The Flash Showrunner Says Season 8 Ending Works as Series Finale

The Flash returned from a months-long midseason hiatus on Wednesday night, kicking off the next arcs of storytelling for the long-running The CW series. As the DC Comics-inspired show has been entertaining audiences for nearly a decade, there's been speculation about its long-term future, as it and many of the network's currently-running shows have yet to be renewed for new seasons. At the moment, it's unclear if The Flash will return for a ninth season, even as series star Grant Gustin is reportedly close to renewing his contract for more episodes. In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, The Flash showrunner Eric Wallace addressed the future of the show, and revealed that he's currently writing the Season 8 finale as if it also needs to be a proper sendoff for the series.

"We're writing the season finale as we speak, and I'm happy to report that it all gets resolved by the end of season 8, so we can start fresh and clean, should we, knock on wood, be able to have the privilege to do a season 9," Wallace explained, with regards to Iris West-Allen's (Candice Patton) "time sickness" storyline.

"I have to do both," Wallace revealed. "I've known what the ending was for a few years now. We're coming to the end of a three-year master plan that I've had with the show at seasons 6, 7, and 8. But the actual ending-ending, I have to write two endings, because I don't know what the future holds. I know what I'm hoping for. I'm very hopeful there is a season 9, but I have to make sure I have closure on all of the character arcs depending on which way it goes. But then I also have to film a tag or a teaser that potentially sets up another year. So it's a challenge, but it's one that we love doing as writers. It's made it even more interesting and more intense, but I think it's going to be worth it."

Back in 2020, Gustin revealed on the Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum podcast that the COVID-19 pandemic had stalled conversations around a hypothetical Season 8 and Season 9 renewal of The Flash. 

"The conversations actually had started already for adding a potential eighth and ninth [season], but then this pandemic happened, and everything has stopped," Gustin explained at the time. "We don't know when we're back, and I don't know when we're going to continue the renegotiation talks."

What do you think of Eric Wallace's comments with regards to The Flash getting a ninth season? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!