin were shot on the same backlot. I took the tour in 2001 and I recognized everything. Its very cool because unlike Universal you are allowed to get of the tour trams. I got a picture in front of the location of the Daily Planet. The Central Police Station is still there but for ER they added a L train track in front of it to look like Chicago. The cool thing is that was when L&C was on. The effects team added a train on it in a background shot in a L&C episode. Which really impressed the people on ER because back than a drama like that had no cgi effects at all. They built the tracks just as something for their characters to walk under.

Ah, so it was the same backlot. It must have been an awesome place to visit.

When Jonathan Frakes' character shows off their collection he says about the car that him and his wife are "Batty" about. Before that as they first walk into their private museum and the Batmoblie is seen as part of their collection you briefly hear the opening notes of Danny Elfman's Batman theme.

This is the closest we ever got to a canonical explanation for why there's a different Batmobile in Batman Forever – the original model was stolen by Commander Riker!

Anyway. So on that basis, L&C largely succeeded at being an investigative drama for TV which largely kept Clark, Lois and their courtship at the center of all the stories. As far as characterization is concerned, I'd put it up against anything in terms of consistency. You may not like the show but you can't argue that their version of Lois and Clark weren't absurdly well-written characters.

Very true. And the same applies to the supporting cast. L&C showcased a very likable group of characters. Even if the storyline of one episode sucked, there was still a good chance you'd enjoy it because you liked spending time with the characters in the world they inhabited.

One of the main weaknesses of The Flash was that the supporting cast weren't terribly interesting. Take for example Julio. He's ok for the first few episodes, but after a certain point he doesn't do anything. He doesn't have any interesting relationships (there is a hint in one episode that he might figure out Barry is the Flash, but they don't go anywhere with it – that idea could have had potential) and he doesn't play an important role in most of the episodes (a notable exception being 'Beat the Clock', which is my least favourite episode of the entire series). He just smirks and sets Barry up on blind dates. Compare that with the way Jimmy was developed in L&C: his secret crush on Lois, his friendship with Clark, his father-son relationship with Perry, his numerous failed romances, his aspirations of being a reporter, etc. Several episodes centred around Jimmy and he always felt like he served a purpose in the storylines, rather than just being there for the sake of being there. The same cannot be said of Julio in The Flash.

Lois and Clark was very much a character driven show, with the action and special effects serving the plot rather than the other way around. And for me, it's far more epic to have a likeable group of fully rounded, well written characters develop and evolve over four seasons than to have an overblown two hour movie where plot and characterisation play second fiddle to the effects.

I'd cite Superman's success on television as evidence of why he's such a great character. Not just in Lois and Clark, but also in The Adventures of Superman and Smallville. None of those shows excelled in special effects and spectacle, but they used what little they had to good effect. Ultimately their success hinged on the strength of the characters and the interesting relationships between them.

Here's a little test (inspired by Plinkett's Star Wars reviews) to evaluate the strength of characterisation for any given superhero. Try writing a description of their personality, but without mentioning their powers, costume or origin story. Just focus on their personality. The more you can write, the stronger the characterisation is. And there's a lot you can say about Clark Kent and the other recurring characters in Lois & Clark.

I think Barry Allen was a reasonably strong character too, and I liked the way Shipp played him. But many of the supporting characters weren't so interesting. Another problem with the show – and one which Shipp himself has pointed out in interviews – was the lack of a compelling story arc. The "will they, won't they" relationship between Barry and Tina didn't work very well, so there was nothing to draw casual viewers back week after week. But despite those weaknesses, it was still a great show. And I'm sure the writers would have improved upon its faults had they gotten a second season.

[Travesty]

I actually just started re-watching the show again. Every episode is on youtube. The last time I watched it, I was 8-9 years old.

[Silver Nemesis]

I actually just started re-watching the show again.

I started rewatching it again last month. It's tempting to watch an episode every evening, but I'm trying to pace myself to make it last until the beginning of summer. So far I'm up to episode 8 'The Shroud of Death'. I'm also rewatching Lois and Clark season 1, so I like combining an episode from each series for a nineties superhero double bill.

I'm going through a bit of a Flash phase at the moment. I'm watching the show again, but I'm also currently reading Geoff Johns' The Flash: Rebirth and I've been playing as the Flash in Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes. I don't know why Warner Bros can't just pull their finger out and make a Flash movie. IMO he's the third best DC superhero after Superman and Batman. He's got lots of classic stories to draw from, a great gallery of rogues and a solid roster of supporting characters. I wish they'd at least make an animated movie.

If only DC could sell their superhero properties to other studios. If anyone other than Warner Bros had the rights, I'm certain we'd have had several Flash films by now.

[The Laughing Fish]

I don't know why Warner Bros can't just pull their finger out and make a Flash movie. IMO he's the third best DC superhero after Superman and Batman. He's got lots of classic stories to draw from, a great gallery of rogues and a solid roster of supporting characters. I wish they'd at least make an animated movie.

If only DC could sell their superhero properties to other studios. If anyone other than Warner Bros had the rights, I'm certain we'd have had several Flash films by now.

If Flash was a Marvel character, we definitely would have. 

[phantom stranger]

I absolutely loved this show! I had an opportunity to meet John Wesley Shipp and Amanda Pays at a convention and they were both very affable. It's a shame the DVD didn't have any special features. Although the creators did record a podcast commentary track for the last episode, which can be listened to while watching the show.

[Silver Nemesis]

I had an opportunity to meet John Wesley Shipp and Amanda Pays at a convention and they were both very affable.

That must have been awesome. I've watched quite a few interviews with Shipp on YouTube and he seems like a genuinely nice guy with a lot of enthusiasm for the Barry Allen character.

Although the creators did record a podcast commentary track for the last episode, which can be listened to while watching the show.

You wouldn't happen to have a link to where I could listen to that, would you? I heard something about it a while back but couldn't track it down.

I'm still holding out hope for a proper DVD release with extra features. If they do that they should include the tie-in comic released in 1991, as well as the 'Requiem for a Scarlet Speedster' episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold. That would be sweet.

[phantom stranger]

Although the creators did record a podcast commentary track for the last episode, which can be listened to while watching the show.

You wouldn't happen to have a link to where I could listen to that, would you? I heard something about it a while back but couldn't track it down.

I'm still holding out hope for a proper DVD release with extra features. If they do that they should include the tie-in comic released in 1991, as well as the 'Requiem for a Scarlet Speedster' episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold. That would be sweet.

Here's the podcast:

https://www.box.com/s/1qiog21jkfjxsdykrr2l

Yea, it's a shame that WB wanted to be cheap since I'm sure the cast/crew would've gladly done some official commentaries, interviews, etc.

[THE BAT-MAN]

Hey Guys, I found this very rare behind the scenes making of The Flash tv series from the 90's.  Hope you all enjoy.

[The Laughing Fish]

Great find! I wish this footage was included for the DVD set.

Conceptually, I would say this show was ahead of its time. As Paul DeMeo says, Flash having to go through this transformation where he has physical side effects and suffers from doubts do make his characterization complicated, and its legacy ensures that we got the current CW show.