Arrow | |
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250px | |
Genre | Drama Superhero Mystery Action/Adventure |
Developed by | Greg Berlanti Marc Guggenheim Andrew Kreisberg |
Starring | Stephen Amell Katie Cassidy Colin Donnell David Ramsey Willa Holland Susanna Thompson Paul Blackthorne |
Composer(s) | Blake Neely |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language(s) | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 7 (List of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producer(s) | Greg Berlanti David Nutter (pilot) Marc Guggenheim Andrew Kreisberg |
Producer(s) | Joseph Patrick Finn |
Location(s) | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
Cinematography | Glen Winter |
Camera setup | Single-camera |
Running time | 43 minutes |
Production company(s) | Warner Bros. Television Berlanti Television DC Comics |
Distributor | Warner Bros. Television Distribution |
Broadcast | |
Original channel | The CW |
Picture format | 720p (HDTV) 480i (SDTV) |
Audio format | Dolby Digital 5.1 |
Original run | October 10, 2012 | – present
External links | |
Official website | |
Production website |
Arrow is an American action-adventure television series developed by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, and Andrew Kreisberg. It is based on the fictional character Green Arrow, a costumed crime-fighter who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. It premiered in North America on The CW on October 10, 2012,[1] with international broadcasting to take place in late 2012.[2] The series follows billionaire playboy Oliver Queen, portrayed by Stephen Amell, who, after five years of being stranded on an uncharted island, returns home to fight crime and corruption as a secret vigilante whose weapon of choice is a bow and arrows. Arrow will also feature appearances by other DC Comics characters. To assist in promotion, a preview comic book was released to tie into the television series.
On October 22, 2012, Arrow was picked up by The CW for a full season.[3]
The series follows Oliver Queen, billionaire playboy of Starling City, who spends five years stranded on an island following a shipwreck that claims the life of everyone else on board, including his father, Robert Queen, and Sarah Lance, the sister of Oliver's girlfriend. Upon his return to Starling City, he is reunited with his mother, Moira, and her new husband, Walter, the former CFO of his father's company. He is also greeted by his younger sister, Thea, and his best friend, Tommy; Oliver tries to reconnect with ex-girlfriend Laurel Lance, but she blames him for her sister, Sarah's, death. Oliver and Sarah were having an affair at the time of the accident.
During the day, Oliver plays the billionaire playboy; at night, he becomes a green-hooded vigilante, following through with his father's dying wishes to right the wrongs of the Queen family, fight the ills of society, and restore Starling City to its former glory. Oliver's vigilante persona becomes the focus of Detective Quentin Lance, father to Laurel and Sarah, who is determined to arrest him, unaware of his real identity. Oliver is also constantly flanked by a bodyguard, John Diggle, who later joins Oliver in his fight for justice. Moira is also hiding some secrets, as she knows that the family yacht was actually sabotaged.
Arrow was developed by Andrew Kreisberg, Greg Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim, while the pilot episode was directed by David Nutter, who also directed the pilot for Smallville. The series was picked up by The CW Television Network on May 11, 2012.[11] The series will introduce additional DC Comics characters throughout the season, including: Darren Shahlavi as Constantine Drakon,[12] Michael Rowe as Deadshot,[13] Kelly Hu as China White,[14] Jeffrey Nordling as Frank Bertinelli, Currie Graham as King of the Royal Flush Gang,[15][16] Jeffrey C. Robinson as Slade Wilson/Deathstroke[17][18] and Andrew Dunbar as Firefly.[19] In September 2012, Tahmoh Penikett was cast as Tom Salvati, the right hand man of Frank Bertinelli. The studio did not specify if Penikett's role would be a recurring role or just a guest appearance.[20] It was announced in November that Ben Browder would guest star as Ted Gaynor,[21] Seth Gabel was cast as a character inspired by Count Vertigo,[22] and that Janina Gavankar would portray a Starling City vice cop named McKenna Hall.[23] On November 30, 2012, it was announced that Manu Bennett would be taking over the role of Slade Wilson/Deathstroke, and is contracted for multiple episodes.[24]
To promote the series, DC Comics produced a 10-page preview comic for the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con, written by Kreisberg, illustrated by Omar Francia, and featuring a cover by artist Mike Grell. The comic is regarded by the production crew of the TV series as sharing the same canon as the series, with Kreisberg commenting, "[For] anyone who grabs a copy: Hold onto it and as the series progresses, you'll appreciate it more and more."[25]
No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Production code |
U.S. viewers (million) |
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1 | "Pilot" | David Nutter | Story by: Greg Berlanti Marc Guggenheim Teleplay by: Andrew Kreisberg Marc Guggenheim |
October 10, 2012 | 296818 | 4.14[26] |
