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Original Flash TV Series Co-Creator Paul DeMeo Has Passed Away

Flash TV producer Paul DeMeo has died.

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The modern Flash TV series is a marvel, but a lot of elements from the show come from the original Flash TV series which aired in 1990.

The show starred John Wesley Shipp as Barry Allen/The Flash, and of course, he has had a presence on the new series as Henry Allen and Jay Garrick. Other veterans from that series who have shown up on the new show have been Mark Hamill (whose Trickster pre-dated his Joker by several years), Amanda Pays (Dr. Tina McGee), Alex Desert (Julio Mendez), Corinne Bohrer (Prank), and Vito D’Ambrosio (Anthony Bellows, the former Mayor on the new show who was a cop on the original).

The original Flash series was developed by writer-producers Danny Bilson and Paul DeMeo, who originally had the Flash as part of a larger DC series called “Unlimited Powers” that they were directing. At the time, it was one of the most expensive series CBS had ever had. The team of Bilson & DeMeo also had their hands on a few other comic book properties over the years, including The Rocketeer movie and the first Human Target TV series. There was talk at one point about getting the pair to write for the new show at some point but it never transpired; they did, however, return to The Flash with a brief comic book run after the Infinite Crisis event for DC Comics.

Sadly, Bilson has Tweeted this morning that his “brother, friend, and creative partner in all things” has passed away. No details about DeMeo’s passing have been revealed as of yet.

Current Flash writer Sterling Gates — who was a co-writer on the Flash episode “The Elongated Knight Rises” which had many callbacks to the original show — posted his own tribute on Twitter this morning.

“I had the honor of meeting Paul DeMeo twice: once when he was writing Flash: The Fastest Man Alive and once at the ’90s Flash Anniversary event at Cinefamily. His contributions to all things Flash are immeasurable (not to mention The Rocketeer!). Rest in peace, Paul,” Gates said.

John Wesley Shipp himself has also posted a tribute.

“I’m shocked and terribly sad to learn of Paul’s passing,” the actor posted on Twitter. “@DannyBilson and Paul DeMeo changed the course of my life 28 years ago by trusting me with their Barry Allen, and I am forever grateful. My heart goes out to family and friends.”

We will share more information when and if it becomes available. In the meantime: Thank you, Mr. DeMeo, for some really fun adventure.

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Flash Missing: Vanishes In Crisis, April 25, 2024

The “Flash Missing: Vanishes in Crisis” headline in the Flash TV series pilot was dated April 25, 2024.

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While events of the series would ultimately speed up the timeline, Flash fans surely remember the final moments of the pilot episode of the Grant Gustin-led series where we see a Central City Citizen newspaper graphic announcing “Flash Missing, Vanishes In Crisis.” The date of that article? April 25, 2024.

Which happens to be… today.

When The Flash premiered in 2014, one might have expected that April 25, 2024 might be the right time for the final episode of a 10-year run… of course, as we saw, the Crisis happened a few years earlier, The Flash ended in 2023 instead, and it all might have been a good thing, considering how strikes and pandemics got in the show’s way. Still, it’s fun to think about, and it’s fun to remember that fantastic rush we had after the end of watching such an excellent premiere. And hey – not only did we get nine seasons of the show, but we also had a bad Flash movie that the series was far superior to, even in its worst moments. Win-win!

Ride the lightning, everyone.

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The John Wesley Shipp Flash 1990 Series Blu-ray Release Announced!

The Flash TV series starring John Wesley Shipp is coming to Blu-ray on June 14.

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Some very exciting news came today courtesy of the Warner Archive… the 1990 Flash TV series starring John Wesley Shipp is coming to Blu-ray!

The six-disc set is expected to release on June 14 from the Warner Archive Collection and it will contain the entire first season with new 2024 1080p HD masters from 4K scans of the original camera negatives. Here’s how the set is described; the box art can be seen below. Currently, a pre-order link is not yet up for the set, but keep your eyes open! Hopefully, this means we’ll get remasters on other classic series in the future.

Who-o-o-o-osh! The origins and exploits of the crimefighting DC Comics superhero come your way in this 22-episode live-action series, from the 1990-91 television season. John Wesley Shipp portrays Barry Allen, a police crime technologist endowed with sudden talents after a fluke lab accident. He pledges to use his new powers for good, powers that include ultra-speed reflexes and the ability to vibrate his molecules so rapidly he can pass through solid walls. Amanda Pays is medical researcher Tina McGee, who monitors Allen’s accelerated metabolism and guards his secret identity. The Tricksters, Captain Cold, the Ghost, mad inventors: Central City is rife with criminals. Now there’s a hero to keep pace with them. He’s called The Flash. And in our era of instant communications, he’s more in step with the times than ever.

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Virtue: The CW Developing Cecile-Focused Flash Spinoff [APRIL FOOL 2024]

The CW is plotting a spinoff for a major character from The Flash.

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DISCLAIMER: This was the FlashTVNews April Fool’s post of 2024. The “news” in this article is not true or factual.

The seal has been broken and Earth-Prime may not be dead after all.

Late tonight, Deadline Weekly revealed that Warner Bros. Television and writers associated with The Flash have landed a deal for Virtue, a series focused on the Cecile character from The Flash as played by Danielle Nicolet. Nicolet is expected to reprise her role in the series, which will take place several years after the events of the Flash finale.

Jesse L. Martin is not expected to be a part of the series as he has prior commitments to The Irrational on NBC. Intel from the studio reveals that some characters fans have been itching to see again — such as Chester, Allegra, Khione, Chillblaine, and Arrow’s Raisa the Maid — might show up in some capacity. In keeping with the current CW lineup, the new show will pair Cecile Horton with a cop to solve crimes — but, of course, that cop will sadly not be Joe.

The official logline for Virtue suggests that Cecile will be a single mother who balances her superpowers and law background with solving crimes and being a mom. She will also reconnect with her daughter Joanie from whom she has been estranged for several years, and it’s expected that the Joanie character may be recast. Many thought The CW was out of the superhero business, but the producers’ pitch showed that her mental-based powers could make the show easier and more affordable to produce on a TV budget. It is expected that some of Cecile’s “level up” powers from Season 9 of The Flash will be toned down, and it is said that another reason Virtue has an advantage is that it doesn’t conflict with James Gunn’s ideas for the upcoming DC Studios movie universe.

No specific writers have been named for Virtue so far, aside from the notion that they worked on The Flash. Additionally, the Deadline Weekly article confirms that neither Grant Gustin nor Candice Patton are expected to show up on the series.

We will keep people updated on Virtue here at FlashTVNews under a special “Virtue TV News” icon; though if you’d like to visit our dedicated Twitter feed for the project, you can find it here.

Please read this article before sharing on other websites.

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