"The Flash" Season 9 Will Be Its Last — Here's Why

The ninth and final season of "The Flash" is set to premiere on Feb. 8 and will wrap up after just 13 episodes. The show's finale, which will air in May, will mark the end of The CW's Arrowverse. The franchise, which was inspired by DC Comics, began with "Arrow" in 2012 and expanded with the premiere of "The Flash" in 2014. It was then followed by "Supergirl," "Legends of Tomorrow," "Black Lightning," and "Batwoman." Considering "The Flash" has been one of the Arrowverse's most successful series, you might be wondering why the show is ending after season nine.

The good news is it had nothing to do with viewership. The eighth season of "The Flash" reportedly averaged one million viewers, making it one of the most-watched shows on The CW from 2021 to 2022. But since all good things must come to an end, it seems it was just time for "The Flash" to wrap up after nearly a decade on the air. The eighth season was actually going to be its last, but the network and studio, Greg Berlanti Productions, convinced Grant Gustin (Barry Allen/The Flash), Candice Patton (Iris West-Allen), and the rest of the cast to return for another season.

The CW renewed "The Flash" for season nine in August 2022. The news came just months after the network abruptly canceled a number of its shows, including "Legends of Tomorrow" and "Batwoman," throughout April and May. In response to the cancellations, Mark Pedowitz (who was the CEO of The CW before stepping down in October 2022) said the decisions stemmed from it being "a time of transition" for the network. That transition appears to include moving past the Arrowverse shows and focusing on more unscripted programming. While "Legends" and "Batwoman" didn't get the series finales they deserved, "The Flash" was luckily able to get a proper sendoff.

After the show got green lit for one more season, Gustin shared an Instagram video thanking fans for their support all these years. "It's been an incredible nearly 10 years of playing this character and getting to be a part of this show with an amazing cast and crew, and so much love from you guys, the fans, the people who love the show. That's the only reason we've been able to go as long as we have," he said. "I'm really excited to get to do this one more time, finish on our terms. I'm going to enjoy every minute of it, as much as I can, and I wanted to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting the show and allowing us to go as long as we have."

So while it's never easy having to say goodbye to one of your favorite shows, season nine was simply the right time for "The Flash" to embark on its last race.