‘Arrow’ Shoots Its Last Supervillain With Final, Abbreviated Season 8
Arrowis shooting its last…well, arrow. TheStephen Amell-led comic book drama from executive producerGreg Berlantiand Warner Bros. TV is ending its run with a final, abbreviated eighth season set to air this fall.Arrowis ending its eight-season run this fall with a shortened 10-episode season that will air during the 2019-2020 broadcast calendar, according toThe Hollywood Reporter.Arrowkicked off a golden era of DC Comics TV series on The CW, withThe Flash, Supergirl,andLegends of Tomorrowfollowing the path laid out by the superhero series starring Amell as the spoiled playboy-turned-masked-vigilante Oliver Queen. WhileArrowlost its status as The CW’s most-watched scripted original (The Flashovertook it in that race), its influence was felt in all of Berlanti’s following dramas, and even in Netflix’s Marvel seriesDaredevilandThe Punisher.Arrowessentially carved out the space for modern superhero shows that both embraced a gritty sense of reality while paying homage to their heightened comic book roots.
The decision for theArrowending came as the CW prepares to launch “the next generation of shows to keep The CW DC universe going for as long as possible,” CW President Mark Pedowitztold reportersin January at the Television Critics Association’s winter press tour. That new generation will be led by the highly anticipated Ruby Rose-starring seriesBatwoman.
Arrowshowrunner Beth Schwartz and executive producers Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim said of theArrowending in a joint statement:
Amell added onInstagram, “It’s been one hell of a run. I promise we’ll finish the way we started.”
While I’ve never watchedArrowpast its first season (I couldn’t get past the series taking all of Batman’s attributes and villains), I recognize the impact it had on the modern era of superhero TV. When it premiered in 2012,Arrowhelped usher in a new era of comic book adaptations on the small screen, withThe Flashspin-off and ABC’s Marvel’sAgents ofSHIELDsoon following. Now you can’t turn your head without running into another superhero show on broadcast or streaming.Arrowmay not have been a perfect series, but it was an important. And in that regard, it didn’t fail this city.
