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The Flash makes Chester series regular; Supergirl’s Melissa Benoist announces pregnancy
It’s a big week for news in the Arrowverse, though admittedly for very different reasons. We have one minor cast member being bumped up to a series regular on Flash, along with a real-life pregnancy that will certainly have some impact on Supergirl’s super-show over the next year.
First up, the big news: Melissa Benoist is having a baby! The Supergirl star, along with her husband Chris Wood (who previously played fellow hero Mon-El on The CW series), announced their pregnancy with a baby bump post on Instagram (though, umm, Wood was the one with the bump, but we digress). That’s obviously great news for Benoist and Wood, but as for the super-show, fans are likely wondering if the pregnancy might possibly affect production on the super-series.
The show is currently in its fifth season, which is set to conclude in the spring. It’s also already been renewed for a sixth season, which will likely premiere in the fall. No word from the studio or network yet on what impact, if any, the forthcoming tiny Kryptonian could have on the production schedule. It’s worth noting plenty of shows have shot around pregnancies, or gone ahead and written them into the story itself — so there’s no doubt the creative team will have options. But it stands to reason Benoist’s superhero action shots could be limited for a while there.
Regardless, congrats to the Super-stars.
Turning attention to The CW’s now longest-running superhero show — The Flash — the series is looking to shake up its cast in the upcoming seventh season. Deadline reports Brandon McKnight (The Shape of Water), who has played garage tech genius Chester P. Runk sporadically in the current season, has been promoted to a series regular in Season 7 (the show is currently in its sixth season, with McKnight recurring in three episodes up to this point).
Chester first showed up on The Flash after accidentally opening a blackhole, and the STAR Labs team had to work to save him. He’s a superhero super-fan and brings some of that early-season excitement back to Team Flash. As for what his place on the roster means for The Flash’s future? It’s a good question. Chester might just join the ensemble — though it’s worth noting his abilities do cross over quite a bit with OG cast member Carlos Valdes’ Cisco Ramon.
Could this signal a reduced role for Cisco in the future? Cisco's character did take a break in recent episodes for a road trip to investigate Crisis fallout. Could Cisco have a few more “road trips” next season to clear up space for Chester to shine on Team Flash? Who knows. Of course, at this point, that’s all just conjecture. The Flash has seen plenty of supporting cast members zip in and out over the years, and it’ll be interesting to see what Chester brings to the fold full time.
