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InPrimetime | The Countdown to “CRISIS” has Begun!

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The most anticipated primetime event of the season gets an airdate! The countdown to The CW’s “Crisis on Infinite Earths” 5-part crossover is imminent!

Some worlds will live and some worlds will die, but one thing is certain… The CW’s primetime landscape may never be the same after this season’s widely anticipated crossover event “Crisis on Infinite Earths” hits the DC television universe. Teased at the end of last season’s “Elseworlds” 3-part event, which set-up an impending threat to the extended DC primetime universe will continue with an endgame that will shake the foundation of the multiverse. The result will undoubtedly be felt across all The CW’s superhero shows.

The 5-part epic was the cornerstone of the network’s introduction at this year’s Upfront, the annual media gathering where the competing network’s reveal to advertisers what they have on the slate for the coming season. “Crisis on Infinite Earths” does not aim to disappoint and will straddle the winter hiatus with five interconnecting episodes across the primetime series, not excluding Black Lightning starring Cress Williams which has been reported will play a role in the crossover event as well.

The event may also signal the end of the “Arrowverse” as the series enters into its final and Eighth Season with a 10-episode run, as something new is promising will emerge after “Crisis” concludes. The Flash show runner Eric Wallace has suggested that especially for Central City’s Scarlet Speedster, the season will be divided into two-acts with the second half dealing with the post-effects of “Crisis”. Fans are certainly hopeful that in the fallout, series like Supergirl which exists on a parallel earth (Earth-38) will be integrated into a Prime-Earth.

Save the Dates

The television series and “Crisis on Infinite Earths” event will be impacted by the winer hiatus, pitting the second half of the story arc to air five weeks later and concluding in 2020; that is presumably when Arrow will be entering into its final episode and the team show DC’s Legend of Tomorrow returns for its Fifth Season. It’s likely that is also when returning series Black Lightning will be wrapping up its Third Season (making way in its time slot for Legends to move in). Here’s a breakdown of the airdates for The CW’s “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover event:

  • Supergirl “Crisis on Infinite Earths” Pt. 1, Sunday, December 8, 2019 8pm.
  • Batwoman  “Crisis on Infinite Earths” Pt. 2, Monday, December 9, 8pm.
  • The Flash “Crisis on Infinite Earths” Pt. 3, Tuesday, December 10, 8pm.

Then, five weeks later…

  • Arrow ”Crisis on Infinite Earths” Pt. 4′, Tuesday, January 14, 2020, 8pm.
  • DC’s Legends of Tomorrow “Crisis on Infinite Earths” Pt. 5′, Tuesday, January 14, 2020, 9pm.

Starting Line-Up

Though the guest starring list of actors to appear in “Crisis on Infinite Earths” continues to grow, it was recently announced that Kevin Conroy, the voice of Batman/Bruce Wayne in the critically acclaimed series Batman: The Animated Series and Batman Beyond will be appearing as the Bruce Wayne of the Batman Beyond era, leading many to speculate of the costumed appearance of Terry McGinnis’ futuristic Dark Knight. Among other famous faces said to be partaking of the crossover spectacle are Lynda Carter said to be reprising her role as Wonder Woman, and Burt Ward who played Robin in the 60s television iteration of Batman.

Tom Welling who starred as a young Clark Kent in 10 Seasons of Smallville is also suggested will be appearing as his earth’s Superman. In fact there will be at least three Supermen appearing during the crossover. DC’s Legends headliner Brandon Routh who inherited the cape and debuted in Superman Returns famously revealed at SDCC this year that he’ll also reprise his role as the Man of Steel, with Tyler Hoechlin returning as the Superman of Earth-38, Supergirl’s (Melissa Benoist) Kryptonian cousin. Jon Cryer is also on board as Lex Luthor.

LaMonica Garrett will also be pulling double duty! He’ll be playing the man at the center of all the machinations The Monitor and his evil twin The Anti-Monitor. Another CW series favorite that will be returning for the crossover event is John Wesley Shipp; fans are hopeful he’ll be returning as The Flash of Earth-90, the Barry Allen that Shipp played in his 1990 CBS series, which is also soon hitting a milestone. Shipp’s landmark series will be turning 30! It is also speculated that the actor will be appearing this season on The Flash as The Golden Age, Jay Garrick.

Stay tuned as more is revealed of this season’s most climatic television event!

