Arrow (season 8)
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The eighth and final season of the American television series ''
Arrow An arrow is a fin-stabilized projectile launched by a bow. A typical arrow usually consists of a long, stiff, straight shaft with a weighty (and usually sharp and pointed) arrowhead attached to the front end, multiple fin-like stabilizers c ...
'' premiered on
The CW The CW Network, LLC (commonly referred to as The CW or simply CW) is an American commercial broadcast television network which is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75% ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the firs ...
on October 15, 2019, and concluded on January 28, 2020, with a total of ten episodes. The series is based on the
DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
character
Green Arrow Green Arrow is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and designed by George Papp, he first appeared in ''More Fun Comics'' No. 73 on September 19, 1941 (cover dated November 1941), th ...
, a costumed vigilante created by
Mort Weisinger Mortimer Weisinger (; April 25, 1915 – May 7, 1978) was an American magazine and comic book editor best known for editing DC Comics' ''Superman'' during the mid-1950s to 1960s, in the Silver Age of comic books. He also co-created such features ...
and
George Papp George Edward Papp (January 20, 1916 – August 8, 1989) was an American comics artist best known as one of the principal artists on the long-running DC Comics series ''Superboy''. Papp also co-created Green Arrow with Mort Weisinger and Congo B ...
, and is set in the
Arrowverse The Arrowverse is an American Superhero fiction, superhero media franchise and shared universe that is centered on various interconnected television series based on DC Comics superhero characters, primarily airing on The CW as well as web series ...
, sharing continuity with other Arrowverse television series and associated media. Executive producers
Marc Guggenheim Marc Guggenheim (born September 24, 1970) is an American screenwriter, television producer, comic book writer, and novelist. He is best known as the creator of the television series ''Eli Stone'' (2008–2009), ''Arrow'' (2012–2020), and ''Lege ...
and
Beth Schwartz Beth Schwartz is an American television writer. She is known for her work as showrunner on the seventh and eighth season of ''Arrow'', and as a co-showrunner on the Netflix series '' Sweet Tooth''. Career She began her career as a production ...
returned as co-showrunners for this season.
Stephen Amell Stephen Adam Amell (born May 8, 1981) is a Canadian actor. He came to prominence for playing the lead role of Oliver Queen on the CW superhero series ''Arrow'' (2012–2020), based on DC Comics. Amell also appeared in subsequent Arrowverse franc ...
stars as
Oliver Queen Green Arrow is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and designed by George Papp, he first appeared in ''More Fun Comics'' No. 73 on September 19, 1941 (cover dated November 1941), th ...
, with principal cast members
David Ramsey David Paul Ramsey (born November 17, 1971) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in The CW Arrowverse series ''Arrow'', ''The Flash'', ''Supergirl'', and ''Batwoman'' as John Diggle / Spartan, portraying Diggle and Bass Reeves i ...
as John Diggle,
Rick Gonzalez Rick Gonzalez (born June 30, 1979) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Timo Cruz in the motion picture ''Coach Carter'', as Spanish in ''Old School (2003 film), Old School'', as Ben Gonzalez on the The CW Television Network, CW su ...
as
Rene Ramirez ''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 ...
,
Juliana Harkavy Juliana Jay Harkavy (born January 1, 1985) is an American actress. She is known for portraying Rebecca in '' Dolphin Tale'', Jessie in '' To Write Love on Her Arms'', and Alisha in the television series '' The Walking Dead''. Her roles includ ...
as Dinah Drake and
Katie Cassidy Katie Cassidy (born November 25, 1986) is an American actress. Following several minor television roles, she came to attention as a scream queen after starring in the horror films ''When a Stranger Calls (2006 film), When a Stranger Calls'' (2006 ...
as Laurel Lance also returning from previous seasons.
Katherine McNamara Katherine Grace McNamara (born November 22, 1995) is an American actress and singer. She portrayed Clary Fray on the 2016–2019 supernatural drama series '' Shadowhunters'', receiving a Teen Choice Award and a People's Choice Award for her ...
, Ben Lewis, and
Joseph David-Jones Joseph David-Jones (born December 22, 1993) is an American actor, known for his roles in ''Nashville'' and ''Arrow''. Early life and career David-Jones was born in 1993, in Los Angeles, and grew up in Florence, Kentucky. He earned a full scho ...
, who previously recurred as the adult versions of
Mia Smoak ''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 s ...
, William Clayton and
Connor Hawke Connor Hawke is a fictional DC Comics superhero who operated as the second Green Arrow, created by Kelley Puckett and Jim Aparo. In the post-''Zero Hour: Crisis in Time!, Zero Hour'' continuity, Connor is the eldest son of Oliver Queen, the orig ...
