Arrow season 8 is on the way, but when will it premiere and what will the story be about? In 2012, Arrow ushered in a new wave of DC Comics TV shows after Smallville ended in 2011, and it all culminated into what’s been dubbed the Arrowverse. Now, Arrow is coming to an end in the winter 2019, coinciding with the release of this year’s crossover event, Crisis on Infinite Earths.
Oliver Queen’s journey through Arrow season 7 has been a wild one. The season opened with Oliver in prison, having agreed to a plea bargain in season 6 that bought his fellow vigilantes a pardon and the FBI’s assistance in going after crime boss Ricardo Diaz, in exchange for Oliver’s guilty plea on a lengthy list of charges. Before the season was half over, however, Oliver found his sentence commuted and was soon back on the streets, blazing a new trail as the first officially deputized superhero in the world while hunting for the new Green Arrow who had taken up his mantle in his absence. He soon discovered the new vigilante was his half-sister, Emiko Queen, but it would be some time before he learned that she was the leader of a syndicate known as the Ninth Circle and that she was out to destroy the Queen family name and Oliver’s reputation.
Emiko has been incredibly successful in this regard, heading into Arrow’s season 7 finale. She exposed Team Arrow’s efforts to cover up a murder that an enraged Roy Harper committed and she framed Felicity Smoak for terrorism before going on to kill most of the police in Star City PD’s headquarters, all while dressed as the Green Arrow. Thankfully, Oliver Queen is not without allies, but it’s difficult to see how the team can recover as Arrow season 8 nears.
Last updated: June 17, 2019
Arrow Season 8 Premiere Date
Arrow season 8 was officially announced in March. The series will be moving into a new time slot, airing at 9 PM on Tuesday nights, immediately after The Flash, when Arrow season 8 premieres on Tuesday, October 15. This falls in line with past seasons, considering that Arrow has always premiered in the first or second week of October.
Arrow Season 8 Is The Final Season
It was also announced in March 2019 that Arrow season 8 will be the final season. Stephen Amell was ready to hang up the emerald hood, saying that while playing Oliver Queen was “the greatest professional experience of my life” that “you can’t be a vigilante forever.” This, coupled with female lead Emily Bett Rickards wanting to leave Arrow as well, signaled that it was time to bring the saga to a close.
Arrow Season 8 Will Be Only 10 Episodes
Arrow season 8 will be notable for its shorter length, numbering only 10 episodes instead of the usual 22 or 23. It has been noted that this will place the Arrow series finale right around the time of the 2019 Arrowverse crossover event, Crisis on Infinite Earths. It’s speculated that Oliver will die a hero’s death during the event (which usually takes place across the ninth week of the broadcast season) leaving one final episode to tie up the loose ends and bring the story of the first Green Arrow to a close.
Arrow Season 8 Story Details
Surprisingly little has been revealed about the story of Arrow season 8 heading into the season 7 finale. The only thing that is known for sure is that Felicity Smoak, who is currently pregnant with Oliver Queen’s child, will not be a part of it, as Felicity is primed to go into hiding from Oliver’s enemies. Those enemies might include the Ninth Circle or the SCPD, given that Felicity is now a wanted fugitive.
Plus, the rest of Team Arrow has been framed for a number of crimes as well. This could be what sets up the state of affairs seen in the flash-forwards of Arrow season 7, where the vigilantes of Star City aren’t remembered fondly. Either way, it seems a safe bet that things will be looking bad for Oliver Queen and his allies even before the fate of the Arrowverse is called into question during the upcoming Crisis on Infinite Earths.
Next: Arrow Season 7’s Ending Wraps Up (Almost) All Of Oliver Queen’s Story
