Arrow is an American superhero television series developed by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, and Andrew Kreisberg based on the DC Comics character Green Arrow, a costumed crime-fighter created by Mort Weisinger and George Papp, and is the first series of the Arrowverse, sharing continuity with other related television series. The series premiered in the United States on The CW on October 10, 2012, and ran for eight seasons until January 28, 2020. Arrow was primarily filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Arrow follows billionaire playboy Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell), Robert and Moira Queen's oldest son, who claimed to have spent five years shipwrecked on Lian Yu, a mysterious island in the North China Sea, before returning home to Starling City (later renamed "Star City") to fight crime and corruption as a secret vigilante whose weapon of choice is a bow and arrow. Throughout the series, Oliver is joined by others, among them former soldier John Diggle (David Ramsey), I.T. expert and skilled hacker Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards), former assassin Sara Lance (Caity Lotz), aspiring vigilante Roy Harper (Colton Haynes), Oliver's sister Thea (Willa Holland), and attorney-turned-vigilante Laurel Lance (Katie Cassidy). During the first five seasons of the show, characters from Oliver's past appear in a separate story arc based on Oliver's flashbacks. Starting with season seven, a series of flash-forwards focus on Oliver's children William (Ben Lewis) and Mia (Katherine McNamara), exploring how present events would affect their future and Green Arrow's legacy.
The series takes a new look at the Green Arrow character, as well as other characters from the DC Comics universe. Although Oliver Queen / Green Arrow had been featured in the television series Smallville from 2006 to 2011, also on The CW, the producers decided to start clean and find a new actor to portray the character. Arrow has received generally positive reviews from critics, and has earned multiple awards and nominations. In October 2014, a spin-off TV series titled The Flash premiered, which was later followed by other spin-off series and media, forming a shared universe.
Series overview
The series follows billionaire playboy Oliver Queen, who spent five years shipwrecked on the mysterious island Lian Yu, before returning home to Starling City.
In season one, Oliver returns to Starling City and is reunited with his family and friends, including Tommy Merlyn and Laurel Lance. By night, he acts as a vigilante, known as "The Hood", hunting down those listed in his father's notebook, with assistance from John Diggle and Felicity Smoak. A conspiracy known as "The Undertaking", led by Malcolm Merlyn, threatens the city. The season also features flashbacks to Oliver's first year on the island, and his struggle to survive, alongside both new allies, including Slade Wilson, and foes.
In season two, following the death of Tommy Merlyn, Oliver vows to no longer kill. Operating under a new alias, "The Arrow", he is tested when the city comes under attack from Slade. He also struggles to balance his vigilante activities alongside his role as CEO of Queen Consolidated. The season sees the return of Sara Lance, now also known as "The Canary", as well as the introduction of government agency A.R.G.U.S and its leader Amanda Waller. The flashbacks see Oliver face a new threat on Lian Yu, as well as revealing the origins of his feud with Slade.
In season three, following Sara's murder and the loss of his family's company to Ray Palmer, Oliver refuses to believe he can lead a normal life whilst continuing as The Arrow. He becomes embroiled in a conflict with Ra's al Ghul to protect his sister Thea. Felicity becomes vice-president of the now renamed Palmer Technologies and Laurel sets out to follow in Sara's footsteps, assuming the mantle of Black Canary. The season's flashbacks see Oliver escape Lian Yu, only to be forced to work with Waller in Hong Kong, attempting to stop the release of a lethal pathogen.
In season four, Oliver and Felicity are living in Ivy Town, but return to the renamed Star City, to fight terrorist group H.I.V.E., led by Damien Darhk. Oliver adopts the moniker "Green Arrow" whilst also running for mayor. The discovery of the existence of his son William, and his decision to conceal the truth, leads to the breakup of his relationship with Felicity. Laurel is killed by Darhk, and Oliver discovers his plan to detonate nuclear weapons. The season's flashbacks see Oliver returned to Lian Yu by Waller, where he attempts to infiltrate the criminal group Shadowspire.
In season five, Oliver and Felicity recruit a new team of vigilantes to aid their mission, including former police detective Dinah Drake, as the new Black Canary. Oliver struggles to adjust to his break-up with Felicity, alongside trying to balance his new role as mayor with the threat posed by the serial killer Prometheus. The season also sees the introduction of an antagonistic version of Laurel Lance, known as Black Siren, a doppelganger from Earth-2, who made her debut during the second season of The Flash. In the season's flashbacks, Oliver travels to Russia where he joins the Bratva, and is trained by Talia al Ghul, before returning to Lian Yu.
In season six, Oliver attempts to balance his vigilantism alongside his role as mayor, whilst also being a father to William, following the death of the boy's mother. He rekindles his relationship with Felicity, with the pair marrying in the season's Arrowverse crossover. A new threat in the form of terrorist hacker Cayden James and his criminal gang emerges. When Ricardo Diaz kills James, and with team Arrow facing a bitter split, Oliver is forced to enlist the aid of the FBI, striking a deal that leads to his incarceration in federal prison and his outing as Green Arrow to the public.
