The Flash (2014)
The CW | CW | Release Date: October 7, 2014
CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
75
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 39 Critic Reviews
Positive:
34
Mixed:
5
Negative:
0

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
We Got This CoveredEric JosephOct 10, 2018
Season 5 Review: In the eyes of this critic, showrunner Todd Helbing and company have rediscovered what’s quintessentially The Flash. ... These folks have put together one of the strongest premieres this show has ever produced, and it’s guaranteed to leave people talking. Read full review
91
TVLineMatt Webb MitovichSep 30, 2016
Season 3 Review: The Flash‘s return is a tremendous amount of timeline-tweaking fun, though the premiere closes with a gut-punch of a twist. Read full review
90
We Got This CoveredJosh WildingOct 7, 2015
Season 2 Review: Nitpicks aside, though, The Flash is definitely off to a strong start, proving that last year most definitely wasn’t a fluke. Building on the history of what’s come before and adding a lot of new elements which are sure to pay off at some point over the course of the next 22 episodes, season 2 of The Flash has all the makings of another amazing year of television. Read full review
83
NewsdayVerne GayOct 5, 2015
Season 2 Review: It is amusing in the right places.... It's also reasonably smart without being show-offy. Tuesday's launch, meanwhile, is a nice reminder that nothing--at least that good stuff--has changed. Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyJeff JensenOct 16, 2014
Season 1 Review: It vibrates with big-picture vision and has smart fun with its premise. Read full review
83
HitfixAlan SepinwallOct 7, 2014
Season 1 Review: The lighter and more optimistic tone is unexplored territory that could be tough to navigate at any speed. For the first hour, anyway, The Flash makes it look easy. Read full review
83
Newark Star-LedgerVicki HymanOct 7, 2014
Season 1 Review: The CW has done an impressive job building a snappy show out of one of the goofier heroes of the DC universe. Read full review
83
Boston HeraldMark A. PerigardOct 7, 2014
Season 1 Review: You don’t have to be a comic book fan to enjoy The Flash, but if you are one, there are so many Easter eggs in the pilot--especially the one at the closing moment--that you just might go into nerdgasms. The Flash isn’t stopping for anyone. Read full review
83
Boston GlobeMatthew GilbertSep 15, 2014
Season 1 Review: All the potential here is in the show’s resistance to the joyless atmospherics that have become the bane of comic-book shows and movies. Read full review
80
We Got This CoveredRobert Yaniz Jr.Oct 9, 2017
Season 4 Review: On the whole, The Flash season 4 is off to a terrific start. Setting aside its past self-seriousness (and even taking light jabs at it along the way), the show appears to have recalibrated into something brighter, more fun and far more in line with the source material. Read full review
80
Yahoo TVKen TuckerOct 4, 2016
Season 3 Review: TV Flash continues to be the most satisfying of all the broadcast network adaptations of comic-book superheroes. Read full review
80
ColliderAllison KeeneOct 4, 2016
Season 3 Review: Like the Earth-2 storylines, the alternate timeline is so much fun when it comes to seeing our favorite characters with different personalities and alternte lives. Read full review
80
VarietyBrian LowryOct 6, 2015
Season 2 Review: Although these series can’t compete with feature budgets, The Flash delivers enough action to effectively work on that level, and has developed a strong array of characters to function as a drama, peppered with humor that happily avoids the trap of camp.... This CW series--seemingly emboldened by its success--isn’t hitting the brakes at all as it races into the future, or the past, or wherever its two-dimensional roots might lead it. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterTim GoodmanOct 7, 2014
Season 1 Review: First, the series is completely on point with what the network is doing elsewhere (Arrow, etc.). Second, it's actually very well done. And third, it's wholly entertaining. Read full review
80
The Huffington PostMaureen RyanOct 7, 2014
Season 1 Review: Its sprightly first hour is one of the most solidly entertaining pilots of the fall season, and it did the most important thing that first episodes must do: It made me eager to see what comes next. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesMary McNamaraOct 7, 2014
Season 1 Review: An effervescent and super-engaging addition to television's increasingly grim comic-book wars. Read full review
80
TV Guide MagazineMatt RoushOct 7, 2014
Season 1 Review: The CW's The Flash is one of the most enjoyable, agreeable and infectiously exuberant new shows of the fall, a welcome respite from the angst-heavy gloom that burdens so many comics-inspired superhero action shows these days. Read full review
80
Under The RadarZach HollwedelSep 18, 2014
Season 1 Review: The Flash continues the CW's streak with the perfect mix of humor and gravity intrinsic to The Flash comics. [Sep/Oct 2014, p.83] Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyJeff JensenOct 6, 2015
Season 2 Review: The whole season promises to be about head-spinning paradox, as exec producers Greg Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg and their writers are boldly venturing into multiverse territory. Read full review
75
St. Louis Post-DispatchGail PenningtonOct 7, 2014
