Arrow (TV series)
A billionaire playboy returns as a hooded vigilante to fight crime.
Arrow is an American superhero television series developed by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, and Andrew Kreisberg, based on the DC Comics character Green Arrow. It premiered on The CW on October 10, 2012, and ran for eight seasons until January 28, 2020. As the first series of the Arrowverse, it established a shared continuity with subsequent spin-off shows.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Action
- Crime
- Drama
- Mystery
- Superhero
- Based on
- Characters, DC Comics
- Developer
- Greg Berlanti
- Marc Guggenheim
- Andrew Kreisberg
- Showrunner
- Greg Berlanti
- Marc Guggenheim
- Andrew Kreisberg
- Wendy Mericle
- Beth Schwartz
- Composer
- Blake Neely
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Seasons
- 8
Facts from the source article.
Cast and characters
Stephen Amell portrays Oliver Queen, also known as the Arrow or Green Arrow, a billionaire playboy who becomes a hooded vigilante after surviving five years on an isolated island. Amell was among the first to audition, and Kreisberg felt he "hit the target from the outset." He trained at Tempest Freerunning Academy and received archery instruction, including a video on common inaccuracies in TV archery. Amell saw the role as encompassing multiple facets: "Queen the casual playboy; Queen the wounded hero; Queen the brooding Hamlet; Queen the lover; Queen the man of action, and so on." He also played Dark Arrow, Oliver's Earth-X doppelganger, in the "Crisis on Earth-X" crossover. Katie Cassidy plays Laurel Lance, an attorney and vigilante known as Black Canary, based on the DC Comics character. Cassidy was the first primary character cast and described her character as a "caregiver" with strong morals. The Earth-1 version of Laurel dies near the end of season four, but Cassidy returned as a series regular from season six onward as the Earth-2 version, Black Siren, who first appeared on The Flash.
Production
The first discussions about a Green Arrow television series happened during Smallville's sixth season, when there was talk of giving Justin Hartley's version of the character his own show. Hartley turned down the idea, believing it would take attention away from Smallville's five-season run. A separate spin-off where Oliver Queen led the Justice League entered early development, with Stephen S. DeKnight attached to run it. After Smallville ended, The CW started work on a new Green Arrow series in January 2012, with Andrew Kreisberg, Greg Berlanti, and Marc Guggenheim developing it. A pilot was ordered a week later, directed by David Nutter, who had also directed Smallville's pilot. The producers decided to avoid any ties to Smallville, casting Stephen Amell as a fresh Oliver Queen. The show initially kept super-powered characters out to keep a realistic feel. Filming for the pilot began in March 2012 in Vancouver, which stayed the main production location. Skyline shots mix footage from Frankfurt, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Boston, and Tokyo. The series got a full season order on October 22, 2012.
Reception
The first season received favorable reviews, with a Metacritic score of 73 out of 100, the highest for a CW show in five years. Rotten Tomatoes reported an 85% approval rating, with the consensus: "The CW nails the target with Arrow, a comic book-inspired series that benefits from cinematic action sequences, strong plotting, and intriguing characters." Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times called it "an interesting setup with a quality look." Brian Lowry of Variety described it as "a handsome but stiff surrogate for Batman." Alasdair Wilkins of The A.V. Club gave the season a B+, noting the show "hasn't quite figured everything out yet." The second season received acclaim, with a 95% Rotten Tomatoes approval rating and a consensus praising "more fantastic action" and "intriguing, richly written characters." Jeff Jensen of Entertainment Weekly gave the first half a B+, citing "an intelligence that shines through its TV-budget production values." Carrie Raisler of The A.V. Club gave the first half an A−, stating Arrow "officially established itself as one of the most satisfying shows on television."
Other media
Arrow has generated spin-offs and related media, including digital comic books and Internet-based mini-episodes. For the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con, DC Comics produced a 10-page preview comic written by Kreisberg, illustrated by Omar Francia, with a cover by Mike Grell. The production crew regarded it as sharing the same canon as the series. On October 10, 2012, DC Comics debuted a weekly digital comic tie-in written by Kreisberg and Guggenheim, drawn by various artists including Mike Grell, remaining in continuity with the series. The digital chapters were later collated into monthly print issues, lasting 36 chapters until June 2013. These were collected in two volumes, the first released digitally in October 2013 and the second in print and digital in May 2014. Titan Magazines published the comics in the UK, with the first issue on October 17, 2013, containing the first four chapters, and the series lasting six issues.
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