Actors Carlos Valdes and Tom Cavanagh, who have played Cisco Ramon and Harrison Wells(es), respectively, are exiting The CW’s The Flash after seven seasons on the successful Arrowverse spinoff. This marks the loss of two core members of the original Flash cast.
“Tom and Carlos have been an integral part of our show for seven seasons, and will be greatly missed,” current The Flash showrunner Eric Wallace said in a statement. “Both are incredible talents who created beloved characters that fans and audiences around the world have come to love. Which is why we are happily keeping the door open for return appearances.”
As someone who still keeps up with The Flash this news, this is not super surprising. There have been rumors that some of the original cast members would be leaving, and for any show, even one as successful as The Flash, seven seasons locked into a project is a lot. Cisco is a great character, but there has been less and less for him to do as the series has gone on. Plus, they have brought in other super-geniuses now to take over his role. Since the death of his brother and his powers going away, there has been a sense of the character wanting something more.
As for Cavanagh playing multiple Earth versions of Harrison Wells, it has been a way for him to keep the role evolving and showing off his full range as an actor, but in the end, it is still a character who can only grow and evolve so much as the series progresses.
Despite all of that, I’m saddened to see those characters go. They were huge parts of what made The Flash the show it is. It was the first Arrowverse spinoff, and I think ended up surpassing Arrow in almost every way, from its heart to its ability to remain fun while telling dark stories.
The Flash has already been renewed for another season, but with this news, it is only a matter of time before we hear if this is a trend that others will follow. I don’t see the series going on longer than eight seasons, not because it is a “bad” show, but because at some point, it is time to let those who are working on it move on to new things. We don’t need another Supernatural, but we shall see.
The Flash has already given Harrison Wells his endgame. Now we have to wait and find out how the series says goodbye to Cisco.
(via TV Line, image: The CW)
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