After a shipwreck that claims the life of his father, billionaire playboy Oliver Queen is missing and presumed dead for five years before being discovered alive on a remote island in the Pacific. When he returns home to Starling City, his mother Moira, his younger sister Thea, and best friend Tommy welcome him home but sense Oliver has been changed by his ordeal on the island. While Oliver hides the truth about the man he has become, he tries to reconcile with his former girlfriend, Laurel, for cheating on her with her sister, who also died in the shipwreck. As Oliver reconnects with those closest to him, he secretly masquerades as a hooded vigilante archer by night, attempting to right the wrongs of his family, fight the ills of society, and restore Starling City to its former glory as his late father had entrusted him to do before his death. Oliver's first personal task is to take down corrupt millionaire Adam Hunt, who has scammed millions from various people in Starling City. Laurel's father, police detective Quentin Lance, is determined to arrest the vigilante. Meanwhile, Oliver's mother is revealed to have an agenda against her son, having orchestrated a kidnapping to determine what his father told him after the shipwreck. | ||||||
2 | "Honor Thy Father" | David Barrett | Story by: Greg Berlanti Marc Guggenheim Teleplay by: Andrew Kreisberg Marc Guggenheim |
October 17, 2012 | 2J7302 | 3.55[27] |
Laurel brings a civil suit against millionaire Martin Somers, who is also one of Oliver's targets, for taking part in drug trades with the Chinese Triads that ultimately led to the death of a young woman's father. As the hooded vigilante, Oliver threatens Somers to make him confess to the murder as penance for all of the wrongs he has done to the city. Instead, Somers contacts the Triad, who sends their assassin, China White, to kill Laurel. Oliver saves Laurel from China; he also captures and gives an audio recording of Somers? confession to Detective Lance. Meanwhile, Oliver?s mother and Walter push Oliver to take a position at the company. Oliver intentionally embarrasses the family at the opening of the company's new applied sciences division to get out of it, knowing that he cannot honor his father?s request to fight for the city and be the man his mother wants him to be at the same time. A flashback to Oliver's time on the island shows him being attacked by an unknown hooded figure wielding a bow and arrow. | ||||||
3 | "Lone Gunmen" | Guy Bee | Story by: Greg Berlanti Andrew Kreisberg Teleplay by: Marc Guggenheim Andrew Kreisberg |
October 24, 2012 | 2J7303 | 3.51[28] |
Oliver tracks down another millionaire from his list, but before he can get the answers he wants the man is killed by an assassin known as Deadshot. Initially, the police suspect that the vigilante, whom they refer to as "The Hood", is responsible for the murder, but the evidence begins to prove that he did not kill anyone. Oliver decides to build a new dance club above his hideout to explain where he goes at night. While comparing the competition, Oliver finds Thea, who reveals that Laurel and Tommy had been sleeping together during Oliver's abscence. Laurel becomes suspicious when Oliver does not react to the news. Meanwhile, Oliver uses the assassin's M.O. to learn his true identity, and enlists the help of Detective Lance to stop Deadshot from assassinating more of the wealthy. Oliver manages to stop Deadshot, apparently killing him in the process, but his bodyguard Diggle is shot during the assassination attempt. Oliver is forced to reveal his true identity to Diggle in order to save Diggle's life. In another flashback, it is revealed that the archer who attacked Oliver was actually trying to help him. Oliver misunderstands and escapes, but is pursued by an unknown group of armed professionals. | ||||||
4 | "An Innocent Man" | Vince Misiano | Moira Kirland Lana Cho | October 31, 2012 | 2J7304 | 3.05[29] |
Diggle awakens in Oliver's hideout, where Oliver offers Diggle a chance to fight at his side and help the city. Diggle turns him down, calling him a murderer. Later, while watching the news, Oliver discovers a connection between Declan, a deathrow inmate, and Jason Brodeur, one of the men on his list. In his vigilante persona, he enlists the help of Laurel to prove the man innocent before he is executed. Working together, the pair uncover the truth, but Jason Brodeur has his bodyguard stage a prison break so that he can have Laurel and the inmate killed before the truth is revealed. Oliver sneaks into the prison dressed as a guard, with a ski mask to hide his face, and saves Laurel and Declan. The bodyguard ultimately confesses to Declan's innocence. Diggle meets with Oliver and agrees to work with him so that he can both protect the city and protect Oliver from losing his humanity. Detective Lance arrests Oliver on suspicion of being the vigilante after seeing footage of him changing into his disguise before the last Deadshot confrontation. Meanwhile, Walter discovers that Moira has been keeping the salvaged and sabotaged family yacht hidden in a warehouse. | ||||||
5 | "Damaged" | Michael Schultz | Wendy Mericle Ben Sokolowski | November 7, 2012 | 2J7305 | 3.75[30] |