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Comic-Con, Coming Soon, DC Entertainment, Entertainment, Featured, In Primetime

Trailer | The CW’s THE FLASH Season 6 Sizzle Reel

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Season 6 of the hit action series will introduce a new villain determined to undo everything Barry Allen and his team of heroes have worked so hard towards to building — and this year, there will be blood!

With all the “greatest hits” coming out of last weekend’s San Diego Comic-Con fiasco, all eyes were tuned into The CW shows and especially what’s in store for everyone’s favorite heroes considering that this season’s annual crossover spectacular will be something of a “crisis” level event. Among the anticipation to glean any new developments on the upcoming season of The Flash it appears the Scarlet Speedster and his fellow adventurers will be once again caught in the crosshairs of a deadly adversary.

Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) and Iris West-Allen (Candice Patton) are both still recovering from the loss of their time-displaced daughter, Nora who was much of the focal point of Season 5. Though she’s now gone, Nora (portrayed by Jessica Parker Kennedy) is far from forgotten, in fact Eric Wallace who is now assuming the role of showrunner in Season 6, has suggested that the new season will begin moments after Nora’s departure, and the heartache losing her will bring to Barry and Iris. In the midst of this, a new threat will be taking shape in the form of Sendhl Ramamurthy.

Rogue’s Gallery Grows

In Season 6 of The Flash the writing team will be introducing a new adversary in the form of Dr. Ramsey Rosso, who is the alter-ego of the very macabre menace known as Bloodwork. The villain plagued the Scarlet Speedster in a recent issue of the comic The Flash #30 and proved a relentless foe. With Ramamurthy stepping into the role, especially after his tenure on the NBC series Heroes the expectation said Wallace is to infuse the series with some “mystery and thriller elements” this season.

In the new season’s Sizzle Reel Trailer unveiled at SDCC, it certainly looks like Ramamurthy’s Dr. Rosso will be raising the stakes, certainly in the first arc of the season. Wallace has also suggested that this year, especially because of the consequences of events leading into (and out of) the “Crisis on Infinite Earths” 5-part midseason crossover, the season will be divided into shorter arcs, giving the show a couple of different directions to explore rather than sticking to the formulaic “big bad” theory that would dominate the entire series arc for the year.

The Flash premieres this fall in Oct on The CW Network

Comic-Con, DC Entertainment, Featured

Cover2Cover | The CW Heroes on Entertainment Weekly

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The CW Network’s World’s Finest were gathered to grace five special edition covers of Entertainment Weekly annual Comic-Con Issue raising expectation levels for this year’s epic crossover event!

It’s Comic-Con Season! The annual entertainment media event that started out as just a gathering for fans who love comic books and the sci-fi/fantasy genre, has evolved into an unmatched spectacle of incredible proporations. San Diego Comic-Con has grown to such an immense scale it has become the primary means by which Hollywood exploits all of its biggest franchises across all mediums whether television, film and print, and is the destination for announcing some of the coming season’s most anticipated blockbuster events.

With its primetime line-up consisting of the most colorful band of costumed adventures on network television, The CW network’s heroes based on the DC Comics characters appearing on Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow and the newly caped and cowled Batwoman were all given the star treatment gracing 5 limited edition covers of Entertainment Weekly heralding its SDCC 2019 coverage. Fans will agree, the titular heroes have never looked better — poised and powerful and ready for the “Crisis on Infinite Earths” that’s coming their way.

Final Bow (and Arrow)

Of course all eyes will be on Stephen Amell who will be concluding his run as the lead on Arrow since premiering the Arrow-verse back in 2012. In the cover story article, the actor reflected on his time as the Emerald Archer and the phenomenon he helped to launch. Since then Arrow has given rise to a prolific narrative and combined universe of superheroes easily challenging their big screen contemporaries. Grant Gustin stars as The Flash and will now be taking the baton and running with it as that series enters its Sixth Season.

The world of Arrow was (mostly) devoid of super powers until The Flash was introduced. Spinning out of the original’s Second Season, all bets were off after CSI investigator Barry Allen was struck by lightning and the Speed Force was unleashed. Since then a Maid of Steel has soared in the skies over National City (on Earth-38) and Legends of Tomorrow have battled a Legion of Doom through time, and soon the chaotic urban jungle of Gotham City will have a new caped wonder to contend with as Batwoman starring Ruby Rose suits up to fight crime!

