Joe's Absence

Flash fans will be seeing Detective Joe West again later this winter, now that original cast member Jesse L. Martin has returned from medical leave.

TVLine has learned that Martin — who last appeared in Episode 4 of the CW hit’s fifth season — is back on set filming and will next be seen in Episode 15. (The Flash returns from the midseason break this Tuesday, Jan. 15, with Episode 10.)

Martin had suffered a back injury over the summer hiatus, resulting in him almost always sitting in the first episodes of this season. On the heels of his most recent on-camera appearance, a Warner Bros. TV rep told TVLine that the actor had in fact embarked on a medical leave, adding: “We wish him a full and speedy recovery and look forward to his return as Detective Joe West.”


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Until Joe is seen again, showrunner Todd Helbing tells TVLine that viewers will get an on-screen accounting for Martin’s ongoing absence.

“There’s an explanation, and then there’s another sort of thing down the line that will give more explanation as to why [Joe] was gone for so long,” Helbing shared.

It sounds, though, like Iris’ father won’t be completely MIA from these next five episodes…? “I’ll just say there’s some technology that S.T.A.R. Labs has [via which] he’s gone and he’s not gone at the same time,” the EP said, cryptically.

Are you glad to hear Martin is on the mend and back at work? Watch his scene partner Danielle Nicolet and TV daughter Candice Patton celebrate his return via Instagram: