Plot Synopsis

After a violent shipwreck, billionaire playboy Oliver Queen was missing and presumed dead for five years before being discovered alive on a remote island in the Pacific. When he returned home to Starling City, his devoted mother Moira, much-beloved sister Thea, and best friend Tommy welcomed him home, but they sensed Oliver had been changed by his ordeal on the island. While Oliver hid the truth about the man he'd become, he desperately wanted to make amends for the actions he took as the boy he was. Most particularly, he sought reconciliation with his former girlfriend, Laurel Lance. As Oliver reconnected with those closest to him, he secretly created the persona of Arrow, a vigilante who will right the wrongs of his family, fight the ills of society, and restore Starling City to its former glory. By day, Oliver plays the role of a wealthy, carefree and careless philanderer he used to be -- flanked by his devoted chauffeur/bodyguard, John Diggle -- while carefully concealing the secret identity he turns to under cover of darkness. However, Laurel's father, Detective Quentin Lance, is determined to arrest the vigilante operating in his city. Meanwhile, Oliver's own mother, Moira, knows much more about the deadly shipwreck than she has let on -- and is more ruthless than he could ever imagine. Season 1 ended with Oliver unable to prevent the destruction of the Glades, the poorest section of Starling City, and the death of his closest friend. Adding salt to the wound is the fact that Oliver's mother aided and abetted this plot, leading to her incarceration in Iron Heights Prison.

In the Season 2 opener, Felicity and Diggle went to Lian Yu to look for Oliver, and Roy tried to fill the Arrow's absence; meanwhile, Isabel Rochey prepared a hostile takeover of Queen Consolidated. Now determined to fight his battles without causing bloodshed, Oliver's new credo was challenged when his sworn enemy, Slade Wilson, returned to Starling City bent on destroying Oliver's life. Though Slade succeeded in hurting Oliver, killing his mother and driving his sister Thea to her biological father, Malcolm Merlyn, Oliver ultimately defeated Slade and saved Starling City from Slade's brutal army.

Season 3 premiered on Wednesday, October 8, 2014 at 8pm ET/PT on The CW, with Arrow now a hero to the citizens of Starling, following his victory at the end of the previous season. Crime is down, people feel safer, and Captain Lance even calls off the Anti-Vigilante Task Force. Basking in his success, Oliver believes he can finally have a private life and asks Felicity out on a date. But the second Oliver takes his eye off the ball, a deadly villain reappears in Starling, forcing Oliver to realize that he can never be Oliver Queen -- not as long as the city needs The Arrow.

Season 4 of ARROW premiered on Wednesday, October 7, 2015 at 8pm ET/PT on The CW. At the end of Season 3, Oliver left Starling City with Felicity and made a home in suburbia, where she is now running Ray's company remotely, after his mysterious death. But their newly tranquil lives are upended in the Season 4 premiere, "Green Arrow," when Oliver and Felicity's blissful getaway is cut short when Thea and Laurel pay them a visit and tell Oliver they need his help back in Starling City, now renamed Star City. The city has been attacked by "Ghosts," assassins led by a dangerous man named Damien Darhk, a former member of the League of Assassins and the leader of an evil new organization, H.I.V.E. However, when Oliver returns, Diggle makes it very clear that he doesn't want Oliver on the team.

ARROW returned for its fifth season on Wednesday, October 5, 2016 at 8pm ET/PT on The CW. In the season opener, "Legacy," after Laurel's death and the departures of both Diggle and Thea from Team Arrow, Oliver takes to the streets solo to protect Star City's citizens as the Green Arrow. With Felicity guiding him from the bunker, Oliver is forced to deal with a city that has become overrun with both criminals and a slew of new (and painfully inexperienced) vigilantes. Watching Oliver try to balance his jobs as both the mayor and also the protector of Star City, Felicity suggests he form a new team, but Oliver resists. However, when a deadly new criminal, Tobias Church (guest star Chad L. Coleman), enters the picture, Oliver realizes the best thing for the city might be a new team of superheroes. Meanwhile, the flashbacks take us to Russia where Oliver faces off against the Bratva.

Season 6 of ARROW premiered on Thursday, October 12, 2017 at 9pm ET/PT on The CW. In the season opener, "Fallout," Oliver deals with the fallout of the explosion on the island.

The seventh season of ARROW premiered on Monday, October 15, 2018 at 8pm ET/PT on The CW. In the season opener, "Inmate #4587," following Oliver's shocking decision to turn himself over to the FBI and reveal his identity as the Green Arrow to the public, Oliver has spent the past five months in Slabside Maximum Security Prison. Determined to keep a low profile to shorten his sentence for the sake of his family, Oliver is tested when he runs into old foes. Meanwhile, Diggle and Dinah have taken on new jobs and left their costumes behind but not everyone is following suit. With her focus on William (guest star Jack Moore), Felicity tries to start over but when someone from her past resurfaces, things become complicated. On Monday, February 4, 2019 at 8pm ET/P, The CW premiered ARROW's 150th episode. This milestone episode, "Emerald Archer," showcases a documentary entitled "The Hood and the rise of vigilantism" starring Oliver Queen, Felicity Smoak, and the rest of Team Arrow. As a camera crew follows Oliver and team around to talk about their past as vigilantes and what the Green Arrow means to Star City, Oliver must also deal with William's (guest star Jack Moore) return from boarding school as well as a new threat to the city. The episode features "documentary footage" captured by the BTS crew and interviews from those who have worked alongside the Green Arrow. The documentary is narrated by Kelsey Grammer.

ARROW returned for its eighth and final season on Tuesday, October 15, 2019 at 9pm ET/PT on The CW. In the season opener, "Starling City," while trying to decipher The Monitor's (guest star LaMonica Garrett) mission, Oliver returns to Starling City where he encounters familiar faces. Meanwhile, Mia and William's team clash with a new foe.
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On Tuesday, January 28, 2020 at 9pm ET/PT, The CW premiered the series finale of ARROW, immediately following a one-hour special (8pm):

"Hitting the Bullseye" (8pm; special): Featuring interviews with the cast and executive producers Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim and Beth Schwartz, this one-hour farewell special takes a look back at eight seasons of ARROW.

"Fadeout" (9pm; series finale): After eight seasons -- and the launch of countless superheroes -- the series wraps up the story of the Green Arrow.