Amell can proudly look back at the legacy that he’s helped to manufacture, and once the events unfurl of the series final and Eighth Season this fall, it all comes to a head as the annual crossover event patterned after the epic “Crisis on Infinite Earths” maxi-series that realigned the multiverse, will perhaps hand our hero a fatefully tearful end, the unprecedented success of the Arrow-verse will continue to endure.

The magazine also unveiled a new look and feel with a stylistically unique block font and perfect binding give the reader a sturdier feel to the periodical and announced that it will be now going out as a monthly, although it’s keeping the “Weekly” in the title. Entertainment Weekly “The Comic-Con Issue” August 2019 #1570/1571 is on stands now in 5 Limited Edition collectible covers.

DC Entertainment, Featured, iEditorial, In Primetime

iEditorial | Will The CW’s Upcoming “Crisis” Crossover Prove the Network’s Primetime Version of an “Endgame”?

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One of the DC most beloved storylines is about to go live in primetime and after Marvel Studios Avengers: Endgame epic fans expectations have reached a fever pitch! Will The CW deliver?

With Marvel Studios having stepped up the genre narrative by bringing the first decade of the superhero epics to a natural conclusion in the recent blockbuster Avengers: Endgame and the upcoming second installment of the web-slingers solo run Spider-Man: Far From Home promising to open the door to the possibilities of a Marvel Cinematic Multiverse, how will the The CW’s primetime universe compare will the highly anticipated “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover airs this Fall? It’s leaving many fans to speculate…some worlds will live, and some worlds might…

Well, you understand where we’re going with this.

While on his recent comic-con convention circuit promoting the “Elseworlds” event, The Flash actor John Wesley Shipp who has played a myriad of characters throughout the world of the Scarlet Speedster, was constantly bombarded with questions from fans about his own surprise appearance in the 3-part storyline. Shipp who played the original role of Barry Allen/The Flash for one season on the CBS primetime series in the 90s, jumped back into the suit (not the original but a remodeled version by series costume designer Kate Main) to warn our heroes about a “crisis”.

“It’s the question I get asked the most now,” Shipp admitted. “What part will I play in the upcoming ‘Crisis’? And the honest answer is: I don’t know!” It doesn’t escape him the fact that in the classic maxi-series that redefined the DC Comics universe in the 80s, the Flash sacrifices himself to save everyone. “Now what will that mean that we have — not one, but two Flashes?” Shipp said, “perhaps one will have to die to save the multiverse and Jay Garrick will get left holding suit.” In any event, the actor is hoping he’ll get to return to reprise one of his parts in the fall.

It was perhaps one of the best curated stunts of the franchise’s now more than 100 hours of television. The crossover events have become every fans’ most anticipated episodes of the season, and after battling Nazis doppelgängers, fending off an alien invasion, and bringing together legends, how were the show runners going to up the stakes? First they introduced the idea that the television multiverse is inhabited by every possible iteration of DC characters including Shipp’s “Flash” of Earth-90, the Kent Farm from Smallville and that it’s all in serious jeopardy of ending!

With the omnipotent Monitor (played by LaMonica Garrett) having made his presence known, inciting a conflict that included the appearance of the Man of Steel and having ended this season of Arrow by taking Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) on a quest of sorts, when The CW primetime universe returns in the fall, there are going to be some major dangling participles to deal with, and the introduction of a certain red-headed Caped Crusader that will undoubtedly be teaming up with the rest of the brave and bold, for that much sought after pairing of the world’s finest.

“Crisis” an Endgame

Though it’s all possible that the televised “Crisis on Infinite Earths” may not have the perpetual ramifications to the DC primetime universe that Marvel Studios Avengers: Endgame had for the cinematic story arcs, fans are expecting nothing less than a very similarly and well-crafted adaptation of one of DC Comics most epic storylines. It took Marvel a decade to get to Endgame and although The CW is promising 5-hours across all its main shows, it still has many more hours of story to build up to, especially if it intends on having as significant an emotional resonance.

As for the aftermath, what will it mean to The CW’s primetime line-up? Though there is no mention of Black Lightning participating in the crossover event, will that show in some way play a part in the fallout? Many are expecting that after the series of hints that were dropped in the latter half of the latest seasons of the show, especially in The Flash, the multiverse will collapse and their will be only one, Prime-Earth. Will that include Supergirl’s Earth-38, and what of the other alternate worlds and timelines the series have explored?

