After what felt like an agonizingly long wait, The CW finally gave us the debut of the new DC Comics TV series The Flash. Has all the tease, all the build up, all the anticipation been worth it? Yes, yes, a thousand times yes!

Last season, Fox’s Sleepy Hollow was the new show to get me excited about the new fall season, and this year it’s definitely The Flash. (Sorry, Gotham. While watchable, you’ve already fallen into a rut after three episodes of “Jim Gordon: Good Guy” constantly being doubted, questioned and suspected of nefarious deeds by everyone around him. At least Jada Pinkett Smith and Robin Lord Taylor bring a little comic book life to the show.)

But The Flash has all the elements that make not only a good comic book TV adaptation, but a good TV show as well. Right off the bat, we get Barry Allen’s backstory quickly out of the way. Even if you have no idea who Barry Allen is coming in to the show, you pretty much know him within the first ten minutes: he’s a kid who lost him mom under mysterious circumstances, his dad is in prison for the murder, and he has a close relationship with a detective (who raised him) and works as a forensics assistant. And he can run really, really, really fast.

Grant Gustin is perfectly cast as Barry. He’s young enough to be slightly dorky, especially when it comes to the opposite sex, and he can be a grown-up when the need arises, like when he has to save someone’s life. He can also deliver some of the funnier dialog without being too obvious about it, such as the line he utters after waking from his nine-month coma: “A coma gave me abs?” Best of all, he makes Barry’s unbelievable situation very believable.

The show is stocked with an excellent supporting cast as well. Law & Order alum Jesse L. Martin hits the beat once again, adding father figure to his repertoire, and thankfully he learns of Barry’s abilities by the end of the first episode. At least we won’t have to endure an obsessive hunt for another masked vigilante. Tom Cavanagh’s Harrison Wells, the man who used to run STAR Labs, seems to have many, many tricks up his sleeve. He’s the man responsible for Barry’s new abilities – as well as an untold number of others in the surrounding area – and the same accident caused him to be paralyzed. He’s now a seemingly benevolent man bent on righting his wrongs by helping Barry adjust … but his final scene revealed a shocking, multi-layered surprise. There’s definitely more to Wells than meets the eye.

The rest of the supporting cast, including Candice Patton, Danielle Panabaker and Carlos Valdes, turn in some fine work, and for old school The Flash fans, it was more than a little thrilling to see TV’s original Barry Allen, John Wesley Shipp, playing the new Barry Allen’s dad. And although he was carted off to the pokey, I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of him throughout the season (his last scene in the pilot with Gustin was a real tear-jerker).

We were also introduced to the first of the bad guys affected by the STAR Labs accident, a criminal who could control the weather, and the season promises to roll out more familiar faces (at least to the comics fans) including Firestorm (Robbie Amell), Captain Cold (Wentworth Miller), The Clock King (Robert Knepper) and Heat Wave (Dominic Purcell … hmm, does someone have a fascination with the cast of Prison Break?). And we’ve already seen Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) show up to lend Barry some superhero advice (and there will be another Arrow/Flash team-up), and John Diggle (David Ramsey) will pay a visit too. Oh yeah, Dr. Tina McGee (Amanda Pays) will also be dropping by (hardcore geeks will know why this is so exciting)!

The first episode of The Flash really brought back memories of the first episode of Smallville, which was also able to hit the ground running (there was even a bit of a callback to that show with mention of Barry’s own Wall of Weird), by introducing us to what is a pretty large cast of main characters and giving them all strong personalities and reason for being so we don’t have to focus on lengthy relationship stories. We feel like we already know these people (well, except for Wells). The premiere episode gave The CW its best premiere ratings since the debut of The Vampire Diaries (it even beat Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD over on ABC!), and if they can keep up the pace and the story without falling into some of the ridiculousness (and bad writing) Smallville suffered a few seasons in, we should be in for a real treat as the series progresses. I’m fully on board with The Flash. Are you?

The last of the major networks revealed its new fall schedule, and looking at The CW’s plans it seems that not a whole lot is changing, at least on Wednesday and Thursday. Of all the broadcast networks, The CW had probably the most successful fall launch last year with only The Tomorrow People getting the ax from the new batch of shows introduced in 2013. Of the returning shows, Nikita and The Carrie Diaries did not make the 2014 fall cut, and of the new shows introduced mid-season, Star-Crossed will not be around come fall.

