John Wesley Shipp Previews THE FLASH

Tonight is going to be déjà vu all over again for John Wesley Shipp (Kelly, GUIDING LIGHT; Douglas, AS THE WORLD TURNS) when THE FLASH debuts on The CW at 8:00 p.m. EST. The two-time Emmy winner, who played the title role in the primetime series about the DC Comics character that ran (get it? “ran?”) from 1990-91 on CBS, is appearing in the new series, but in a slightly different role.

Are there many similarities between soap opera fans and devotees of the superhero world? “That’s a very interesting question,” Shipp tells Soaps In Depth. “It’s one I haven’t been asked before so bravo! They are similar and, at times, an overlapping audience.”

Shipp says that the series title character (aka Barry Allen), played by Grant Gustin, is an actor to watch. “He can do comedy, play a genius when Barry is analyzing a crime scene and then turn around and break your heart. He’s got it all.”

In this version of THE FLASH, Shipp is playing Barry’s dad, Henry, who’s been wrongly incarcerated for killing his wife. Watch for Shipp to recur throughout the season as Barry fights to clear his dad’s name. “I’ve had scenes with Jesse L. Martin (Det. Joe West) whose character has drilled into Henry’s son’s head that his father was a killer. What will he do when he finds out that he was wrong?”

THE FLASH airs Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m. EST on The CW, and you can read more about Shipp in the new issue of CBS Soaps In Depth, on newsstands now!