“Anything is possible,” Shipp has said. “I would never have thought that nearly 30-years later I’d be back in a superhero suit…and I’ve since been in two!” With fans hoping that more will be revealed especially at next month’s San Diego Comic-Con, you can bet that participants will be eagerly lining up, as Ruby Rose takes the stage to introduce the cast of Batwoman and give an insight into the newest addition to the primetime line-up, and the series show runners all collect themselves and practice their stock response: “The DC TV universe will never be the same again!”

DC Entertainment, Exclusive, Featured, Primetime Series

iReview | THE FLASH (Classic Series) – Episode 16 “Deadly Nightshade”

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Heading into the 30th Anniversary of “The Classic” television series The Flash ventured into primetime superhero territory and proved that thrilling storytelling along with special effects yielding a legacy worth reexamining.

It’s nearly impossible now to imagine a primetime landscape that doesn’t encompass a series based on a superhero property or fantasy fiction. The CW relies on an entire interconnected “Arrowverse” that features many of DC Comics most prominent players, including The Flash. Just wrapping up its Fifth Season after celebrating a 100th episode and venturing into the crossover epic “Elseworlds”, Grant Gustin has protected Central City as its greatest hero, but recently ran into his 1990 alter-ego The Flash of Earth-90, 1990 that is.

On the heels of the success of Tim Burton’s Batman WB sought avenues to get many of its other DC properties off the ground, including a primetime hour-long live-action series based on one of its most enduring commodities. The Flash starred John Wesley Shipp and premiered on CBS in 1990, and took on a darker and more muscled up approach to the retelling of the superhero’s origin story. CSI investigator Barry Allen (Shipp) was expectedly struck by lightning and given his super speed, but he didn’t immediately run head first into the role as his city’s defender.

Though he’s returned to form in several incarnations on the 2014 reboot of The Flash, as Henry Allen, the “Golden Age” Flash/Jay Garrick, Shipp most recently suited up to bring his 1990 Flash, the Barry Allen of Earth-90 into the multiverse of the “Arrowverse”. A new threat is coming, a potential crisis that will test the mettle of our heroes — The Monitor has foreseen it, and he’s deemed our heroes worthy. The Flash of Earth-90 traversed the multiverse to warn his Earth-1 counterparts about The Monitor’s plan, but was “folded” away before he could join the fight.

John Wesley Shipp starred as The Flash in his CBS primetime series that premiered on September 20, 1990, almost 30 years ago, and ran for one season with total of 22 episodes. A critical hit, developed by Danny Bilson and Paul DeMeo the series was for its time the most expensive live action series in production at WB, and just became a challenge to sustain; the network also kept moving the show’s dedicated time slot around. That made it a bit of a challenge for The Flash to maintain its audience. Ultimately the show was cancelled. The final episode aired on May 18, 1991.

Case File: “Deadly Nightshade”

In the 16th episode of the season, the socialite granddaughter of a wealthy publishing mogul, Felicia Kane (played by Jeri Ryan) is being held for ransom by an urban radical militia. While in the midst of negotiating her release with the Central City Police Department, the group’s hideout is attacked by a masked gunman using the name and the M.O. of the 50s era vigilante known as “Deadly Nightshade”. As the salvo of gunfire is heard on the police phone, CSI investigator Barry Allen (John Wesley Shipp) listens closely as Julio Mendez determines the location of the lair.

With the room momentarily distracted, Allen takes the opportunity to race to the scene of the crime in his alter ego as the Scarlet Speedster, The Flash. He arrives in time to survey the carnage and finds Ms. Kane is shock. Later, Rebecca Frost (Denise Crosby) a psychologist, determines that the actions of vigilantes, like Deadly Nightshade and The Flash are to blame for the rise in crimes and the victims, like Ms. Kane, get caught in the crossfire. Frost’s supervisor is Dr. Desmond Powell (Jason Bernard) and like Barry, he doesn’t necessarily agree with the good doctor’s assessment.

Powell has a unique insight into the matter; he was the original vigilante known as the Deadly Nightshade and doesn’t take it kindly to the threat of an imposter, Curtis Bohannan (Richard Burgi) who is determined to carry out his own vendetta. Bohannan intends on assuming the secret identity of Central City’s only hero and her intends on wearing a suit of armor to exact his form of justice. If he can take down The Flash, he will become unstoppable! The Flash and Powell team up, once again, to stop their common foe.

