‘The Flash’ Changes Showrunners For Season 6

Fans of the Arrowverse may find their heads spinning at the flashfood of changes coming their way this year. Not only was Arrow‘s final season announced recently, but with the almost-certain deaths to come in ‘Crisis on Infinite Earths’ hanging over everyone’s heads, viewers must now contend with yet another change: The Flash‘s Todd Helbing stepping down from his position as sole showrunner.

In Eric Wallace we trust.

Helbing has been a part of the show’s DNA since the series pilot, co-writing some of the most beloved episodes of early seasons alongside his brother Aaron. After Aaron left to work on other projects – which now includes Knightfall Season 2 – Todd took over as showrunner after Andrew Kreisberg was fired in Season 4. Now, nearly two years later, THR has learned that he is moving on to create other projects for his overall deal with Warner Bros. Television, handing over care of the Scarlet Speedster to Eric Wallace just in time for Season 6. Wallace joined The Flash family in the fourth season and has written some fan-favorite episodes such as “The Flash Reborn,” “Run Iris Run” and the first part of the latest crossover. In addition, he has served as an executive producer for the show since last year, so he is more than familiar with the characters and the world of Central City at large.

Given that fans have been disgruntled with the last few seasons of The Flash, it’s natural that this news elicits equally reactions. On the one hand, a new showrunner means the possibility of new ideas now that the Team Flash formula has gotten a little stale. More importantly, a black showrunner might pave the way for more diversity in the writing staff, which is extremely necessary considering that a show with three black female cast members has never had a black female writer.  But on the other hand, Helbing’s vision has been a part of the show since its inception and it may be a tough adjustment for fans depending on what the new guard brings in.

Of course, there’s no guarantee that things will change much at all. Wallace has been working on the show for two years now and may be perfectly in tune with the status quo, though I personally hope he will at least add the much needed personnel discussed above. At the very least, Wallace once claimed that Iris West-Allen was his favorite character to write for. Perhaps under his guidance, The Flash could finally explore the climb to Central City Citizen’s headline in depth, preferably before the ‘Crisis’ deadline in which she must write about her husband’s disappearance?

The Flash airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on the CW.