The “Arrowverse” has come a very long way since the “Arrow” pilot first aired years ago. Now the universe is filled with metahumans and super powers, and after “The Flash” and DC’s “Legends of Tomorrow” joined the fray, “Arrow” struggled to find its place in the new world.
In season 4 of “Arrow” magic was introduced, but the introduction was met with a pretty negative response and many fans felt that the show went off the rails. Luckily the series went back to doing what it does best in season 5, and the fifth season turned out to be arguably the best season so far.
“Arrow” will now be returning for season 6 this week, and the new season will double down on the dark, gritty storytelling. Stephen Amell recently spoke to EW about what fans can expect from the series in season 6, and he noted that what separates the series from other shows in the “Arrowverse” is that the crew still tries to find ways to pull of practical stunts rather than relying on special effects.
“It shone through last year for sure. Our show works best when it focuses on the city limits of Star City and what happens within them. We can’t fly to outerspace, and we can’t time travel aside from when we shift to Monday night in November for the crossover. The crossover is like a standalone episode to me, it’s like an episode out of time — no pun intended, and no spoilers given. Look, we have a crew and a batch of directors and cinematographers that have gotten really good at going, “Okay, what’s the best way to do this,” and the answer is almost always practically. That, to me, is what separates us from the other shows. It doesn’t make it better, but we do it practically. If you saw at the end of the Comic-Con teaser that came out, the last frame is the Green Arrow diving off of a bridge. You know how we did that? Stunt double dove off a bridge and he loved it. He’s like, “How many more times can I do this?” That’s how we do things. With the villains this year, they’re all street level guys. Anatoly cut his teeth on the streets of Russia, and Richard Dragon cut his teeth on the streets in Star City, and whatever gaggle of villains is on the way, they’re focused on the goings on that happened here.”
“Arrow” will return on Thursday, October 12.
