Who Is Andy Ridings? Meet the Actor Playing the Flash on ‘Stuart Fails to Save the Universe’

Published 09/18/2026, 12:55 AM EDT

Credit: Colin Remas Brown/HBO Max

Andy Riding put on The Flash suit to save the day in Stuart Fails to Save the Universe. The sci-fi comedy series has thrown Stuart and his group, including Denise, Bert, and Barry Kripke, into some of the most bizarre challenges across different alternate realities. For the new episode, the show brought a hilarious DC crossover.

The character has previously been played by John Wesley Shipp, Grant Gustin, and Ezra Miller. However, another actor, Riding, has now taken on the role for this special episode. While The Flash faces new hurdles in the comic book series, here is a closer look at the actor playing the iconic character.

Who is Andy Riding?

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Andy Riding is a well-known actor and director. The actor was born on December 16, 1984, in Syracuse. He has previously worked on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Scrubs, and The Other Two. As per his IMDb bio, the actor was previously married to actress Anne Campbell Fidler. The two met each other in 2011 and later tied the knot on September 9, 2017. 

Credit: HBO Max

Now, Riding played the role of the fastest man in an episode of the series Stuart Fails to Save the Universe. When the crew gets inside a comic book where Mr. Freeze is wreaking havoc in Gotham City, they decide to call upon DC Comics superhero The Flash. This is quite ironic, considering the crew chooses to bring in The Flash while in a city that is traditionally protected by Batman.

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However, interestingly, the creators of the show initially did not plan to bring The Flash into the story for the series. As the title suggests, they originally wanted to feature Green Lantern instead.

Stuart Fails to Save the Universe could not get Green Lantern

Stuart Fails to Save the Universe creator Zak Penn revealed that they initially wanted Green Lantern for the DC Comics crossover in the series. However, one of the creators, Chuck Lorre, was not fond of the change. It turns out that the HBO live-action series Lanterns, which has become a massive hit, did not allow the crossover to happen.

"They told us we couldn’t have him because of [HBO’s live-action series] Lanterns, which I understood," Penn said. 

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Credit: HBO Max

However, as Penn pointed out, having The Flash take up the role was even more fitting for the series. Even the bizarre concept of bringing The Flash to Gotham City, a place traditionally protected by Batman, was a hilarious joke by the creators. While the creators managed to bring something fun and refreshing to the DC crossover despite missing the chance to feature Green Lantern, Andy Riding also embraced the iconic superhero role.

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What do you think about Andy Riding as The Flash in Stuart Fails to Save the Universe? Let us know your take in comments.

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Pritha Debroy

1231 articles

Pritha Debroy is an Entertainment writer at NetflixJunkie who can seamlessly switch between breaking down an NBA play and obsessing over the latest K-drama twist. She has written over 3,400 NBA and NFL articles, but her true joy lies in diving into Netflix’s trendiest shows—unpacking themes, stories, and yes, the occasional celebrity chaos. When she is not writing, you’ll find her devouring thrillers (anything by Freida McFadden is an instant yes), revisiting comfort classics like 10 Things I Hate About You and 27 Dresses, or hunting for her next binge-worthy series.

Edited By: Itti Mahajan

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