Arrow: How Many Seasons Should It Last?

DC Entertainment and The CW network have been banging down the door to establish superheroes as the new king of television.

Ever since the partnership with the Superman prequel series Smallville in the early 2000s the plan has been clear. In 2012 the DC/CW imprint rebooted itself with the launch of Arrow, a superhero TV series based on DC Comic's Green Arrow character.

Since then, Arrow has exploded in popularity and helped launch an entire DC/CW superhero TV universe block -- alongside The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow and now Supergirl -- but like all television series, Arrow has not been immune to the wear and tear of time on the air.

Ask around the Interwebs these days, and you'll likely hear that Arrow has taken a sharp slide in quality. Season 4 was especially displeasing to some fans, with its magical villain and indulgence in the Oliver/Felicity relationship drama. Arrow season 5 has promised to bring us back around to the more grounded, street-vigilante action/thrills of early seasons, but even it successfully does so, how long can fans tune to see the same basic formula play out?

What we're asking is: How many seasons should Arrow last?

There Needs to Be an Ending

There will be some fans who hear the question poised by this article and will immediately respond with something along the lines of "That's a stupid question - as long as it can!" But while that may be ideal thinking on the part of passionate fans, truth is, it's not a reality of the television business. Not these days.

Most TV series now ascribe an end date to their run. It's easier on the writers, the showrunners, the cast members, and really the audience when a destination is set and committed to. It also helps the executives involved with the show plan for new series to transition in as replacements for shows that are ending.

In the new era of TV shared universes like the one The CW has built, that coordination is going to be even more necessary. There are currently four series in the DC/CW TV Universe, and if history has been any indication, each of those four is a potential backdoor to a new series being launched. With that kind of turnaround possible, there's no reason to hang on to shows that have worn out their welcome.

If the showrunners and executives can plan out how to grow each branch of this TV universe and connect them together, then they should know how to prune the tree of old or dying branches, as well.

Ending a Show is Not THE END for the Characters

The thing about the "Flarrowverse" is that it's a big place, and the actors involved have gotten all too familiar with making appearances in one another's shows. Even when characters get killed off (like both Black Canarys), they have the potential to be resurrected as stars of different series (like Black Canary I), or can occupy their time (and keep actors paid) by making cameos in several places.

That's all to say: those worried about keeping Arrow going for the sake of the characters and the actors playing them, shouldn't worry that much. Even if the show itself stops, there's plenty of room in the larger universe for many of the show's main characters to still exist.

One Ending is a New Beginning

Again: The Flarrowverse is so deep at this point that there could be 1 - 4 new characters, teams or potential spinoffs introduced with every new season. That's reason to be excited, not reason to cling to what we already have!

If Arrow has gotten a bit long in the tooth for some people, there's no reason to tweak or reboot it ad nauseam; there are plenty of other DC superheroes/villains/anti-heroes out there that would be great for their own chance at a TV series (list coming soon). Every DC fan has a character they're championing to finally be adapted for the screen - and when you think of it like that, how much longer do you really want to hold onto a show like Arrow?

How Long Arrow Should Last

Seven seasons. That seems to be (approx) the magic number, these days. It's a good number for a show like Arrow (with 22 episodes per season) to achieve syndication and tell its story to completion.

Arrow season 5 is already facing the struggle of getting the show back to its core. Seven seasons would also be ideal for letting whatever the showrunners have planned for season 5 play out, then setting up a big, intricate, final story arc that builds in season 6 and plays out in full epic fashion during season 7.

There are still so many fan-favorite characters in play on the show (like Deathstroke, for instance), not to mention the influences of the larger Flarrowverse (like the "Flashpoint" timeline changes)... Arrow really can begin a big finish, rather than trying to squeeze more goodwill out of a fanbase that it seems harder and harder to win over every year.

But that's just what we think; what do you in the Comic Book nation think? How many seasons does Arrow have left before it's time to retire it? Vote in the poll below, or discuss in the comments, or discuss with me directly @KofiOutlaw

The Flarrowverse continues with The Flash premiering on October 4; Arrow premiering on October 5, Supergirl premiering on October 10; and Legends of Tomorrow premieres on Thursday, October 13.