, were all promoted to starring status, as was
LaMonica Garrett LaMonica Garrett (born May 23, 1975) is an American actor and former professional Slamball player. He is best known for his roles as Deputy Sheriff Cane in the FX series ''Sons of Anarchy'' (2011–2014), Mike Ritter in the ABC/Netflix series ...
, who stars across multiple Arrowverse shows as the
Monitor Monitor or monitor may refer to: Places * Monitor, Alberta * Monitor, Indiana, town in the United States * Monitor, Kentucky * Monitor, Oregon, unincorporated community in the United States * Monitor, Washington * Monitor, Logan County, Wes ...
. Former series regulars
Emily Bett Rickards Emily Bett Rickards (born July 24, 1991) is a Canadian actress. She is known for her role as Felicity Smoak (Arrowverse), Felicity Smoak on The CW series ''Arrow (TV series), Arrow'', her first television credit. She reprised the role in the Ar ...
,
Colin Donnell Colin Donnell (born October 9, 1982) is an American actor and singer known as Tommy Merlyn on ''Arrow'', Scotty Lockhart on '' The Affair'', Dr. Connor Rhodes on ''Chicago Med'' (2015–19), and Billy Crocker in '' Anything Goes''. He also star ...
,
Susanna Thompson Susanna Thompson (born January 27, 1958) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in films ''Little Giants'' (1994), ''Ghosts of Mississippi'' (1996), ''Random Hearts'' (1999) and ''Dragonfly (2002 film), Dragonfly'' (2002). On televisi ...
,
Paul Blackthorne Paul Blackthorne (born 5 March 1969) is an English actor. Although born in Shropshire, he spent his early childhood on UK military bases in Britain and Germany. Blackthorne broke into acting via television advertisements in England. His breakth ...
,
Colton Haynes Colton Lee Haynes (born July 13, 1988) is an American actor and model. He is known for his starring role as Jackson Whittemore in the MTV supernatural drama series ''Teen Wolf (2011 TV series), Teen Wolf'' and as Roy Harper (Arrowverse), Roy Har ...
,
John Barrowman John Scot Barrowman MBE (born 11 March 1967) is a Scottish-American actor, author, presenter, singer and comic book writer. He is known for his roles as Captain Jack Harkness in ''Doctor Who'' (2005–2010; 2020–2021) and its spin-off ''Torc ...
,
Willa Holland Willa Joanna Chance Holland (born June 18, 1991) is an American actress and model. She is best known for her roles as Kaitlin Cooper in the Fox teen drama '' The O.C.'', Aqua in '' Kingdom Hearts,'' and Thea Queen in The CW series ''Arrow'' ...
, Echo Kellum, Sea Shimooka and
Josh Segarra Josh Segarra (born June 3, 1986) is an American actor. He is known for his roles on the television series ''The Electric Company'', '' Sirens'', and ''Arrow'' as well as for originating the role of Emilio Estefan in the musical '' On Your Feet!' ...
all returned as guests. The series follows Oliver Queen, who claimed to have spent five years shipwrecked on
Lian Yu Lian Yu (; 1886 - 13 August 1972), art name Liqing ().was a diplomat, politician, judicial officer and lawyer in the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China. He was an important politician during the Reformed Government of the Republi ...
, an island in the North China Sea, before returning home to
Starling City This page lists the locations in the DC Universe, the shared universe setting of DC Comics. Sites Arrowcave The Arrowcave is the former base of operations of the Green Arrow and Speedy. Avernus Cemetery Avernus Cemetery is a hidden burial grou ...
(later renamed "Star City") to fight crime and corruption as a secret vigilante whose weapon of choice is a bow and arrow. This season follows Oliver as he fights in a battle that will have the multiverse hanging in the balance. The series was renewed for an eighth and final season on January 31, 2019, and filming began in
Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
, British Columbia, in July 2019. The eighth episode features the sixth annual Arrowverse crossover "
Crisis on Infinite Earths ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' is a 1985 to 1986 American comic book fictional crossover, crossover series published by DC Comics. Written by Marv Wolfman and penciller, pencilled by George Pérez, it was first released as a 12-issue limited ser ...
", with TV series ''
Supergirl Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Supergirl (Kara Zor-El), Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. Th ...
'', ''
Batwoman Batwoman is a name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, depicted as female counterparts and allies of Batman similarly to Batgirl. The original version of the character, Kathy Kane (eventually given t ...
'', ''
The Flash The Flash is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover date, cover-dated Jan ...
'' and ''
Legends of Tomorrow ''DC's Legends of Tomorrow'', or simply ''Legends of Tomorrow'', is an American Time travel in fiction, time travel superhero fiction, superhero television series developed by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg, and Phil Klemmer, ...
'' also taking part. The ninth episode was set as a backdoor pilot to the later-scrapped spin-off titled '' Green Arrow and the Canaries'' which takes place in the year 2040.


