'The Flash' is Racing Your Way

When it comes to the CW's Fall 2014 season, it appears that old favorites are taking precedence over new pilots. Only two new CW pilots will air in the fall, one of which is Arrow's spinoff show The Flash. Grant Gustin will reprise his role as the adorkable scientist Barry Allen who gains the superpower of speed after being struck by lightning during a lab accident. Despite only appearing in two Arrow episodes, the character proved popular enough to carry the spinoff that the CW has been interested in developing for quite some time. In The Flash's first trailer, the difference between the two shows is perfectly contrasted by their male leads, making the spinoff seem all the more necessary.

The relatively simple trailer features Stephen Arnell as Oliver Queen approaching a target with his bow and arrows. He launches one only for it to be snatched out of the air by Barry Allen, who then lets out a joyful cheer at his own badassery. It's only one minute long, but in that single minute the difference between the two shows is made clear. While Arrow tends to stay on the side of gritty realism rather than featuring a bunch of costumed superheroes running around with superpowers, The Flash takes the superhero genre as it is and embraces it.

Barry is dressed in his Flash costume, as ridiculous as it looks compared to Oliver's more somber green hood, and instead of having improbable aiming skills handwaved by hard work and survival training on a remote island, Barry has honest-to-god powers. Even better, he's doing what any person would do in his situation: enjoying them to the fullest. In a single scene, the CW manages to set the tone of the series and introduce exactly what kind of lovable dork we'll be dealing with in The Flash.

The Flash and Arrow may take place in the same universe, but even their titles make it clear that they aren't the same show. Arrow is a realistic show about a man who uses the titular weapon to fight back against the corruption in his city. The Flash is about a man who puts the super back in the word superhero. It premieres in the fall at 8 p.m. as a lead-in to Supernatural, a match made in heaven considering both show's grounded approach to the unexplainable. It will join The Originals as the CW's latest spinoff show.

Watch the trailer below.

Image: The CW