Considering the bloodbath at the other networks, The CW is sitting pretty coming into the fall. So pretty that some of its stalwart shows, Beauty and the Beast and Hart of Dixie, and most anticipated newcomers, iZombie and The Messengers, are being held for mid-season. The network is making a bold move by using this season’s biggest hit, The Originals, to anchor Monday night, with new telenovela-inspired Jane the Virgin taking over the 9:00 PM slot. Tuesday’s 8:00 PM time goes to what is probably the network’s hottest newcomer, The Flash, which got people buzzing when 1990 version Barry Allen, John Wesley Shipp, was cast on the new show. The network’s longest running scripted series, Supernatural, remains at 9:00 for its tenth season. Will this be the last, or will it break Smallville‘s record?

Wednesday and Thursday remain the same as they stand now, with mid-season hit The 100 remaining on Wednesday night. Friday sees the biggest shift in programming as the net goes all reality with a new Whose Line Is It Anyway? at 8:00 PM (a repeat airs at 8:30) and America’s Next Top Model returns for an astonishing 21st cycle with Kelly Cuttrone and J. Alexander returning to the judges’ panel.

The network’s biggest omission from the season has to be the proposed Supernatural spin-off, Supernatural: Bloodlines, that aired its pilot within the regular Supernatural season but ended up being roundly criticized for its cardboard characters and lack of strong female leads (even though strong female leads were promised). CW president Mark Pedowitz is still high on the franchise, however, and hopes to develop another spin-off possibly featuring characters already in the Supernatural universe. (Maybe a prequel show with Bobby??) Whatever it turns out to be, no decision will be made until June or July. So until then, here’s what The CW’s fall schedule looks like:

Monday
8 p.m. — The Originals
9 p.m. — Jane the Virgin

Tuesday
8 p.m. — The Flash
9 p.m. — Supernatural

Wednesday
8 p.m. — Arrow
9 p.m. — The 100

Thursday
8 p.m. — The Vampire Diaries
9 p.m. — Reign

Friday
8 p.m. — Whose Line Is It Anyway?
9 p.m. — America’s Next Top Model

Over the past couple of days, I’ve previewed the upcoming new dramas for both ABC and CBS. Today, it’s time to look at The CW. I’ve always been a fan of the upstart network, though I thought last year’s slate of new shows left a great deal to be desired. Of the five that premiered, only Arrow and The Carrie Diaries survived. This year’s offerings, however, look much better. Of the five new shows that survived The CW’s development process, there’s only one or two that probably won’t find a place on my DVR.

There is one big question about The CW’s schedule: Where are they going to fit all these shows? They’ve got fourteen hour-long shows on the scheduled, compared to twelve last year. Nikita is already announced to have a shortened final season — much as Gossip Girl did last year — but I think considering the network’s shorter primetime window, that some of these new shows might only see thirteen episode seasons.

I just hope it’s not one of the ones I really like.

The Hundred (Midseason)

The CW has been looking for something for the Hunger Games demographic to latch onto for a couple of seasons now, and I believe they’ve found a good one in The Hundred. Count this on my list of shows I most like that are scheduled for midseason. In a dystopian future, what is left of humanity circles the nuclear ravaged planet on a large space station with dwindling resources. Because the adults don’t want to risk their lives on an expedition to the surface to see if it inhabitable, they send 100 juvenile delinquents to do the job for them. I really liked the dynamic between in the stories with the kids on the planet — especially Eliza Taylor (Neighbours) – and the adults on the station, including Henry Ian Cusick (Lost), Paige Turco (Person of Interest) and Isaiah Washington (Grey’s Anatomy)

Verdict: May the odds be ever in The 100’s favor.

Eight Ball Chances of a Second Season: As I see it yes.

The Originals (Tuesdays 8:00PM)

If you like The Vampire Diaries, you’re probably going to enjoy its spinoff. I’m actually marathoning TVD this summer, and am enjoying it quite a bit more than expected. I screened The Originals before I started on that marathon, so I suspect I’ll like it quite a bit more when I get to it again as it aired as a part of TVD‘s latest season. The original has done quite well building a niche audience on the CW, and I suspect the spinoff will do just as well.

Verdict: I’m much more likely to watch now that I’m enjoying The Vampire Diaries this summer.

Eight Ball Chances of a Second Season: Signs point to yes.

