The Flash
Grant Gustin as "The Flash," the new DC Comics-inspired series that premieres Tuesday night on The CW.
(Nino MuAA+-oz/The CW)
"The Flash": The DC Comics character gets his own show in this "Arrow" spinoff. Grant Gustin stars as Barry Allen, who has the ability to move at lightning speed. The show is engaging and fast-paced – only appropriate, right?
"The Flash" is just the latest example of what's a boom time for comics-inspired tales on TV. In this week's TV Coast to Coast video, I and my fellow TV critics from across the country, Vicki Hyman of the New Jersey Star Ledger and NJ.com and Mark Dawidziak of the Cleveland Plain Dealer and Cleveland.com, agree that "The Flash" gets off to a solid start. You can watch our video chat here.
And here is my recent column talking about comic book-derived stories as one of the trends of the 2014 Fall TV schedule.
If you need any more reasons to watch "The Flash" premiere episode, check out this trailer, which features a quick glimpse of Portland's Willamette River and bridges, as one of the establishing shots. But don't get too excited about seeing more of Portland -- "The Flash" is set in the fictional Central City. And the show films in Vancouver, B.C. (Don't they all?) (8 p.m. The CW/3)
"Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates Jr.": Tonight, Ken Burns gets the historical research treatment, as the director of "The Civil War" discovers he's descended from Confederate soldiers and an owner of slaves. Anderson Cooper and Anna Deveare Smith also learn about their ancestors. (8 p.m. PBS/10)
"Supernatural": As Season 10 begins, things aren't looking great for the Winchester brothers: Dean (Jensen Ackles) is a demon, and Sam (Jared Padalecki) isn't happy. (9 p.m. The CW/3)
"Sons of Anarchy": The final season continues with more intense goings-on in California's most inappropriately named town, Charming. (10 p.m. FX)
-- Kristi Turnquist