Best Parts

In classic comic-book fashion, the episode presents the brave and the bold pairing of the contemporary super speedster teaming up with his “Golden Age” mentor. Barry Allen first meets Desmond Powell’s alter ego in the episode “Ghost in the Machine” establishing that The Flash wasn’t Central City’s first costumed hero. Barry reveals his secret identity to Desmond in this adventure, suggesting that the two would have crossed paths again. Powell’s vigilante Deadly Nightshade appears to be pattered after an amalgamation of Golden Age DC Comics heroes.

The episode also begins to point in the direction that The Flash is being perceived as a “hero” — a crime fighter —  working alongside the CCPD, and is not the danger that Rebecca Frost suggests, but someone that might inspire hope. Shipp has often eluded to the dynamic changes his costume went through during the season, and it is most evident in this episode that certain modifications to the suit were made to make it appear more streamlined and proportioned to Shipp’s own physique. There’s even a scene where The Flash pulls the cowl back while in Powell secret hideout.

Besides spotlighting two Star Trek alumni; Denise Crosby and Jeri Ryan both make impressionable appearances in this episode, “Deadly Nightshade” reveals how much promise and potential there was in The Flash and the possibilities that might have been had the series gotten a Second Season. When The Flash of Earth-90 appears in the prologue to this past season’s crossover event “Elseworlds” he is the last man standing in what might have been an epic confrontation, but the battlefield is covered with costumed characters — a league that may have been in a Season 2.

John Wesley Shipp reprising his role as The Flash of Earth-90 in this season’s crossover event “Elseworlds”.

The Flash (Classic Series) | “Deadly Nightshade” (Season 1 | Episode 16) starring John Wesley Shipp, Amanda Pays and Alex Désert directed by Bruce Bilson written by John Francis Moore & Howard Chaykin and guest starring Jason Bernard with Richard Burgi and Denise Crosby. [Original Airdate: March 28, 1991]

The Flash (Classic Series) is available on the DC Universe subscription service and also on iTunes.

DC Entertainment, Featured, In Primetime

iFeature | CW’s THE FLASH Gets a New Showrunner

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Changes are in full-speed as The Flash welcomes Eric Wallace as the series new showrunner in Season 6, and Todd Helbing moves out of the multiverse he’s navigated for the last two years!

Amidst the recent announcement that Arrow will be culminating its series run with a 10-episode Eighth Season next fall, an all-new showrunner has moved into the reigns of another Arrowverse hit! It appears that next season The Flash starring Grant Gustin in the title role of Central City’s Scarlet Speedster, will be signing off Todd Helbing and elevating Eric Wallace to the new role of the show’s new showrunner. It’s a monumental move as the Fastest Man Alive moves into the lead pole position on The CW primetime play of DC properties.

Todd Helbing came up in the ranks and has helmed The Flash for two seasons, undoubtedly moving the story arc and action on the show to more embody and capitalize on it super-powered centric motifs. Of all the shows on The CW’s line-up, The Flash has most closely followed the comic book story and benefitted from introducing elements like the “multiverse” to the television audience, as well as exploiting menaces like Gorilla Grodd and King Shark, characters that have been realized in full CGI for the series.

No stranger to primetime producing, Helbing is known for his other television credits including Black Sails and Spartacus. Greg Berlanti was quoted in Variety as commenting, “From his first day on The Flash, Todd Helbing has been a leader on the show, beloved by the cast and crew for his exceptional talent, vision and wonderful attitude.” Wallace came onboard in Season 4 as a co-executive producer, most recently working alongside Helbing in Season 5. Wallace is credited with contributing a great deal to the voice of the series in Season 4, and will be shaping its future.

For fans of the show who want to get more familiar with Eric Wallace, he can be seen participating as one of the commentators on the Season 4 bonus feature “Flash Time on Amunet Black with Katee, Eric and Sterling”. The 13-minute featurette took a deep-dive at the backstory of Season 4 villain Amunet Black played by fan-favorite Katee Sackhoff. Wallace and series writer Sterling Gates provide insight into the story arc that pitted this new adversary against Killer Frost (series regular Danielle Panabaker).

The Flash is currently airing in its Fifth Season on The CW | Tuesday nights @ 8pm