Arrow is the show that kicked off The CW's DC TV empire back in 2012, and it's still going strong today. The ratings aren't as great as they once were, but the show has continually shown a willingness to shake up the status quo as it incorporates brand new characters and plots. We're already halfway through Season 5, and so the time has come to start thinking ahead to what could be coming next. The Season 5 finale will mark the end of an era, and we're bound to see a very different Arrow in any future seasons. At the moment, Oliver has a lot going on with his current supervillain and set of problems. Still, some details have already been released about what's in the works. Take a look at our breakdown of what we know so far about Arrow Season 5.
Is Arrow Renewed?
Arrow has lost its place in the spotlight over the past few years as The CW has worked to promote newer shows like The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, and Supergirl, so it has felt at times like the end is nigh for Oliver Queen and Co. Luckily for Arrow fans, the end isn't in sight just yet. The CW renewed Arrow for Season 6 in January, along with The Flash, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow, Supernatural, Jane the Virgin, and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Star Stephen Amell addressed the possibility of a cancellation back in November, saying that Season 5 was the "throw down the gauntlet year" where they were either going to fizzle out or find a new way to play to their strengths and stay on the air for a while yet. The CW evidently believes that Arrow has what it takes to attract viewers for at least one more season.
When Will Arrow Season 6 Premiere?
Season 5 is still airing new episodes, and we don't even have a season finale date set just yet, so it may be a while before we get an official premiere date for Season 6. That said, Arrow has premiered in the first or second week of October every since its very first season back in 2012. Assuming that The CW sticks with this pattern, we can expect the first episode Season 6 to hit the airwaves in early October 2017.
Will The Flashbacks Continue?
Arrow episodes have almost always consisted of action set in the present as Oliver grows into his identity as a hero contrasted with flashbacks to his descent into darkness from his five years of post-shipwreck hell. With the fifth season coming to an end, the big question has been whether Arrow would stretch the flashbacks into a sixth season and keep the format intact. Showrunner Marc Guggenheim has revealed that Arrow will in fact continue featuring flashbacks...but not necessarily in every single episode, and not to Oliver's five years of hell. Guggenheim even went so far as to tease that the final scene of Season 5 will be a flashback to the first scene of Season 1, which will bring the show full circle. Oliver's epic flashback journey will indeed be complete by the Season 5 finale; any future flashbacks will involve different time spans and/or different characters.
Is Season 6 A Reboot?
Another big question about post-Season 5 Arrow has been whether Season 6 and onward will feel like an entirely different show that just so happens to feature the same characters. The show already did a little bit of a reboot after Season 3 ended without a massive cliffhanger. It's certainly felt conceivable that Arrow would finish Oliver's journey in Season 5 with nowhere left to go, then return in Season 6 with a different premise. Marc Guggenheim has come out to reveal that the Arrow team has clear ideas of where they want to go in the Season 5 finale, and those ideas involve cliffhangers and twists. Season 6 will undoubtedly feel different than the seasons that came before, but it, evidently, will not feel like a reboot with minimal carryover.
What Crossovers Can We Expect In Season 6?
The CW's DC universe currently consists of four shows, and although Supergirl is set on a different Earth than Arrow, The Flash, and Legends of Tomorrow, crossovers between all the series have happened. We've had small crossovers of characters popping over to a sister show for a scene or two, and we've had ginormous multi-show crossover events. According to Marc Guggenheim, the odds are pretty good that the 2017 - 2018 TV season will see a mega crossover involving four hours of primetime TV. The ratings for the "Heroes v. Aliens" event were huge for The CW, so we can bet that the network will do everything possible to team the heroes up to face another threat. We'll have to wait and see what will happen to combine the Arrow crew with the teams from The Flash, Legends, and Supergirl next season.
You can catch new episodes of Arrow on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on The CW. Don't forget to check out our midseason TV premiere schedule to see what else is available in primetime
