Avid fans are awaiting the return of The Flash and other CW dramas. After a hiatus, new episodes of many shows on the network will begin airing this month (April), including the superhero drama. That said, fans are arguably aware that, due to the response needed to the coronavirus, many shows have delayed production or ended their seasons early.
Will The Flash and other CW dramas return later than usual for their fall seasons? In terms of when production begins, it does seem that part of the behind-the-scenes magic will be impacted. The Flash and many other CW dramas film in Vancouver, British Columbia, and British Columbia’s provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, recently gave an update on when things could return to “normal,” saying (via TVLine):
It’s more and more [unlikely] that we’re going to be able to get back to full normal life… before at least the summer, and then we need to start preparing ourselves for the potential of a second wave in the fall.
Apparently, production on The Flash and other CW dramas’ upcoming seasons can begin in the summer of 2020. However, the chief health officer warns that there is the potential of a “second wave” hitting in the fall. Such a development would likely disrupt production on shows filming in the area all over again.
This news could mean different things for different shows. It could potentially lead to a delay in when The CW’s dramas will return this coming fall. Supernatural ran out of episodes due to the coronavirus, putting its fifteenth and final season in a strange limbo. Its series finale was initially set to air during the midseason. Fast forward, and it will now air at an undetermined date.
This development opens up quite a few questions. When Supernatural returns, will it air as the remainder of Season 15, aka the last one? Or will it air its final episodes as a truncated Season 16 à la Arrow? The first step to answering all of these questions is knowing when filming can resume and how long it can last.
A lot depends on how many episodes can be filmed in the speculated window. For shows like The CW’s Legacies, which ended its second season on a terrible cliffhanger due to the coronavirus break, it will not return with any episodes in its reserves. As mentioned above, the same story applies to Supernatural, which has seen its finale shift as the season developed.
For CW shows that have held back the remaining episodes of their current season, it could provide a cushion for their future. One that could help the blow of a “second wave” pushing back production on CW series again in the fall of 2020. However, not every CW show has that cushion heading into fall.
The Flash was not able to finish filming its current season, which means its last episode of the 2019-2020 season will not be the send-off initially planned. Legends of Tomorrow owns the distinction of being the only ongoing Arrow-verse series to complete its regular season. Yes, it already finished production on the season that said goodbye to Brandon Routh and Courtney Ford.
As television gets closer to resuming production this summer and airing in the fall, answers should become more readily available. Broadcast television is facing potential changes in light of the coronavirus pandemic. Time will tell how everything plays out for sure with The Flash and its fellow CW dramas.
For now, it is a lot of speculation. One thing is known for certain, though! New episodes of The Flash begin airing on Tuesday, April 21, at 8 p.m. ET on The CW. For other series set to air fresh content soon, check out this spring’s premieres.
