I am – Hercules!!
DC Comics’ Bartholomew “Barry” Allen, the silver-age superhero The Flash, was already five years dead in the funnybooks by the time CBS decided to give him his own 1990 TV show.
This doubtlessly explains why there’s no Iris West to date. No Wally West to be sidekick Kid Flash. No supercompacted costume in a ring. No Earth-2 or golden-age Jay Garrick Flash. No buddies from the Justice League dropping by.
So it was a bit like “Smallville.” Lots of references to the hero’s long print history, and lots of departures. The TV Barry, who arrived the year after Tim Burton’s wildly successful big-screen “Batman” lit world box office ablaze (“The Flash” producers even hired “Batman” composer Danny Elfman to write the series’ title theme), was a police scientist who hung out in Central City with STAR Labs scientist Christina McGee (Amanda Pays), lab assistant Julio Mendez (Alex Desert) and newsman Joe Kline (Richard Belzer, who would take another recurring role in another DC Comics series – “Lois & Clark” – a few years later). Bathed by a freak accident in electrified chemicals, he was transformed into the fastest man alive.
The series was created by the writing team of Danny Bilson & Paul De Meo, who wrote “Trancers,” “The Wrong Guys” and “The Rocketeer” for the big screen. Subsequent to “The Flash,” they created UPN’s “The Sentinel” and the syndicated “Viper.” The duo has since taken to writing videogames based on James Bond movies (!).
“The Flash” was the first TV-writing job for bona fide comic-book writer-artist Howard Chaykin (“American Flagg!”), who went on to the syndicated likes of “Viper,” “Earth: Final Conflict” and another comic-inspired TV series, “Mutant X.”
“Just One Of The Guys” star Joyce Hyser had a recurring role and so did future “ER” regular Gloria Reuben and Joe Dante fave Dick Miller. Guest stars included future Oscar-nominee Angela Bassett, a 22-year-old Jeri “Seven of Nine” Ryan, E-streeter Clarence Clemons (!), “Star Trek” chameleon Jeffrey Combs, Bryan Cranston (“Malcolm in the Middle”), Ian Buchanan (“Twin Peaks”), M. Emmett Walsh (“Blood Simple”), Corinne Bohrer (“Veronica Mars”) and former child actor Bill Mumy. Just before CBS cancelled it, Mark Hamill played The Trickster, Michael Champion played Captain Cold and David Cassidy (!) played Mirror Master.
TV-on-DVD Calendar
Last Week
Alien Nation: The Complete Series
All in the Family 5.x
1st & Ten 1.x
1st & Ten 2.x
Gunsmoke 50th Anniversary Gift-Set
Have Gun Will Travel 3.x
Hunter 3.x
Silk Stalkings 4.x
January 10
Andromeda 5.x Vol. 3
Black Books 1.x
Boy Meets World 4.x
The Flash: The Complete Series
Hee Haw Vol.5
The House of Eliott 2.x
Men Behaving Badly 3.x
Men Behaving Badly 4.x
Nighty Night 1.x
Red Dwarf 7.x
Rising Damp 1.x
Strong Medicine 1.x
Urban Gothic 1.x
Viva La Bam 4.x/5.x
Wild Kingdom: African Wild 2
Wild Kingdom: Hunters of the Sky
January 17
The Adventures of Superman 2.x
Doogie Howser, MD 3.x
Fraggle Rock Vol. 5
Good Morning World: The Complete Series
Lois & Clark 2.x
The Mary Tyler Moore Show 3.x
Mr. Show: The Complete Series
Old Grey Whistle Test Vol. 2
Titus 3.x
January 24
'Allo 'Allo 4.x
Avatar: The Last Airbender - Book One, Vol. 1
Codename: Icarus
Dallas 4.x
Little Lord Fauntleroy
Missing 2.x
My Little Pony: Princess Promenade <--- NEW!!
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Alec Baldwin
Saturday Night Live: The Best of David Spade
The Time Tunnel: Vol. 1
The Tomorrow Show: Punk & New Wave
The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss: The Cat's Home
January 31
All American Girl: The Complete Series
Archie Bunker's Place 1.x
The A-Team 3.x
Benny Hill: Set 4
Dark Shadows Vol. 22
Diff'rent Strokes 2.x
Gastinau Girls 1.x
Hetty Wainthropp Investigates 3.x
Hill Street Blues 1.x
Inked: Best of 1.x
Knight Rider 3.x
Magnum PI 3.x
MI-5 Vol. 3
The Pink Panther: Classic Cartoon Collection
Rat Patrol 1.x
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Vol. 20
Two's Comany 4.x
The X-Files 1.x ($37.48 Slimcase Edition)
The X-Files 2.x ($37.48 Slimcase Edition)
The X-Files 3.x ($37.48 Slimcase Edition)
February 7
The Batman 1.x
Blue Collar TV 1.x Vol. 2
The Electric Company: Best Of
Emergency 2.x
Grounded For Life 1.x
Growing Pains 1.x
Hearts Afire 3.x
Inspector Alleyn Mysteries Set 2
The Lost World Vol. 1
The Lost World, Vol. 2
Moonlighting 3.x
One Step Beyond Collection
Pet Alien Vol. 4
Poltergeist:The Legacy 1.x
Sex and the City: Breakups
Sex and the City: Lust
Sex and the City: Mr. Big
Sex and the City: Romance
The Simpsons: Kiss and Tell
Survivor 7.x
Teen Titans 1.x
Touched By An Angel 3.x Vol. 1
Wildfire 1.x
Wire in the Blood 3.x
February 14
The Andy Griffith Show 5.x
Ballykissangel 4.x
Charles In Charge 1.x
Drake & Josh Go Hollywood
Farscape 3.x Col. 2
Fresh Prince 3.x
Gimme A Break 1.x
Golden Girls 4.x
Grey's Anatomy 1.x
He-Man 1.x Vol. 2
Living Single 1.x
Overhaulin 2.x
The Pretender 3.x
Shaq TV: The Complete Series
Significant Others: The Complete Series
February 21
Action: The Complete Series
The Dick Cavett Show: Comic Legends
Goof Troop Vol. 1
The Irish R.M. 3.x
NYPD Blue 3.x
Quack Pack Vol. 1
Redwall 1.x
SpongeBob SquarePants: Lost In Time
Teddy Ruxpin Vol. 1
Teddy Ruxpin Vol. 2
3rd Rock From The Sun 3.x
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea Vol. 1
What's New, Scooby-Doo Vol. 8