Episodes


Cast and characters


Main

*
Stephen Amell Stephen Adam Amell (born May 8, 1981) is a Canadian actor. He came to prominence for playing the lead role of Oliver Queen on the CW superhero series ''Arrow'' (2012–2020), based on DC Comics. Amell also appeared in subsequent Arrowverse franc ...
as Oliver Queen / Green Arrow / Spectre *
David Ramsey David Paul Ramsey (born November 17, 1971) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in The CW Arrowverse series ''Arrow'', ''The Flash'', ''Supergirl'', and ''Batwoman'' as John Diggle / Spartan, portraying Diggle and Bass Reeves i ...
as John Diggle / Spartan *
Rick Gonzalez Rick Gonzalez (born June 30, 1979) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Timo Cruz in the motion picture ''Coach Carter'', as Spanish in ''Old School (2003 film), Old School'', as Ben Gonzalez on the The CW Television Network, CW su ...
as Rene Ramirez / Wild Dog *
Juliana Harkavy Juliana Jay Harkavy (born January 1, 1985) is an American actress. She is known for portraying Rebecca in '' Dolphin Tale'', Jessie in '' To Write Love on Her Arms'', and Alisha in the television series '' The Walking Dead''. Her roles includ ...
as Dinah Drake / Black Canary *
Katherine McNamara Katherine Grace McNamara (born November 22, 1995) is an American actress and singer. She portrayed Clary Fray on the 2016–2019 supernatural drama series '' Shadowhunters'', receiving a Teen Choice Award and a People's Choice Award for her ...
as adult Mia Smoak-Queen / Blackstar / Green Arrow * Ben Lewis as adult William Clayton *
Joseph David-Jones Joseph David-Jones (born December 22, 1993) is an American actor, known for his roles in ''Nashville'' and ''Arrow''. Early life and career David-Jones was born in 1993, in Los Angeles, and grew up in Florence, Kentucky. He earned a full scho ...
as adult
Connor Hawke Connor Hawke is a fictional DC Comics superhero who operated as the second Green Arrow, created by Kelley Puckett and Jim Aparo. In the post-''Zero Hour: Crisis in Time!, Zero Hour'' continuity, Connor is the eldest son of Oliver Queen, the orig ...
*
LaMonica Garrett LaMonica Garrett (born May 23, 1975) is an American actor and former professional Slamball player. He is best known for his roles as Deputy Sheriff Cane in the FX series ''Sons of Anarchy'' (2011–2014), Mike Ritter in the ABC/Netflix series ...
as Mar Novu / Monitor and Mobius / Anti-Monitor *
Katie Cassidy Katie Cassidy (born November 25, 1986) is an American actress. Following several minor television roles, she came to attention as a scream queen after starring in the horror films ''When a Stranger Calls (2006 film), When a Stranger Calls'' (2006 ...
as Laurel Lance / Black Canary (Earth-2)


