Team GATV Roundtable: Looking Back At Arrow Season 5

How many more seasons do you think Arrow can or should go?

STEPHANIE: With Arrow being a show that can do standalone episodes and serialized arcs equally as well, they have an advantage when it comes to longevity. I think Arrow can run at least through season seven, maybe a year or two longer depending on everyone’s willingness to return. On that note, I’d rather see the series end than continue in a way a la Once Upon A Time where we lose a bunch of integral actors who have managed to survive this long. Yes, the show is resilient and Team Arrow is capable of evolving to incorporate cast changes, but it’s also about family and friendship and needs to retain those original elements and original cast members for me to be as excited about, let’s say, season nine as I was for season two.

MELISSA: Can or should. Two very different questions. In terms of how long it could go on, minimum of seven seasons (how long Stephen Amell currently is contracted through) to all the way up to Supernatural territory of twelve or more seasons. The CW has pushed those doors wide open as long as a show can continue to bring in a core audience and do what they do best. The question of could is probably more tied to how long producers and actors are interested in making Arrow.

Then there is the question of how long it should go on. I don’t have that answer yet.

I think season six with Oliver presumably putting a lot of his island issues in the past will be a good test for how much longer the show should go on. I’m certain there are good stories left to tell, but I remember from Smallville’s ten year run how often the writers mined material by regressing characters and making them relearn lessons. Repeatedly. It was very frustrating to remember the character’s past better than the character.

Arrow is at a crossroads. The five-year origin story (technically ten years including the flashbacks) is over. There doesn’t have to be any limits or end dates to the stories they tell, but that only works if in season six they can demonstrate that they CAN move on from his past and allow something other than Oliver’s mistakes and trauma drive the show and the plot line. If they can keep the character growth and move forward, then could and should just might sync up together.

If not, then wrap it up by season seven or eight.

MATT: I’m going to approach it year to year at this point. They had a welcome mostly return to form last season, which could bode well for this year. A lot will depend on this first run of episodes. They need to engage in a good story before both the crossover event and the winter hiatus. That could spring people back on board. If it’s not strong, pulling folks into the second half of the season will be very tough. That could make the decision to renew for Season 7 less than a foregone conclusion.

I wouldn’t be shocked if there are two more years for sure, but let’s take it a season at a time.

CRAIG: I don’t think it’ll hit Supernatural longevity, but I think it can keep going as long as it keeps making money, and as long as the producers and Stephen Amell want to do it. The show will probably evolve over time, but it’s resilient. I don’t think Season 6 will be the last, for sure; my answer will be “somewhere between 7-10 seasons,” with the “10” number there if only to beat Smallville’s total of 10 seasons and 218 episodes. I’ll also be very bold and suggest that Arrow’s life will be longer than that of The Flash or Supergirl as both of those shows are a lot more expensive to produce. We’ll see, though.

And that’s it for this year’s roundtable! Thanks for reading, everybody! The Arrow Season 5 Blu-ray is almost here – order yours and support this site!