The Flash and Supergirl crossover is just around the corner. In fact, we only have a few hours before the two speedsters team up for some exciting action. Although a crossover between the CW and CBS drama seems quite natural at this point, there were actually two big obstacles in the way of Monday’s crossover event when the idea was first forming. Executive producer Greg Berlanti recently spoke out about those two problems.
First and foremost, as you might expect, achieving a crossover between two shows that actually air on different networks can be a huge challenge. Greg Berlanti recently spoke out at a screening of the crossover episode (via Collider), explaining that Grant Gustin had to fly to Los Angeles twice during the filming of The Flash to also film his scenes for Supergirl. And that only came together after both networks agreed to bring together the two shows.
There was the notion that it’s two separate networks, so it’s more challenging, in that way, because it’s not so convenient. It’s two separate cities that they shoot in. We wanted [Supergirl] to work and stand on its own on CBS, and have its own audience. We thought we might wait until the second season, but after Christmas, we came back and were planning out the final third of the year and we thought we could do it.
Apparently, the networks agreed and finally worked out the details. Berlanti didn’t state this, but it may have helped that CBS head Nina Tassler--the only person actively telling people she didn’t want to see the shows cross over--stepped down at the end of the year. Just a couple of short months after she ended her tenure, the crossover event episode on CBS got confirmed.
The other big problem with producing the crossover was a problem that The Flash and Arrow had made for themselves. And that problem was none other than the fact that the two CW shows have been open about existing in a world without Superman.
We’ve always said, very openly, that The Flash and Arrow exist in a universe where there’s no Superman, or you would have heard about him. They would have had at least one conversation about him, and certainly Supergirl, as well.
Luckily, that issue sorted itself out when The Flash introduced the concept of the multi-verse. We already know that Flash will encounter the Girl of Steel when he has traveled to an alternate world, so the problem of no Superman in the world of The Flash has been written around in a way that should feel like it works.
We won’t have too much longer to wait to find out. The Flash and Supergirl crossover. The two famous superheroes will team up over at CBS during the March 28 episode of Supergirl, which will hit the schedule at 8 p.m. ET. In addition, here’s what else the networks have coming up.