Recurring

* Audrey Marie Anderson as Lyla Michaels / Harbinger * Charlie Barnett as adult John Diggle Jr. * Andrea Sixtos as adult Zoe Ramirez *
Willa Holland Willa Joanna Chance Holland (born June 18, 1991) is an American actress and model. She is best known for her roles as Kaitlin Cooper in the Fox teen drama '' The O.C.'', Aqua in '' Kingdom Hearts,'' and Thea Queen in The CW series ''Arrow'' ...
as
Thea Queen Thea Dearden Queen, also known as Speedy, is a fictional character portrayed by Willa Holland on The CW television series ''Arrow'', created by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, and Andrew Kreisberg. She is the maternal half-sister of series prot ...
*
Colton Haynes Colton Lee Haynes (born July 13, 1988) is an American actor and model. He is known for his starring role as Jackson Whittemore in the MTV supernatural drama series ''Teen Wolf (2011 TV series), Teen Wolf'' and as Roy Harper (Arrowverse), Roy Har ...
as Roy Harper / Arsenal *
Paul Blackthorne Paul Blackthorne (born 5 March 1969) is an English actor. Although born in Shropshire, he spent his early childhood on UK military bases in Britain and Germany. Blackthorne broke into acting via television advertisements in England. His breakth ...
as
Quentin Lance ''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 ...


Guest


"Crisis on Infinite Earths"


Production


Development

On January 31, 2019,
The CW The CW Network, LLC (commonly referred to as The CW or simply CW) is an American commercial broadcast television network which is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75% ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the firs ...
renewed ''Arrow'' for an eighth season. On March 6, 2019, it was announced that it would be the final season of the series, with an abbreviated ten-episode order.
Stephen Amell Stephen Adam Amell (born May 8, 1981) is a Canadian actor. He came to prominence for playing the lead role of Oliver Queen on the CW superhero series ''Arrow'' (2012–2020), based on DC Comics. Amell also appeared in subsequent Arrowverse franc ...
, who stars as Oliver Queen / Green Arrow, had approached series co-creator
Greg Berlanti Gregory Berlanti (born May 24, 1972) is an American screenwriter, producer and director. He is known for his work on the television series ''Dawson's Creek'', ''Brothers & Sisters (2006 TV series), Brothers & Sisters'', ''Everwood'', ''Political ...
towards the end of the sixth season about "mov ngon" following the expiration of his contract at the end of the seventh season. He had hoped that the series could continue without him, but Berlanti and showrunners
Marc Guggenheim Marc Guggenheim (born September 24, 1970) is an American screenwriter, television producer, comic book writer, and novelist. He is best known as the creator of the television series ''Eli Stone'' (2008–2009), ''Arrow'' (2012–2020), and ''Lege ...
and
Beth Schwartz Beth Schwartz is an American television writer. She is known for her work as showrunner on the seventh and eighth season of ''Arrow'', and as a co-showrunner on the Netflix series '' Sweet Tooth''. Career She began her career as a production ...
decided to conclude the series with a shortened eighth season, which Amell agreed to. Berlanti, Guggenheim and Schwartz released a press statement saying, "This was a difficult decision to come to, but like every hard decision we've made for the past seven years, it was with the best interests of ''Arrow'' in mind ..We're heartened by the fact that ''Arrow'' has birthed an entire universe of shows that will continue on for many years to come. We're excited about crafting a conclusion that honors the show, its characters and its legacy and are grateful to all the writers, producers, actors, and – more importantly – the incredible crew that has sustained us and the show for over seven years." Speaking at
San Diego Comic-Con San Diego Comic-Con is a comic book convention and multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California, at the San Diego Convention Center. Founded in 1970, originally showcasing primarily comic books and science fiction/fant ...
ahead of the season premiere, Guggenheim commented on the difficulty of approaching the final season without
Emily Bett Rickards Emily Bett Rickards (born July 24, 1991) is a Canadian actress. She is known for her role as Felicity Smoak (Arrowverse), Felicity Smoak on The CW series ''Arrow (TV series), Arrow'', her first television credit. She reprised the role in the Ar ...
, who made the decision to step away from her role as
Felicity Smoak Felicity Smoak is a fictional character appearing in comics published by DC Comics. Her first appearance was in ''The Fury of Firestorm'' #23 (May 1984), created by writer Gerry Conway and artist Rafael Kayanan. She was originally the manager of ...
at the end of the seventh season. He stated that "for the longest time, I've been saying you can't do the show without Emily Rickards. And I think, if the show – if the conversations had been, 'we'll do 22 episodes without Emily,' I would've said, 'you can't do that'", and that the shorter ten-episode run, combined with the crossover, made the prospect feel "a little more realistic".


