One of the reasons why this program has been such a phenomenal success is the name recognition of the hero. Who hasn't heard of the Flash? He's certainly one of the more recognizable of DC's gallery of heroes not based in Gotham or Metropolis. We may not all have known his secret identity or his origin story, but the guy in red with yellow lightning bolts and superspeed is iconic enough to drawn in a decent audience for the premiere. What has helped to keep that audience has been the underlying mythology of the show. Barry's ongoing desire to explore his abilities in order to shed light on his mother's murder has been present in every episode, and the appearance of the Reverse Flash (who may or may not be Harrison Wells from the future) in the winter finale added some real meat to the plot. The teases and tastes of what really led to the murder of Nora Allen have been wonderful.