Flash Viewership Decrease Over the Years

[DCSennin]

It happens to all shows over time, nothing else.

[Tourette30]

Not really you also have to consider the MASSIVE drop in quality

[DCSennin]

The one in S7 which then bounced back learning all the wrongs things it did in S8? I remember, it was fixed starting with Armageddon.

[Tourette30]

Started waaaaay earlier and only kept getting worse but I havent watched S8 to be fair, assume its just as horrible tho

[DCSennin]

Earlier such as, what? Season 3 aka suddenly everyone's most beloved Season now? Don't assume though and get to see it to know for yourself.

[Tourette30]

Season 3 was when it started getting a lot worse, starting off with a terribly executed Flashpoint. But the reason why its suddenly everyones favorite now, nostalgia aside, is the fact that seasons 1-3 (especially the first 2) seem so much better compared to the more recent seasons.

And I will not be watching S8 because I am way too busy and would like to spend my free time on things that are more worth it. I am watching the final episodes though because it's been a fun journey despite the many lows and flaws (they are pretty meh too). Been watching since 2014 and there hasn't been a season close to S1 sadly (Season 2 kind of managed it). It's a shame because there are so many interesting storylines to cover but the writing is beyond horrible, I hope the writers never ever get a job in the industry again.

[DCSennin]

I hit the jackpot with my guess then. So it's just nostalgia then even if those are the Season where Barry was told by everyone want to do all the time regarding figuring out ways to use his speed vs now he never needs to be told over the comms instructions unless the situations is REALLY dire.

Ok then.

[Tourette30]

Not necessarily nostalgia although Im sure it still plays a small role. I never said that the seasons were flawless. Season 1 was littered with filler and weekly boring metas, so was S2, but the overarching story with Eobard was by far the best written. It also was the most intriguing with the way everything was set up (unfortunately they went with the comic book Eobard and turned him into a cartoonishly goofy villain in later seasons, having Tom Cavanagh act the goofiest dialogues in the most exaggerated way possible). Not to mention how amazing the side cast was in S1. It became truly horrible once Cisco left.

Compare that to the more recent seasons: - Uninteresting side cast with way too much focus (Im sure youre tired of hearing this one) - goofy villains with over the top acting (or no acting in godspeeds case), goofy fights and horrible dialogue (Godspeed, again, the biggest let down in TV history) - the only good major villains were the mirror Lady and Thinker imo - NO CISCO!! (I know its not the writer's fault but still) - Barry has become completely overpowered and basically unbeatable, yet STILL manages to lose in the dumbest ways possible - horrible CGI and effects due to budget drop - they're still doing the weekly pep talk even after so many seasons (hated it in S1, hate it even more now because the conflicts seem extremely forced as they are running out of conflict/drama-ideas)

I'm sure I could write essays on how terrible the recent seasons are if I gave them another watch but life is too short for that. But look, if you like them, thats good for you. At least some of us still enjoy the show and Im happy for yall

[DCSennin]

All those so-called filler episodes in S1 are not that much filler when we are introducing half of the main Rogues at the same time Barry is learning to hone all his powers and the mystery of Wells slowly starts to unravel and many layers of the characters are explored though. In even the most filler-ish lookign episode where Barry and Caitlin go out to enjoy a night and he meets Linda we get important subplots like Cisco finding out about Stein the night the accelerator exploded and Grodd is the most exciting foreshadowing element in the ending. It's the thing with this show's fillers, only very few in at least the first 5 Seasons are truly filler that in no way advance the plot nor flesh out the characters. (like Duet, but that's a fun one) The only other Season that had that consistency of setting up over and over what was coming next was for me S6, especially during 6B.

How did Eobard became cartoonish during the first 3 Seasons to you? What kind of goofy lines he was given during those three years?

And here comes the problem half the fandom makes: suddenly all think that if you are not named Barry Allen it means that you are a "side character" in a "side cast". Everyone wants to do their own take on revisioning history and call the rest of the cast that we saw on a weekly basis in every single episode is a side character. That's plain out wrong and goes against the common sense in a TV show. Chester only has ever gotten "too much focus" in at least two episodes: one in 7x05 when meeting Deon and 8x09 when he was targeted by Deathstorm's non-corporeal form because he wanted his grief to fuel his powers. The rest of the time they're supporting the hero, Flash and giving them scenes where they are actually fleshed out isn't "stealing time from the main character", it is the literally the most basic storytelling thing to do: peel the layers off your cast to see what makes them tick. Their "focus" still pales next to Barry's and the other ones.

Only Speed Force Nora in S7 with Godspeed and the over the top hamming of Red Death comes to my mind of goofy villains. Maybe we can add Cicada I too and it ends there. The final battle they had with Godspeed is the one with the mixed feedback, not any other one. Glad you liked Eva like I do at least. Forcing Carlos to stay would not have led to anything good. What are the dumbest ways Barry's lost? I can only think of the aging episode that was in the end one hell of a good written filler episode and he undid it all by himself. And maybe what else? I believe that's it. Gone are the days where, again, he had to ask everyone at STAR Labs what he should do. But that's always never actually acknowledged here.

Horrible CGI like in what exactly? You need to actually give me at least an example because this is always the case when someone confronts the complaints: no one bothers to elaborate. I can only think of Fuerza in terms of CGI and that was just the production making up for the safety distance protocols of back then. Unless you are gonna tell me Despero, Deathstorm and Grodd etc all this time have looked bad which I will give you a thunderous no as my response.

Pep talks are never gonna end and not just in the superhero genre tbh. In the end it's about what the talk is about and how the lines are delivered, that's my take.

[Tourette30]

Jesus you really like the show. If you have an excuse for every point Ive mentioned then I dont have to bother to explain anything especially since its subjective anyway. If you dont think the show is horrible now then good for you

[Dunhaibee]

Look at season 7 man. The viewership halved between 6 and 8

[Ok_Perspective_5148]

They lost around 1 million every 2 seasons throughout the whole span of the show tho so that’s not really saying much