Writing

As with the seventh season of ''Arrow'', the eighth season makes extensive use of
flashforward A flashforward (also spelled flash-forward, and more formally known as prolepsis) is a scene that temporarily takes the narrative forward in time from the current point of the story in literature, film, television and other media. Flashforwards a ...
s. Stephen Amell revealed that, unlike the serialized approach of previous seasons, this one would follow a more episodic approach due to the limited number of episodes.
Katie Cassidy Katie Cassidy (born November 25, 1986) is an American actress. Following several minor television roles, she came to attention as a scream queen after starring in the horror films ''When a Stranger Calls (2006 film), When a Stranger Calls'' (2006 ...
, who plays Laurel Lance, supported Amell's claim, saying each episode would feel like a "miniature movie". The penultimate episode, which serves as a
backdoor pilot A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie) in United Kingdom and United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television netwo ...
to ''Green Arrow and the Canaries'' was originally intended to be titled after the
Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American Rock music, rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", Springsteen has released 21 studio albums spanning six decades; most of his albums feature th ...
song "Livin' in the Future", continuing the series' tradition of having the penultimate episode of every season titled after a Springsteen song. Because the studio mandated that the backdoor pilot be titled after the planned spin-off series, the writers were forced to scrap the original title.


Casting

Main cast members Stephen Amell,
David Ramsey David Paul Ramsey (born November 17, 1971) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in The CW Arrowverse series ''Arrow'', ''The Flash'', ''Supergirl'', and ''Batwoman'' as John Diggle / Spartan, portraying Diggle and Bass Reeves i ...
,
Rick Gonzalez Rick Gonzalez (born June 30, 1979) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Timo Cruz in the motion picture ''Coach Carter'', as Spanish in ''Old School (2003 film), Old School'', as Ben Gonzalez on the The CW Television Network, CW su ...
,
Juliana Harkavy Juliana Jay Harkavy (born January 1, 1985) is an American actress. She is known for portraying Rebecca in '' Dolphin Tale'', Jessie in '' To Write Love on Her Arms'', and Alisha in the television series '' The Walking Dead''. Her roles includ ...
and Katie Cassidy returned as Oliver Queen / Green Arrow, John Diggle,
Rene Ramirez ''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 ...
, Dinah Drake and Earth-2's Laurel Lance respectively. Following the announcement that she would be leaving the series at the end of its seventh season, this was the first and only season not to feature Emily Bett Rickards, who portrayed Felicity Smoak, as either a recurring or main cast member, although the producers left open the possibility of her making a guest appearance in the final season. Rickards appears as Felicity through archive footage in the episodes " Welcome to Hong Kong" and " Green Arrow & The Canaries". In November 2019, Amell confirmed that Rickards would return for the series finale. In June 2019,
Joseph David-Jones Joseph David-Jones (born December 22, 1993) is an American actor, known for his roles in ''Nashville'' and ''Arrow''. Early life and career David-Jones was born in 1993, in Los Angeles, and grew up in Florence, Kentucky. He earned a full scho ...
, who recurred in the seventh season as the adult version of
Connor Hawke Connor Hawke is a fictional DC Comics superhero who operated as the second Green Arrow, created by Kelley Puckett and Jim Aparo. In the post-''Zero Hour: Crisis in Time!, Zero Hour'' continuity, Connor is the eldest son of Oliver Queen, the orig ...
, was promoted to the main cast, and that July
Katherine McNamara Katherine Grace McNamara (born November 22, 1995) is an American actress and singer. She portrayed Clary Fray on the 2016–2019 supernatural drama series '' Shadowhunters'', receiving a Teen Choice Award and a People's Choice Award for her ...
