Critical Analysis: The Flash/Supergirl Crossover Needed to Happen

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Submitted by S.J. Mitchell on Wed, 02/03/2016 - 14:07

CBS has made it official! THE FLASH and SUPERGIRL will be joining forces as the scarlet speedster makes his way to National City on March 28th, 2016. Details of the episode have yet to be released.

CBS has released a statement from executive producers Greg Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg:

“We are so incredibly excited to announce something that we have dreamed of happening since we starting making SUPERGIRL – THE FLASH and SUPERGIRL are teaming up!” said THE FLASH and SUPERGIRL Executive Producers Greg Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg. “We want to thank Grant Gustin for making the time to come visit (on top of his already immense workload) and all of the folks at CBS, The CW, Warner Bros. and DC for working this out. And finally, thanks to the fans and journalists who have kept asking for this to happen. It is our pleasure and hope to create an episode worthy of everyone’s enthusiasm and support.”

Allowing these two heroes to share the same small screen is important for Supergirl's future success. During The Flash's first season, they included a crossover with Arrow. The Flash's light-hearted embracement of the comic book genre is a contrast to the Arrow's darker, more brooding themes.

It was a welcome reprieve for many fans and helps keep both shows fresh week in and week out.

How will the appearance of Barry Allen's alter-ego affects the tone of Supergirl's 'Devil Wears Prada' atmosphere is secondary to how he can affect the ratings. Supergirl is doing well for CBS, considering it's in a highly competitive time slot. That being said, it's important to continue that pace in order to get a second season picked up by the network.

The fact that they are able to throw in an episode guest-starring the Flash, this late into the season, could indicate that they didn't really expect to get this far. With an ongoing storyline you would expect that they would have an ending in sight. How they continue to build towards that, remains to be seen.

CBS isn't going to set aside business for fan service. This crossover is something they felt would be a good ratings boost for the fledgling show. While a spike is expected, they're most likely hoping to retain some of the Flash viewers. Just as CW hopes that Supergirl fans will tune in to see more of this Flash character.

One thing you can't expect, is former Glee co-stars Grant Gustin and Melissa Benoist performing a song and dance number. Although it would be fun for them to do a little karaoke to finish off a night of crime fighting.

SUPERGIRL stars Melissa Benoist, Mehcad Brooks, Chyler Leigh and Jeremy Jordan, with David Harewood and Calista Flockhart. The series is produced by Berlanti Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television. Greg Berlanti, Ali Adler, Andrew Kreisberg and Sarah Schechter are the executive producers of SUPERGIRL, based on the characters appearing in DC Comics, and created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, by special arrangement with the Jerry Siegel Family.

THE FLASH, which airs Tuesdays on The CW, is produced by Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. Television. Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg, Todd Helbing, Aaron Helbing and Sarah Schechter are the executive producers.