Detective Lance charges Oliver with murder, so Oliver hires Laurel to be his attorney. Given Oliver's time on the island, the district attorney offers Oliver an insanity plea with an indeterminate amount of time spent in a psychiatric facility under a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder. Oliver declines, and offers to take a polygraph test for Detective Lance to prove his innocence. Although his test indicates he is telling the truth about not being the vigilante, the experience causes Oliver to have flashbacks to his time on the island. Oliver specifically remembers when he is caught by the armed professionals and tortured by Deathstroke before being saved by the hooded archer, which he shares with Laurel. While under house arrest, Oliver maintains his bachelor playboy facade by throwing a prison themed party and reveals to Diggle his plan was to get caught so that he could convince everyone that he was not the vigilante from the start. To accomplish this, Oliver has Diggle dress as the vigilante and go after a German arms dealer who is in the city to sell automatic weapons to the city gangs. Oliver's plan works and the charges are dropped. Meanwhile, Moira meets with the an unknown associate, who is tied to the list that Oliver has, regarding the vigilante attacking members of their secret organization. Walter leaves the house after confronting Moira on her deception. | ||||||
6 | "Legacies" | John Behring | Moira Kirland Marc Guggenheim | November 14, 2012 | 2J7306 | 3.83[31] |
Oliver begins preparing to take on another individual from his father's list, but Diggle argues that he should expand his work and help the police take down a group of bank robbers. Oliver initially refuses, believing that it detracts from his mission to right his father's wrongs; Diggle is able to persuade Oliver in the end. Oliver uses police files and IT specialist Felicity Smoak to deduce that the robbers are actually a family unit, and that the leader Derek Reston worked for Queen Industries before Robert Queen outsourced 1500 jobs to China and the Reston family lost their home as a result. Feeling guilty, Oliver tries to persuade Derek to right his own wrongs, but when he learns that the family are going to rob another bank he chooses to stop them. During Oliver's confrontation, Derek is shot and not killed. Meanwhile, Tommy throws Laurel a fundraiser to help her pro-bono law firm, CNRI, stay in business; Tommy hopes that this will show Laurel that he is serious about wanting a relationship with her. Flashbacks also reveal how Oliver first discovered the target names in his father's notebook. | ||||||
7 | "Muse of Fire" | David Grossman | Story by: Andrew Kreisberg Teleplay by: Geoff Johns Marc Guggenheim |
November 28, 2012 | 2J7307 | 3.74[32] |
While on her way to meet Oliver, Moira is almost gunned down by a mysterious assailant who was attempting to assassinate an associate of mob boss Frank Bertinelli. Oliver attempts to infilitrate Frank's business to discover the identity of the attacker. Frank confronts China White and the Triad gang for the murders of his people. Oliver learns that the attacker is Helena Bertinelli, Frank's daughter, and whom with he had just been on a date. Helena reveals that she is looking for revenge against her father, who she blames for the murder of her fianc?. Helena and Oliver are abducted by Frank's right-hand man in connection to the deaths of other mob associates; Helena kills her father's assistant after learning he killed her fianc?. She also deduces Oliver's identity as the vigilante after witnessing him fight her father's henchmen. In the end, Helena confesses to Oliver that she believes that they both share similar stories and that is why they feel connected to each other. Meanwhile, Tommy is cut off financially by his father, who turns out to be the unknown associate that Moira was meeting with regarding the target list. Walter returns home after being away for weeks. | ||||||
8 | "Vendetta"[33] | Ken Fink[33] | Beth Schwartz Andrew Kreisberg[33] | December 5, 2012[34] | ||
9 | "Year's End"[35] | John Dahl[35] | Story by: Greg Berlanti Marc Guggenheim Teleplay by: Andrew Kreisberg Marc Guggenheim[35] |
December 12, 2012[34] | ||
10 | "Burned"[36] | Eagle Egilsson[36] | Moira Kirland Ben Sokolowski[36] | |||
11 | "Trust but Verify"[37] | Nick Copus[37] | Gabrielle Stanton[37] | |||
12 | "Vertigo"[38] | Wendey Stanzler[38] | Wendy Mericle Ben Sokolowski[38] | |||
13 | "Betrayal"[39] | Guy Bee[39] | Lana Cho Beth Schwartz[39] |
Arrow received favorable reviews, with a Metacritic score of 73 out of 100, based on 25 critic reviews.[40] Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times called the series an interesting setup with a quality look, describing Amell as "a poster boy (no doubt literally) for the Katniss Everdeen set."[41] Brian Lowry at Variety was less favorable, describing the series as a handsome but stiff surrogate for Batman that could benefit from sharper execution.[42]
Arrow premiered on The CW network October 10, 2012, during the 2012?13 television season,[2] and airs on Wednesdays at 8:00 pm Eastern/7:00 pm Central.[43] The series was also released in Canada on the same day.[44] Arrow premiered in South Africa on M-Net on October 19, 2012[45] and internationally on October 22, 2012, through the British,[46] Irish,[46] Australian,[47] and Brazilian markets.[48][3]
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