and Ben Lewis were also promoted to regular status in their roles as the adult versions of
Mia Smoak ''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 s ...
and William Clayton respectively. It was also announced that former series regulars
Colin Donnell Colin Donnell (born October 9, 1982) is an American actor and singer known as Tommy Merlyn on ''Arrow'', Scotty Lockhart on '' The Affair'', Dr. Connor Rhodes on ''Chicago Med'' (2015–19), and Billy Crocker in '' Anything Goes''. He also star ...
,
Josh Segarra Josh Segarra (born June 3, 1986) is an American actor. He is known for his roles on the television series ''The Electric Company'', '' Sirens'', and ''Arrow'' as well as for originating the role of Emilio Estefan in the musical '' On Your Feet!' ...
,
John Barrowman John Scot Barrowman MBE (born 11 March 1967) is a Scottish-American actor, author, presenter, singer and comic book writer. He is known for his roles as Captain Jack Harkness in ''Doctor Who'' (2005–2010; 2020–2021) and its spin-off ''Torc ...
and
Susanna Thompson Susanna Thompson (born January 27, 1958) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in films ''Little Giants'' (1994), ''Ghosts of Mississippi'' (1996), ''Random Hearts'' (1999) and ''Dragonfly (2002 film), Dragonfly'' (2002). On televisi ...
would reprise their roles as Tommy Merlyn,
Adrian Chase Adrian Chase is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is the second DC character to bear the name Vigilante. The character made his live-action debut in the Arrowverse series ''Arrow'', portrayed by Josh Segarr ...
,
Malcolm Merlyn Merlyn (Arthur King) is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. He is a deadly bow-wielding assassin and contract killer and the archnemesis of Green Arrow, though writers have developed him over the years as an adversary ...
and Moira Queen in a guest capacity. In August, it was announced that
Colton Haynes Colton Lee Haynes (born July 13, 1988) is an American actor and model. He is known for his starring role as Jackson Whittemore in the MTV supernatural drama series ''Teen Wolf (2011 TV series), Teen Wolf'' and as Roy Harper (Arrowverse), Roy Har ...
, who portrayed Roy Harper as a series regular in the seventh season, would not return with the same status, though Schwartz stated that she hoped to have him back in some capacity. Haynes said he did not exit the season, but that he was "not asked to come back for the final season as a series regular", and added that Roy is "never gone for too long". In September, it was announced that
Willa Holland Willa Joanna Chance Holland (born June 18, 1991) is an American actress and model. She is best known for her roles as Kaitlin Cooper in the Fox teen drama '' The O.C.'', Aqua in '' Kingdom Hearts,'' and Thea Queen in The CW series ''Arrow'' ...
would return as
Thea Queen Thea Dearden Queen, also known as Speedy, is a fictional character portrayed by Willa Holland on The CW television series ''Arrow'', created by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, and Andrew Kreisberg. She is the maternal half-sister of series prot ...
in a recurring role, after departing as a regular in the sixth season and returning as a guest star in the seventh. In the same month, Charlie Barnett was cast in the role of the adult version of
John Diggle Jr ''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 set i ...
. In October, it was announced that Haynes would appear in the season in a recurring role. In November, it was announced that
Paul Blackthorne Paul Blackthorne (born 5 March 1969) is an English actor. Although born in Shropshire, he spent his early childhood on UK military bases in Britain and Germany. Blackthorne broke into acting via television advertisements in England. His breakth ...
would return as
Quentin Lance ''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 ...
in a recurring role, after departing as a regular in the sixth season and returning as a guest star in the seventh.


