'The Flash': How Tom Cavanagh Feels About the Show's Nine-Season Run
It's been just over a week since The Flash came to an end after an impressive nine-season run. The series finale included many fan-favorite returns, such as Tom Cavanagh as Reverse-Flash. The actor has been a vital part of the superhero series since the very beginning, portraying both friend and foe for Team Flash. While he did officially leave the series as a regular after Season 6, he did come back pretty often for the remaining three seasons, and what a ride it's been.
In a new interview with ComicBook, Cavanagh spoke about his time on the series and the show's run, which capped out at 184 episodes and is the longest-running Arrowverse show. The actor discussed how rare it is to have a show run for so long and the legacy it will bring.
"I've been a part of so many shows where they're not going to say, what's the legacy? You know what I mean? But I think the idea of a show that has received enough support from an audience that allows it to actually be filmed for nine, for almost a decade, that's just at rue privilege to be a part of," Cavanagh shared. "It's a rarity. I think I've had job security two or three times in the entirety of my professional career so far, and it's just… I think one thing I will say about this audience that I seem to run into when I talk to them is it's not casual."
"I've been a part of shows like, oh yeah, I've seen that," Cavanagh continued. "I stopped watching and this and that. And this show seems to have people that are really invested. And when you think about that, Todd Helbing, the showrunner of The Flash, said this to me very early on, he basically said, 'They're going to give us an hour of their life every week. I feel such a responsibility to not let them down.' Imagine that. They're going to invite you into your home, they're inviting you into your home for a full hour weekly. And so, you owe so much to the people that will do that. And his idea was like, we want the story to be as good as it can, and we won't always succeed, but we want the people that watch this show to know that we don't take any of this for granted. That we consider it a privilege and a responsibility, and we are out there trying to do our best every time out."
The Flash definitely became a favorite of so many people, and it's because of the fans and the storylines that the series was able to go for so long. Especially now, with The CW's rebranding and the cancellation of the majority of its original series, the network will not be the same without the Scarlet Speedster and his team. But, at least it ended on a nice note that still leaves endless possibilities for a potential new series and maybe even perhaps the return of Cavanagh's many different characters.