The Flash Will End With 13-Episode 9th Season in 2023

Confirming what most fans had long believed to be the case, The CW Network and Warner Bros. Television today announced that The Flash will end following its upcoming ninth season. The season, which is set to begin production next month, will debut on the network at midseason in early 2023. The Flash season 9 will feature 13 episodes. This marks the end of an era for The CW; The Flash instantly became one of the network's most-watched shows upon its debut in 2014, and has remained one of the most popular series on the network ever since. With the end of the long-running Supernatural in 2020, The Flash has often been seen as the face of the network.

It's also the end of an era for DC fans. In its season 2 finale, the Crisis on Infinite Earths spinoff Superman & Lois revealed that it did not take place on Earth-Prime, as had previously been implied. Instead, Superman & Lois takes place on its own Earth within the DC multiverse. That means that for the first time since Arrow first premiered, the "main" CW Earth where shows like DC's Legends of Tomorrow and Batwoman took place will not have a show on the airwaves once The Flash wraps up its epic run.

"Nine seasons! Nine years of saving Central City while taking audiences on an emotional journey full of heart, humor, and spectacle," said The Flash showrunner Eric Wallace in a statement. "And now Barry Allen has reached the starting gate for his last race. So many amazing people have given their talents, time, and love to bring this wonderful show to life each week. So, as we get ready to honor the show's incredible legacy with our exciting final chapter, I want to say thank you to our phenomenal cast, writers, producers, and crew over the years who helped make The Flash such an unforgettable experience for audiences around the world."

While The Flash may not have had the same ecstatic reviews in recent seasons that it did in the beginning, it continued to be a big show for The CW, averaging over 1 million linear viewers every week and ranking among the network's most-streamed shows on its various digital platforms.

Most fans expected a "final season" announcement to come at the network's upfront presentations in the spring. Instead, The CW announced that it would be similarly wrapping up another longtime fan-favorite, Riverdale. It's possible that The Flash's announcement was delayed so that each of the shows could have their own moment to shine -- and equally possible that they hadn't yet given up on trying to make a season 10 happen at that point.

What do you think about the end of The Flash -- and with it, Earth-Prime's hold on DC fans? Sound off in the comments below or hit up @russburlingame on Twitter to talk all things Arrowverse.