Design

In July 2019, a new Green Arrow costume was unveiled on the ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'' magazine cover. A new Spartan costume was revealed by Guggenheim and a new Black Canary costume was revealed in the season's first trailer.


Filming

Filming began on July 11, 2019, and lasted until November 13. The season's third episode, "Leap of Faith", marks Cassidy's directorial debut. On October 21, filming for the ninth episode, the backdoor pilot for ''Green Arrow and the Canaries'', began.


Arrowverse tie-ins

In December 2018, during the end of that year's Arrowverse crossover "
Elseworlds Elseworlds is the publication imprint (trade name), imprint for American comic books produced by DC Comics for stories that take place outside the DC Universe Canon (fictional), canon. Elseworlds publications are set in alternate realities that ...
", a follow-up crossover – titled "
Crisis on Infinite Earths ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' is a 1985 to 1986 American comic book fictional crossover, crossover series published by DC Comics. Written by Marv Wolfman and penciller, pencilled by George Pérez, it was first released as a 12-issue limited ser ...
" and based on the comic book series of the same name – was announced. The crossover took place over five episodes – three in December 2019, and two (including the ''Arrow'' episode) in January 2020.


Release


Broadcast

The season premiered on October 15, 2019, in the United States on The CW. Additionally, The CW aired a retrospective special titled "Hitting the Bullseye" which preceded the series finale.


Home media

The season was released on
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...
and
Blu-ray Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...
on April 28, 2020, with special features including the show's 2019
San Diego Comic-Con San Diego Comic-Con is a comic book convention and multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California, at the San Diego Convention Center. Founded in 1970, originally showcasing primarily comic books and science fiction/fant ...
panel, the special "Hitting the Bullseye" and all five episodes of the sixth annual Arrowverse crossover event, "
Crisis on Infinite Earths ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' is a 1985 to 1986 American comic book fictional crossover, crossover series published by DC Comics. Written by Marv Wolfman and penciller, pencilled by George Pérez, it was first released as a 12-issue limited ser ...
".


Reception


Critical response

The
review aggregation A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...
website
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
reports a 95% approval rating for the eighth season, with an average rating of 7.5/10 based on 125 reviews. The site's critics consensus reads, "Oliver Queen's final adventure hits emotional peaks while spearheading the game-changing 'Crisis on Infinite Earths', giving the Emerald Archer a rousing sendoff."
Katie Cassidy Katie Cassidy (born November 25, 1986) is an American actress. Following several minor television roles, she came to attention as a scream queen after starring in the horror films ''When a Stranger Calls (2006 film), When a Stranger Calls'' (2006 ...
's portrayal of Earth-2 Laurel Lance was praised by critics, with
TVLine ''TVLine'' is a website devoted to information, news, and spoilers of television programs. It covers various topics including the latest news on television, reviews, latest releases, and more. History In late 2010, ''Entertainment Weekly''s ...
calling her development "one of ''the'' most enjoyable aspects of ''Arrows 10-episode farewell run". Cassidy additionally received an honorable mention on TVLine's Performer of the Week for her performance on " Welcome to Hong Kong".


Ratings


Notes


References

{{Arrowverse Arrow (TV series) seasons 2019 American television seasons 2020 American television seasons Television series set in 2019 Television series set in 2020