Though Smallville may have had the good fortune of running for ten seasons – not to mention continuing its legacy via the Season Eleven comic books – we can’t take it for granted that other DC shows will be able to do the same. Sure, the Arrowverse is still going strong, but you never know when one of the series comprising it will see the plug pulled.
For the time being, though, the father of this shared continuity, Arrow, is still very much alive, having been renewed for its seventh season. But whenever a show has been on the airwaves for that long, you naturally assume it’s closer to concluding. Well, that is unless we’re talking about Supernatural, which may very well outlive us all.
That said, lead actor Stephen Amell wants for the Powers That Be not to rest on their laurels, and to make season 7 the best it can be by realizing this could be the end of the road. In fact, here’s what he had to say while recently speaking with The Music Australia:
“We have a new showrunner this year, Beth Schwartz, who’s been with the show since season one. [The writers] have a very clear vision of what they want season seven to be, and what I asked them to do – and it’s not up to me – but what I asked of them is to not just assume that we have an eighth season. I wanted them to write like, ‘If you have a good idea, and you have something you’ve always wanted to do or see on the show, then just do it! Do it right now!’”
Knowing that some major players from DC Comics canon are expected to show up – and if indeed Kirk Acevedo gets his wish of Ricardo Diaz inflicting major damage on Team Arrow – then it’s probably safe to say that season 7 will be a real barn-burner.
As Amell continued, his reasoning of the situation sounded more than logical:
“I think that’s one of the things I’m getting out of what they’ve planned for season seven – we’re not writing like we’re guaranteed something beyond this, because we’re not; nobody is. I want them to really push forward and take the fact we have a certain license and a certain respect from the fans to take some chances.”
Well, he’s definitely right about that. We also must consider that Stephen’s contract may not extend for much longer, thus none of us can rule out his exit and, say, a character such as John Diggle or Roy Harper continuing Oliver Queen’s legacy as being Star City’s protector. My guess is that next season’s finale may appear comparable to a series finale. In other words, it’ll wrap up the current story, while leaving the door open for possible tales to come – if Schwartz and company are of the same mind as Amell, that is.
Arrow returns for its seventh season on Monday nights this fall on The CW.
