The series attempts to take a realistic look at the Green Arrow character, as well as other characters from the DC Comics universe. Although Oliver Queen/Green Arrow had been featured in the television series Smallville from 2006 to 2011, the producers decided to start clean and find a new actor (Amell) to portray the character. Arrow focuses on the humanity of Oliver Queen, and how his time on a presumably deserted island affected him. The creative team chose to illustrate that in the series by crafting flashback scenes to the island for every episode. The series is primarily filmed in the city of Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada.
Arrow has received generally favorable reviews from critics, and was the highest rated new series on the CW in past five years up to its release. The series averaged approximately 3.68 million viewers over the course of the first season, and has garnered multiple award nominations and three wins. To assist in promotion, a preview comic book was released before the television series began; webisodes featuring a product tie-in with BOSE were developed for the second season. The first season is available on DVD and Blu-ray in regions 1, 2 and 4. The second season of Arrow premiered on October 9, 2013.
The series follows Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell), billionaire playboy of Starling City, who spends five years stranded on an island following a shipwreck that claims the life of everyone else on board, including his father, Robert Queen (Jamey Sheridan). Upon his return to Starling City, he is reunited with his mother, Moira (Susanna Thompson), her new husband, Walter Steele (Colin Salmon), the current CEO of Queen Consolidated; and his younger sister, Thea (Willa Holland). He is also greeted by his best friend, Tommy Merlyn (Colin Donnell), the son of billionaire Malcolm Merlyn (John Barrowman), and ex-girlfriend Laurel Lance (Katie Cassidy). The first season focuses on Oliver reconnecting with people upon his return, and spending his nights hunting down the wealthy responsible for "failing the city" as a hooded vigilante who is not afraid to kill his targets. Oliver is assisted in his vendetta by John Diggle (David Ramsey), who acts as Oliver's bodyguard in front of the public, and Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards), an IT specialist that works at Queen Consolidated. The first season also features flashbacks to Oliver's time on the island, and how it changed him. Season two focuses on Oliver's decision to stop all criminals, without killing them, following the death of his best friend. Oliver must also contend with outside forces attempting to take over Queen Consolidated, as well as the revelation that certain individuals have returned from perceived death. The series also features the introductions of various DC Comics characters, both in present time and flashbacks to the island, many of whom are vying for control of Starling City.