The CW’s The Flash was renewed for a ninth season back in March, but it will feature less of an original cast member. Jesse L. Martin, who portrays Joe West, will no longer be a series regular on the DC Comics series because of a new project. Somewhat surprisingly, it’s not a return to Law & Order.
According to THR, Martin has been cast in the new NBC drama pilot called The Irrational. Based on the behavioral economics book Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely, the potential series centers on behavioral science professor Alec Baker (played by Martin), whose expertise in human nature helps in a wide variety of cases with high stakes. His world is turned around after he meets a female domestic terror suspect.
From Universal Pictures, The Irrational is written by Arika Mittman and executive produced by Sam Baum, Mark Goffman, and Mittman. Dan Ariely is also attached as a consultant on the potential drama series. No other details are available at the time of writing, and there's no guarantee that the show will receive a series order. Still, Jesse L. Martin is a proven talent on television, so the project is off to a strong start.
If The Irrational is picked up to series, this new role means bad news for not only fans of The Flash but also Law & Order. Ahead of the highly-anticipated Law & Order revival premiere in February, Martin opened up about his interest in returning as NYPD Detective Ed Green. While he did say he “certainly” hopes he does appear, this new role may stand in the way of that.
That’s not to say that we won’t be seeing Ed Green back on Law & Order. It’s still possible, but it may not happen for a while. It is worth noting that The Irrational is in the works at NBC, which is the network home of Law & Order, so we shouldn't rule anything out.
As of now, the revival has yet to be renewed for a 22nd season, but given the popularity following the premiere as well as the nine-show Dick Wolf TV universe, that likely won't be a problem. Hopefully, Martin still has a chance to appear on the series, but for now, we’ll just have to look forward to his new role.
Meanwhile, this doesn’t mark the first time that Jesse L. Martin will be around less on The Flash. The actor suffered a back injury in 2018, and he had to go on medical leave for several episodes. However, this seems like it could be more permanent and include even fewer episodes for Martin to appear in if The Irrational moves forward, particularly since there is no guarantee that The Flash will continue beyond Season 9.
It will be interesting to see what will happen if the pilot moves on to the next stage of development and what that would mean for Joe on The Flash. It looks like Joe will still be sticking around in Central City, but not appear as much. Depending on how Season 8 ends and whether or not Season 9 will be the final season, Joe’s story could end sooner than expected.