Reign (Thursdays 9:00PM)

Considering how deep the CW into genre programming with the other four pilots they ordered this season, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to scratching my head at Reign. There’s a big part of me that wants to call the show an attempt at Game of Thrones-lite, but I think that would be a little unfair. Fellow Clacker Deb apparently really liked it, and I think the CW is an excellent fit for the show. I would have never thought we’d find a show about Mary, Queen of Scots that was targeted at the 90210 crowd, but Reign pulls it off.

Verdict: Sorry, just not my thing.

Eight Ball Chances of a Second Season: Cannot predict now.

Star-Crossed (Midseason)

The CW has tried twice in two years to build a show around former Friday Night Lighter-er Aimee Teegarden – her pilot last year the Selection didn’t get picked up – but I’m not sure Star-Crossed is going to be the hit they are looking for. It seems like half of the things on The CW started off as stories about star-crossed lovers; I’m not sure the network can sustain the weight of another. Star-crossed’s most interesting plot line wasn’t Teegarden’s Emery and her boyfriend Roman, but the treatment of the group of alien “teenagers” selected to be integrated into a red-state high school.

Verdict: If something special happens in the first couple of episodes, the show feels like it isn’t Roswell enough.

Eight Ball Chances of a Second Season: I don’t think so.

The Tomorrow People (Wednesdays 9:00PM)

Since the Upfronts, The Tomorrow People has been one of the most buzzed about pilots out here, and it lives up to the hype. The cast is solid, though I think the CW might be relying just a little too heavily on the Amell family for their programming – Robbie is the lead here and his cousin stars as Oliver Queen on Arrow. I’ve never experienced the original British show, so I can’t make those comparisons … but the remake is very good. Amell does a solid job, I’ve been a fan of Peyton List for several years now and you can always count on Mark Pellegrino to always bring the goods.

Verdict: I’m sold. Big time.

Eight Ball Chances of a Second Season: It is decidedly so.

Typically, I try not to live by mottos and maxims, but one that I do tend to treasure is variety being the spice of life. Perhaps that’s why I’m so happy with all of the wonderful ethnic diversity on television as of late. Don’t get it twisted now — there’s still a lot of work left to be done, but at least we’re moving in the right direction … especially with a little show called Nikita on The CW starring Vietnamese ass-kicker Maggie Q.

Ah, how I like me some Maggie Q.

Ladies and gentlemen, I have to give props to the creators of this reboot for choosing her as the lead. The original series featured an actress of the Caucasian persuasion. Nothing wrong with that, but it’s nice to know that the creators were open to ideas. This kind of color blind casting makes me smile. I also can’t help but smile at the fact that Nikita is still doing well in its third season — at least by CW standards. Let’s not pretend like we don’t know their shows bring in about a million viewers each. Heck, that’s about as well known as Kim Kardashian’s buttocks being counterfeit.

Still, according to reports in Entertainment Weekly, Nikita recently hit a season high in its new time slot — 1.2 million viewers. That certainly isn’t anything to brag about, but when your show is on The CW that might just be enough to pop open the damn champagne. It’s common knowledge that I always root for the underdog, and I’ve kind of felt that The CW is the underdog when it comes to network TV. I like the variety that the channel has to offer, and Nikita has to be at the top of that colorful list.

It’s certainly entertaining enough. As the title character, Q really has the opportunity to shine. I can’t tell you how much I like seeing her in combat. She has just the right combination of style and toughness. It also helps that she’s believable. I first saw Q in Mission: Impossible 3, and ever since then I’d been hoping that she’d land on TV. It’s nice to know that she’s on a program that makes use of her talents. I’ve got to admit that she’s pretty awesome as a gun-totin’, butt-whoopin’ lady in heels … which leads me to thinking that this may just be the year of the woman.

Lucy Liu is making quite a damn splash as Watson in Elementary over on CBS and Sofia Vergara continues to offer up laughs on ABC’s Modern Family. Not only are these individuals carrying a double X chromosome, but they also have another thing in common — they are all minorities. Now, that’s what I’m talking about!

I’m not a psychic. That’s not a gift that I have. However, I think it may be safe to say that Nikita has a bright future ahead of it on The CW. The audience doesn’t seem to be shrinking, and if the writers can find a way to keep the show fresh, it should be here for many more years to come. And if that means I get to continue seeing Maggie Q on my flat screen then that’s just fine by me.

Do you enjoy reading Clacking in Color? Jaylen sure as hell hopes so! Keep up with all things related to diversity on television by following Jaylen on Twitter @thesuperflynerd! You’ll be glad you did!

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