Arrow is the DC show at the forefront of the Arrowverse, and with eight seasons there is a lot of good, and also bad. Here are all 8 Arrow seasons ranked.
All 8 Arrow Seasons Ranked From Worst To Best
For eight years, Arrow was at the forefront of the Arrowverse. We followed along with Oliver Queen and his team as they protected Star City from all threats. In addition, helping spin-off shows like The Flash and Legends Of Tomorrow. In this article we rank all eight seasons of Arrow. Starting with our least favorite, it should be no surprise where this list is beginning.
SPOILERS FOR ARROW AHEAD!
Arrow Season 4 – #8
Where do I begin? Laurel’s death, Oliver & Felicity’s relationship taking too much focus away from the show, the main villain Damien Darhk not being a right fit, and many more problems. The season started at an ok place, but it slowly descended into a mess that I consider Season 4 to be the worst thing in the Arrowverse. Killing off Laurel, a significant character in the comics, just because “her story was done” is ridiculous.
The handling of her character at times was horrible; she deserved better. Damien’s supernatural abilities and having Oliver gain a magical power turned Arrow into something it’s not. Arrow is a grounded vigilante story at its core, and these elements felt out of place. Oliver’s relationship with Felicity was turned up to 11, and if you were a fan of them, you got what you wanted. I wasn’t a fan of the relationship, and their storyline took up too much screen time.
Arrow started as a crime drama, and romance was a part of the storytelling, but this was too much. Arrow strived for great action scenes, and most of them in Season 4 were laughable. I was more frustrated with these characters than actually caring for them. I could go on and on about my problems, so I’ll just say I’m glad that Season 5 redeemed my love for the show. Arrow Season 4 almost made me stop watching altogether.
Arrow seasons ranked continued…
Arrow Season 6 – #7
Season 6 is far better for multiple reasons compared to Season 4. However, some significant issues bring it down to number 7 on my list.
After a major cliffhanger in the Season 5 finale, the assumption would be some substantial changes to the show would happen jumping into Season 6. However, almost everyone survived the destruction of Lian-Yu, and the cliffhanger didn’t have a significant impact as we expected. Cayden James, our first half main villain of the season, wasn’t terrible, but I wish we had a different character instead of him. Laurel’s earth two doppelgänger played a considerable role, and I appreciated it as a Laurel fan.
Having Oliver on trial for being The Green Arrow was some solid storytelling. We see a brief return of Slade Wilson in a few episodes, and he goes full Deathstroke in a fantastic fight scene. My final thought is the storyline involving New Team Arrow Vs. Original Team Arrow. The storyline should have either occurred some other time or not at all. It felt forced here, and it’s seen as an arc most of us want to forget. Not the worst season of the show, but it needed some improvement.
Arrow seasons ranked continued…
Arrow Season 7 – #6
Oliver being in prison with criminals he put away, and they all know who he is was a great way to start Season 7. The prison arc had tension and some great action scenes. A whole episode was dedicated to a giant fight within the prison, and it’s easily one of my favorite episodes. The show airing at 9 PM also allowed it to be a little more brutal, allowing them more leeway.
Oliver, known as the Green Arrow, also added a new element to the series as he no longer hides his identity. Oliver joins the SCPD to help the police, an intelligent choice for the story. Introducing Oliver’s half-sister, Emiko, was also a nice change of pace.
We witness her past, how her life was different due to being Robert’s child but not getting the same treatment as Oliver from their same father. Season 7 also added a new element with flash-forwards, focusing primarily on the kids of our present-day heroes. At first, I loved it, but as the season continued, it ended up being boring at times or not as interesting as I know the writers wanted it to be.
One significant thing for the flash-forwards was seeing the redeemed earth two Laurel in the original Laurel’s Black Canary suit. We end the season with The Monitor taking Oliver away, as he was crucial for Crisis. Oliver’s importance to Crisis sets up some important things for the series and the rest of the DC Multiverse.
Arrow seasons ranked continued…
Arrow Season 3 – #5
The more I think back on Season 3, the more I appreciate most of what it accomplished. I wish our main antagonist Ra’s al Ghul had more screen time, but I mostly liked his role within Season 3. Episode 9 had a great fight between Ra’s and Oliver that ended with Oliver being kicked off the cliff. What a surprise and I figured he wasn’t dead, but I sure was surprised at the moment.
Having Ra’s al Ghul wanting Oliver to take this place as the leader of The League was one of my favorite storylines this season. The writers, unfortunately, rushed Laurel’s training to being Black Canary, but I was glad she finally was the hero we were waiting for her to be.
Brandon Routh was brought onto the series as Ray Palmer, adding a new dynamic to the series to switch up the season. My primary critique was Felicity being overly emotional, mainly crying, and it felt over the top at times. It felt the writers wanted the characters to have many touching moments to add weight to the stories we saw in Season 3.
However, it was primarily unnecessary, or possibly Felicity could have handled her emotions better. We sadly lost Roy Harper this year, as Colton wanted to step away from the show. I hated we lost him but appreciated how they handled his send-off. We end this season with Oliver’s sister Thea becoming the archer Speedy, and this was a grand reveal. This season also introduced the idea of Oliver being with Felicity, and I didn’t hate it entirely. It just went downhill in Season 4, as many things did.