In season seven, Felicity seeks new allies to help catch Diaz and release Oliver from prison. Following his defeat of Diaz and his prison release, Oliver and his team are deputized by the SCPD. His half-sister, Emiko Queen, emerges as the new Green Arrow; however, it is later revealed she is the leader of the terrorist group the Ninth Circle. The season features flash-forwards to twenty years into the future, with the now-adult William receiving a mysterious message. Joining Oliver's former allies, he discovers his half-sister, Oliver and Felicity's daughter Mia, and works to save the city from a cyber attack.
In the eighth and final season, the Monitor recruits Oliver to aid him in his mission to prevent the coming Crisis. William, Connor Hawke, and Mia mysteriously time travel from 2040 to present-day Star City. During the Crisis, Oliver sacrifices himself and becomes the Spectre to stop the Anti-Monitor. Following their final battle, a new multiverse is born at the cost of Oliver's life. He is then reunited with Felicity in a "paradise dimension", in the final scene of the series.
Episodes
Cast and characters
Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen / Arrow / Green Arrow, a billionaire playboy turned hooded vigilante-hero who is initially known as the "Hood", "Vigilante", and simply "Arrow". He is based on the DC Comics character Green Arrow. He survives on an isolated island for five years after the sinking of his father's yacht. Oliver returns to his home city with a mission—to right the wrongs of his father and save the city from the crime that has grown in his absence. Amell was one of the first actors to audition for the role, and Kreisberg felt that he "hit the target from the outset" and "everyone else just paled in comparison". In season six's finale, Oliver confesses he's the Green Arrow and is sent to prison where he's known as "Inmate 4587". The actor, who was already in shape from Rent-a-Goalie, did physical fitness training at Tempest Freerunning Academy in Reseda, California. Amell received archery training as well, which included watching a video on how archery has been displayed inaccurately or poorly in television and film before learning the basics of shooting a bow. For Amell, the appeal of portraying Queen was that he saw multiple roles tied to the same character: "There's Queen the casual playboy; Queen the wounded hero; Queen the brooding Hamlet; Queen the lover; Queen the man of action, and so on". Amell also portrays Dark Arrow (Oliver's Earth-X doppelganger) in the sixth season's crossover "Crisis on Earth-X". Katie Cassidy as Laurel Lance / Black Canary (seasons 1–4; guest: season 5–8) and Laurel Lance / Black Siren / Black Canary (seasons 6–8; recurring: season 5), based on the DC Comics character of the same name, an attorney turned vigilante and former girlfriend of Oliver Queen. Cassidy said she was drawn to the show by Berlanti, Nutter, Kreisberg, and Guggenheim, whom she called smart, creative, and edgy. She was the first primary character to be cast. Cassidy sees her character as a "caregiver" to her family, which led her to become an attorney. She said, "I think that she's very, very driven, and she has a huge heart ... she's sensitive. She has really strong morals and values, and she expects everybody to live up to them the way that she does". The Earth-1 version of the character dies near the end of season four, but Cassidy returned as a series regular from season six onward as the Earth-2 version of the character who first appeared in the spin-off show The Flash. Colin Donnell as Tommy Merlyn (season 1; recurring: seasons 7–8; guest: seasons 2–3 and 6), Oliver's best friend, the son of Malcolm Merlyn and boyfriend to Laurel Lance. His character dies in season one's finale but Donnell reprises his role as hallucinations and flashbacks in subsequent seasons and also portrays his Earth-X doppelganger Prometheus and a posthumous impersonation by Human Target in season six. Donnell returns in the eighth and final season as Merlyn's Earth-2 doppelgänger and is brought back to life by Oliver when he restored the multiverse in the "Crisis on Infinite Earths" crossover event. David Ramsey as John Diggle / Spartan, Oliver's partner, confidant, and bodyguard, who becomes part of their vigilante team. Named after comic book writer Andy Diggle, and created specifically for the show, Diggle was designed to be Oliver's "equal in many respects". Guggenheim further explained that Diggle's mutual abilities are a means of setting him up early in the series as a confidant for Oliver's vigilante persona. Willa Holland as Thea Queen / Speedy (seasons 1–6; recurring: season 8; guest: season 7), Oliver's younger half-sister; based on a DC Comics character with similar traits. The character is later revealed to be the daughter of Malcolm Merlyn. Holland exited the series in season six. Guggenheim stated that the door is always open for Holland to reprise her role as Thea. After departing the series in the sixth season, Holland returned in a special guest star role during season seven. Melissa Benoist had auditioned to portray Thea but was ultimately cast as Supergirl instead. Susanna Thompson as Moira Queen (seasons 1–2; guest: seasons 5 & 8), Oliver and Thea's mother. She is murdered at the end of season two, but was brought back by Oliver after he restored the multiverse. Paul Blackthorne as Quentin Lance (seasons 1–6; recurring: season 8; guest: season 7), Laurel and Sara Lance's father and Starling City police detective. The character is partly based on the DC Comics character Larry Lance. The character dies in the sixth-season finale, but his death is averted after Oliver restored the multiverse.