Season 1 Review: The Flash pilot, directed by David Nutter, is full of thrilling special effects, too. That adds up to a show that, at least in the early going, has something for almost everyone. Read full review
75
Uncle BarkyEd BarkOct 7, 2014
Season 1 Review: The Flash pushes most of the right buttons with its engaging first episode. It’s alternately action-packed, character-driven and poignant, with dashes of humor here and there. Read full review
75
USA TodayRobert BiancoOct 6, 2014
Season 1 Review: If the show can maintain the quality of the pilot, [how long the show runs] might be quite some time. Read full review
75
NewsdayVerne GayOct 6, 2014
Season 1 Review: A very good-looking pilot. That leaves Gustin, which is where nagging doubts crop up.... Gustin's Allen is blue of eye and clear of conscience. Sweet and gentle, he's immensely likable but not particularly intriguing, unlike Stephen Amell's Oliver Queen or even Tom Welling's Clark Kent. Read full review
70
We Got This CoveredRobert Yaniz Jr.Oct 3, 2016
Season 3 Review: Although “Flashpoint” might disappoint fans who were hoping that the show might try something a bit more ambitious upfront, it does set up what could turn out to be a standout season for The Flash. Read full review
70
PopMattersDaniel RasmusNov 10, 2014
Season 1 Review: The Flash sports a great cast, visually well-designed sets and effects, and the pace and atmosphere reflect the deft hands of directors and crew. But a superhero show can’t live on those elements alone. Read full review
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)Matt Zoller SeitzOct 7, 2014
Season 1 Review: It's fair to say that there isn't a single element in The Flash that you haven't seen before. It should all be a big yawn. And yet it's not. The earnestness puts it over. Read full review
70
Zap2it (Inside the Box)Megan VickOct 7, 2014
Season 1 Review: There are moments where The Flash feels tied down in flashbacks. There are pockets over-acting and cheesy dialogue, but those are easily overlooked for the sake of establishing necessary emotional connections in 45 minutes of show time. Read full review
70
The WrapJethro NededogOct 7, 2014
Season 1 Review: In all, The Flash pilot is an entertaining hour. It doesn't ask for too much of its audience except to sit back and let the new adventure unfold. Read full review
70
Philadelphia Daily NewsEllen GrayOct 7, 2014
Season 1 Review: This is all shockingly straightforward, especially compared to the darker "Arrow" or to Fox's "Gotham," where even young Bruce Wayne has an attitude. But when your main character's moving this fast, it probably helps if he's someone viewers want to keep up with. Read full review
70
The New York TimesMike HaleOct 6, 2014
Season 1 Review: “Gotham” and “Constantine” were both bound to go the dark and violent route. The Flash goes another way, which might not endear it to the comics fans but could attract an audience just looking for something fun. Read full review
70
Pittsburgh Post-GazetteRob OwenOct 6, 2014
Season 1 Review: It’s not a revolutionary show but at a certain level it is a step away from the angst and a return to the positive, uplifting feelings evoked by the 1978 Christopher Reeve “Superman” movie. Read full review
70
Cleveland Plain DealerMark DawidziakOct 3, 2014
Season 1 Review: Although not anywhere near as epic in scale as Fox's Batman prequel, "Gotham," The Flash does have a better sense of what it has set out to be: a sturdy superhero drama with an engaging lead character played by likable young star. Read full review
70
VarietyBrian LowryOct 2, 2014
Season 1 Review: This more comicbook-y entry could be another solid anchor from sibling DC Comics. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubAlasdair WilkinsOct 6, 2014
Season 1 Review: There are no particular acting standouts in the premiere, but they’re at least serviceable, with plenty of potential to grow into their roles. And, for all its storytelling faults, the Flash pilot is never generic, and it makes plenty of strong choices--just a few too many of them. Crucially, if this pilot demonstrates anything, it’s that The Flash is going to be fun, and that’s just the kind of promise to make to audiences while the show still works out the nuts and bolts of its narrative formula. Read full review
60
IGNJesse SchedeenJun 1, 2023
Season 9 Review: The Flash's Season 9 premiere returns to some very familiar old tropes, but there's enough fun and hints toward the future to keep things interesting. Read full review
60
ColliderAllison KeeneOct 9, 2017
Season 4 Review: The show now has the space to give its core characters time to interact and have meaningful plot lines, even though the premiere is a little bit of a mess. Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsDavid HinckleyOct 7, 2014
Season 1 Review: The Flash forms a decent complement to “Arrow,” from which it has been spun off. If it doesn’t sparkle, it also doesn’t stumble. Read full review
58
Washington PostHank StueverSep 19, 2014
Season 1 Review: Barry takes off so fast that a viewer hardly gets a chance to know him--or care much about where he’s headed. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleDavid WiegandOct 6, 2014
Season 1 Review: Depending on your POV and perhaps your age, the show is either rather bland or exactly what you’d expect from the CW. Read full review
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