He's TV's real singing detective

"THE FLASH," one of the big hits from the fall season, is hiding a secret. If there is ever a musical showdown with other TV programs, they have an all-star team.

The heavyweight musical member of the group is Jesse L. Martin. You might not be aware of his singing credentials, since Martin has been playing TV detectives - first on "Law & Order" and now on "The Flash." But he showed a little of that skill with his guest-starring role on "Smash."

His breakthrough came in Jonathan Larson's Broadway musical "Rent" in 2005. He reprised the role in the feature-film version of the musical.

Series star Grant Gustin has an extensive musical-theater background.

But so far there have been no plans announced for an all-singing episode of "The Flash." That's OK with Martin, who who wants to focus on the detective part of his current job.

He played a detective on "Law & Order," but the CW series is different. All he had to worry about in the NBC drama was the usual batch of murderers, rapists, thieves and thugs. "The Flash" deals with criminals who can clone themselves, manipulate the weather and create deadly mists.

It's a long way from the nightly shows on Broadway. Martin didn't think of himself back then as only a stage performer. The one thing that was on his mind was just landing a job that would earn him is Actors' Equity card.

"Once I got that, I thought I had totally made it," Martin says. "Now, I have more than I ever imagined."

He can imagine another return to Broadway. But that will have to be worked in with "The Flash," which is off and running at top speed.