Starring Grant Gustin, the show focused on the adventures of Barry Allen, who had been granted the gift of super-speed, as he saved the citizens of Central City (and sometimes even the multiverse itself) from major supernatural threats that only The Flash could save them from. As the Scarlet Speedster, Barry encountered many infamous foes over the course of the series, battling evil speedsters, giant monsters, and even a twisted version of himself.
The Flash enjoyed a lengthy run of nine seasons, so why didn’t it return for a tenth? There are multiple reasons for that, and the underpinning point to all of that seems to be: It was simply time for it to end.
Grant Gustin wanted The Flash to end with season 9
For the vast majority of its run, The Flash was the most-watched show on The CW. It dominated Tuesday nights throughout its first six seasons and even when its numbers fell off, it was always among the three most-watched programs on the network. It was also incredibly successful for Warner Bros, both due to the Netflix deal it had in place in the US and selling it for international broadcasts. So make no mistake about it, The Flash wasn’t cancelled due to ratings.
When it comes to superhero TV shows, The Flash is unmatched; or at least it was in its earlier seasons. The DC TV series premiered on The CW back in 2014 as the second installment in its ever-growing Arrowverse franchise and it broke a number of records, quickly becoming its biggest hit ever.
Starring Grant Gustin, the show focused on the adventures of Barry Allen, who had been granted the gift of super-speed, as he saved the citizens of Central City (and sometimes even the multiverse itself) from major supernatural threats that only The Flash could save them from. As the Scarlet Speedster, Barry encountered many infamous foes over the course of the series, battling evil speedsters, giant monsters, and even a twisted version of himself.
The Flash enjoyed a lengthy run of nine seasons, so why didn’t it return for a tenth? There are multiple reasons for that, and the underpinning point to all of that seems to be: It was simply time for it to end.
Grant Gustin wanted The Flash to end with season 9
For the vast majority of its run, The Flash was the most-watched show on The CW. It dominated Tuesday nights throughout its first six seasons and even when its numbers fell off, it was always among the three most-watched programs on the network. It was also incredibly successful for Warner Bros, both due to the Netflix deal it had in place in the US and selling it for international broadcasts. So make no mistake about it, The Flash wasn’t cancelled due to ratings.
But when a show is incredibly successful, it can go on for a very long time, which is exactly what The Flash did. That can understandably get tiring for the cast, crew, and writers putting it together, which is what happened to star Grant Gustin.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the actor revealed that he had initially wanted to end the show with its eighth season, particularly because predecessor Arrow bowed out with eight seasons too, but he was ultimately convinced to suit up one more time. But for him, season 9 would be the last one.
“I just knew it was time for me to step away, have more time with my family, and just enter this next chapter of my life.”Grant Gustin
Gustin wasn’t the only one who felt this way, as Candice Patton (who played Iris West on the show) was also ready to leave after season 9, revealing to EW that she was relieved when Grant told her it was ending as she “didn’t want to leave before everyone else”.
