The Flash: 19 Easter Eggs And References You Have To See

13. Passing The Torch

It's not just the show's comic book predecessors that The Flash referenced in its pilot. The show also had a pretty sweet nod to the previous television incarnation of the hero - and yes, in case you didn't know, this isn't the first time Barry Allen has appeared on the small screen. For one season in the early nineties CBS aired a very different version of The Flash, albeit one with a pretty strong pedigree: veteran composer Danny Elfman did the theme tune, the exemplary Stan Winston special effects house built the (more faithful to the comics, ab-tastic) costume, and comics writer Howard Chaykin penned a couple of the twenty two episodes that made it to air. Unfortunately the show didn't catch on, and the budget of $1.6 million to produce each episode probably made axing it an easy decision for the network. It was actually a lot of fun, despite a lot of silliness, and one of the show's greatest successes was the casting of John Wesley Shipp in the title role. Shipp returns to TV this time not as The Flash himself but as Barry Allen's father, Henry, wrongly accused of murdering his wife and left to rot in jail until his son can figure out how actually did the deed. It's a cute nod to the show's roots on TV and also a rather nice gesture to invite Shipp back into the fold after his version was cancelled so soon. Whether he actually appears again remains to be seen.