"The Flash" (1990) TV series 1990-1991

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Directors:

James A. Contner
Gilbert M. Shilton

Writers:

Robert Kanigher (character)
Harry Lampert (characters)

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

20 September 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Sci-Fi | Fantasy

Tagline:

Wipes Out Scum In Seconds

Plot:

A police forensic scientist battles crimes as a superfast superhero.

Plot Keywords:

Flash | Superhero | Imaginary Town | Hyper Speed | Based On Comic

Awards:

Nominated for Primetime Emmy. Another 2 nominations

Cast

John Wesley Shipp	...	Barry Allen / ... (22 episodes, 1990-1991)
Amanda Pays	...	Christina 'Tina' McGee (22 episodes, 1990-1991)
Alex Désert	...	Julio Mendez (22 episodes, 1990-1991)
Biff Manard	...	Off. Michael Frances Murphy / ... (17 episodes, 1990-1991)
Vito D'Ambrosio	...	Off. Bellows / ... (17 episodes, 1990-1991)
Mike Genovese	...	Lt. Warren Garfield / ... (17 episodes, 1990-1991)
Richard Belzer	...	Joe Kline / ... (10 episodes, 1990-1991)

Runtime:

60 min (21 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:TV-PG | Australia:PG | Singapore:PG | Australia:M (some episodes) | Argentina:Atp

Company:

Pet Fly Productions

Trivia:

When Christina McGee calls Barry for the first time, she tells him to come to "50, Garrick Ave". Jay Garrick was the name of the first Flash

Quotes:

Denise Cowan: Don't be a fool.
James Jesse: I can't help it.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Daddy Day Care (2003)

number of episodes and seasons

It just ran one season, 1990, and there were 22 episodes, including the 2hr pilot. It was heavily inspired by the recent Tim Burton Batman movies, even as far as a Danny Elfman theme. But still stylish, silly, and a lot of fun. They managed to capture the Barry Allen costume and not look silly, along with lots of innovative sets and lighting, and the effects were quite good for the time. The character was a mix of Barry Allen, killed off several years earlier in the comics, and Wally West, the current comic book Flash, and played by John Wesley Shipp. Amanda Pays played a sidekick/romantic interest fairly similar to her character on Max Headroom. Mark Hamill played the Trickster in two episodes (sidekick Prank seemed like a fairly direct reference to Joker & Harley Quinn), David Cassidy played Mirror Master in another. Another episode was a nice homage to the popular team-ups of "Golden Age" WWII era Flash with the modern day Flash in the comics, here a retired hero called the Prowler, complete with a deep-frozen villain of the originals. But, it was up against The Cosby Show and the Simpsons, got bounced around all over the place schedule-wise, and interrupted several times by Gulf War I. And it must been very expensive to produce. It never really had much of a chance.