Sneak peak of 'The Flash'/'Supergirl' crossover 鈥 why it's happening on CBS
Supergirl and the Flash will appear in the same TV episode later this month. The superheroes' TV shows air on CBS and the CW, respectively.
Supergirl and the Flash will appear in the same TV episode later this month. The superheroes' TV shows air on CBS and the CW, respectively.
A quick promo, as befitting one of the speedy superheroes who appears in it, has been released for an upcoming TV episode in which Supergirl (Melissa Benoist) and the Flash (Grant Gustin) meet.
What's unusual is that these two superheroes are from rival TV broadcast networks.
On March 28, Barry Allen, also known as the Flash, will pop up on an episode of the CBS program 鈥淪upergirl.鈥 The shows about the superheroes air on different networks, but both Supergirl and the Flash hail from the world of DC Comics.
The preview shows the Flash zipping around a Supergirl logo and Supergirl arriving in front of him.
The Flash is no stranger to intra-network crossovers, with the superhero Arrow (Stephen Amell) having appeared on 鈥淭he Flash鈥 and the Flash appearing on the Arrow鈥檚 self-titled show, which is also on the CW.聽
Both 鈥淭he Flash鈥 and 鈥淪upergirl鈥 are relatively new shows, with 鈥淔lash鈥 having debuted in 2014 and 鈥淪upergirl鈥 having appeared this past fall.
Why is the CW's Flash traveling over to CBS and not vice-versa?聽
Forbes writer Alisha Grauso posits that CBS may be hoping to bring viewers from 鈥淔lash鈥 over to its own superhero show. In February, a 鈥淔lash鈥 episode drew more viewers between ages 18 and 49 than network shows like Fox鈥檚 鈥淣ew Girl鈥 and ABC鈥檚 鈥淔resh Off the Boat.鈥澛
"The crossover may just ensure that 鈥楽upergirl鈥 gets a second season,鈥 Ms. Grauso writes. 鈥溾inking Supergirl to the [鈥楩lash鈥/鈥橝rrow鈥橾 verse, however tangentially, will at least guarantee a major jump in ratings for an episode that will find fans of Grant Gustin as the Flash loyally tuning in.鈥
Why are young viewers tuning in for 鈥淔lash鈥?聽
One reason is that the CW has traditionally been the home of a younger viewer than others broadcast TV networks. As of last year, the CW had the lowest median age for viewers (46.6 years old), years below the second-youngest, Fox, which has a median viewer age of 50.5. The CBS median age? 59.9.
The CW has successfully brought in different viewers with shows like 鈥淎rrow鈥 and 鈥淭he Flash,鈥 writes AdvertisingAge writer Jeanine Poggi.聽
鈥淭he CW has spent several years revamping its image with a slate more heavily skewed toward supernatural, sci-fi and superhero themes, including shows like 鈥楢rrow,鈥 鈥楾he Flash鈥 and its newest addition, 鈥榠Zombie,鈥欌 Ms. Poggi writes. 鈥溾hese series have successfully attracted both an older, broader audience, as well as more male viewers.鈥
And why do viewers like 鈥淔lash鈥 in particular? Vulture writer Simon Abrams called the program 鈥渢he best superhero show on TV鈥 in 2015. (And that鈥檚 in a TV landscape where big networks like ABC, CBS, and Fox all have at least one.)聽
鈥淸The show has] a hero distinguishable from Batman 鈥 That may not sound like an issue, but it鈥檚 one that many talented creators struggle with,鈥 Abrams wrote. 鈥溾ne of the most exciting things about The Flash is it's clearly created by people who know that people read superhero stories for the supervillains 鈥 There's also a corny but solid sense of community 鈥 You grow to care about The Flash's characters.鈥