Arrow seasons ranked continued…
Arrow Season 8 – #4
Arrow Season 8 was both the road to Crisis On Infinite Earths and a farewell to Arrow. Oliver interacted with returning characters to celebrate Arrow’s run while completing tasks related to Crisis. Bringing the future characters into the present to interact with our current cast was a shock.
Oliver meeting his grown-up daughter was bizarre, and her resenting him for not being around was challenging, but it needed to happen. We see the slow bond between Oliver and his daughter Mia, and it helps Oliver reach his peace when he dies during Crisis. The final episode of the series saw almost everyone from Arrow’s past return.
I felt it to be one of the better finales I have ever seen from a television show. I wish Season 8 had more than ten episodes, as they could have told more stories before Arrow ended. I got moments I wasn’t expecting, and honestly, Season 8 would be higher on my list if it wasn’t for the last three remaining seasons I need to rank. I would have been furious if Season 8 didn’t stick the landing; thankfully, it did. The season allowed Oliver to come to terms with what he has done and finally rest after many years of saving others.
Arrow seasons ranked continued…
Arrow Season 5 – #3
I heard a voice in the wind, and it told me not to give up on Arrow after the abysmal Season 4. So thankfully, I gave Season 5 a shot, and to this day, I’m still blown away by it. A complete 180 from what occurred previously, Season 5 did almost everything right. Prometheus was the proper villain at the right time of the series. Having Adrian Chase be created by Oliver’s choice to kill Adrian’s father years prior worked so well thematically.
Oliver questioned his choices, the list his father gave him to save Starling City, and Oliver being a vigilante, in general, were all examined. Adrian playing multiple games with Team Arrow and showing he was always steps ahead of them added to the tension building. It felt like an Arrow reunion towards the end when villains and heroes returned for an epic showdown on Lian Yu.
Season 5 also introduced us to some new heroes who joined Team Arrow. The addition of these characters added new dynamics and new storylines that developed as the season progressed. The flash-back scenes were exciting for the first time in a while, which was a nice change of pace compared to previous seasons.
Arrow returned to the vibe of its first two seasons while also not just relying on what made the show work. Oliver being the Mayor during all of this also added depth to the season. I could continue to praise Season 5, but I need to move on to where it all started.
Arrow Season 1 – #2
The beginning of the Arrowverse and the start of Oliver’s journey to eventually becoming the Green Arrow. Season 1 establishes Oliver’s motivation and what happened to him when he first was lost to the world five years prior. Arrow’s first season was dark, and they weren’t afraid to go places we weren’t expecting.
Stephen Amell wasn’t the Oliver Queen traditionally seen in the comics. He was more compared to Batman in many ways. I appreciated that this version of Oliver was different, as it allowed the show to follow its own path. The reveals throughout the season were surprising and kept me engaged throughout the episodes.
David Ramsey’s John Diggle was one of my favorite additions to the show, and his relationship with Oliver added so much to the season. Oliver’s mother, Moira, was set up as a villain early on. Thankfully this wasn’t the case, as this would have probably broken Oliver. Having Oliver’s best friend die in the Season 1 finale still stings, as Tommy helped keep Oliver’s humanity in check.
Tommy’s death signaled that this show would have stakes, but unfortunately, that wasn’t always the case moving forward. The Dark Archer was a great first main villain, and to make it worse, it was Tommy’s father, Malcolm. The flash-back scenes added to Oliver’s story and introduced us to why my number one ranked season is where it is.
Arrow Season 2 – #1
While Season 1 set up this series so well with its characters, stories, and action scenes that blew us away. Arrow continued the path it set and brought to the present-day the best villain. Slade Wilson was introduced on the Lian Yu in Season 1 flashbacks. We learn what happened to Slade on the island, and he reveals himself to Oliver in Starling City. Oliver thought Slade was dead, but he was waiting to return to hurt Oliver.
Team Arrow, thankfully is fully established, so Felicity, Diggle, Roy, and Sara returning after being presumed dead helped make Arrow what we loved at this point. Slade felt like a genuine threat, and it felt like Oliver had met his match. Oliver’s mother, Moira, reveals she’s known that Oliver was the vigilante for quite some time. I loved this moment, and I was trying to figure out where this took their relationship that had been rocky since he returned.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have much time to think as Slade murders Moira in front of him and his sister. A devastating blow to the show further proves how serious Slade was in his mission to hurt Oliver.
Season 2 also established Barry Allen before he became The Flash, setting up the Arrowverse as we know it. Oliver tried to change his approach to being the vigilante due to Tommy’s death, which showed Oliver’s growth. It was hard to choose which season would be number one, but ultimately it came down to the show’s ambition to go bigger in Season 2, and they succeeded.
Arrow will always be one of my favorite shows, and I miss watching it from time to time. I had many issues, and I am not afraid to call them out. I critiqued it so hard because I knew the show could have been better in some areas. I know they could have because I have seen them succeed so well at other times. The debate will rage on which season was the best, and I’ll argue my list.
Thank you, Arrow, for everything you did; maybe we will get a reunion one day? BRING IT ON!
All 8 seasons of Arrow are currently streaming on Netflix.
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