Stephen Amell Says Island Flashbacks Are Over On Arrow

07/09/2017 06:55 pm EDT

When Arrow returns for its upcoming sixth season, it's set to conclude the events of its explosive season finale. But once it does so, it will mark the end of an era for The CW series, according to star Stephen Amell.

During a panel moderated by ComicBook.com's Brandon Davis at this weekend's Heroes and Villains Fan Fest Nashville, Amell revealed quite a bit about the show's use of flashbacks going forward. With Oliver's 'five years in hell' wrapped up, fans shouldn't expect to see flashbacks to Lian Yu in the near future - with one noticeable exception.

"There are flashbacks in the first episode," Amell explained, "that take us back to the immediate aftermath of the events in the finale. Which is one of the reasons that I had to shave my beard, so I could match up with [the finale]."

As many fans remember, the finale ended with a surprising explosion on Lian Yu, which left the fate of the entirety of Team Arrow - as well as several other characters from the show - uncertain. But according to Amell, subsequent episodes of the show will use flashbacks sparingly - and will focus on other characters when they are used.

"There are no flashbacks in the second episode." Amell revealed. "You know how occasionally over the course of five seasons, typically it's been Oliver's flashback? Sometimes there have been episodes where there's no flashbacks, and sometimes we've had flashbacks where we focus in on Diggle or Felicity or Renee. I think that's what will happen this year, that we will have the occasional flashback. We're not telling a linear story anymore about Oliver's time on the island. We've brought that one full circle."

Fans will have a chance to see those last Lian Yu flashbacks when Arrow's newest season debuts on a new night on Thursday, October 12th, at 9/8c on The CW.

You can find the description for the series below.

UP NEXT: Arrow Season 6 Begins Production

After a violent shipwreck, billionaire playboy Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) was missing and presumed dead for five years before being discovered alive on a remote island in the North China Sea. He returned home to Star City, bent on righting the wrongs done by his family and fighting injustice. As the Green Arrow, he protects his city with the help of former soldier John Diggle (David Ramsey), computer-science expert Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards), his vigilante-trained sister Thea Queen (Willa Holland), Deputy Mayor Quentin Lance (Paul Blackthorne), brilliant inventor Curtis Holt (Echo Kellum), and his new recruits, street-savvy Rene Ramirez (Rick Gonzalez) and meta-human Dinah Drake (Juliana Harkavy).

Oliver has finally solidified and strengthened his crime-fighting team only to have it threatened when unexpected enemies from his past return to Star City, forcing Oliver to rethink his relationship with each member of his "family".

Based on the characters from DC, ARROW is from Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. Television, with executive producers Greg Berlanti ("The Flash," "Supergirl"), Marc Guggenheim ("DC's Legends of Tomorrow," "Eli Stone"), Wendy Mericle ("Desperate Housewives," "Eli Stone"), Andrew Kreisberg ("The Flash," "Eli Stone," "Warehouse 13") and Sarah Schechter ("The Flash," "DC's Legends of Tomorrow").

Supergirl premieres on Monday, October 9th at 8 pm, while The Flash debuts on Tuesday, October 10 at 8 pm. Legends of Tomorrow moves to Tuesdays this Fall, airing right after The Flash on October 10. On Thursday, October 12 at 9 pm Arrow will premiere to round out the DC roster.

MORE ARROW: Season 6 Will See Major Change To Oliver / Katie Cassidy Posts Arrow Season 6 Behind The Scenes Photo / Stephen Amell Really Wants A Supernatural/Arrow Crossover

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