Arrow
The CW | CW | Release Date: October 10, 2012
CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
73
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 30 Critic Reviews
Positive:
25
Mixed:
5
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
We Got This CoveredJosh WildingOct 8, 2015
Season 4 Review: While The Flash’s adventures are obviously based heavily around special effects, this series continues to keep things grounded, and the fight scenes remain as exciting and well choreographed as ever. The premiere may be heavy on character development, but it also prioritizes action, and that’s not a bad thing. Read full review
100
NewsdayVerne GayOct 8, 2012
Season 1 Review: Solid start to what could--and maybe should--be a future CW franchise. Read full review
91
TVLineMatt Webb MitovichSep 30, 2016
Season 5 Review: Arrow is back with--thankfully--what promises to be one of its more grounded, grittier seasons ever. ... Perhaps the best news is that the fifth and final round of flashbacks are, one could argue, as compelling as the current-day narrative. Read full review
88
People WeeklyTom GliattoNov 12, 2012
Season 1 Review: The CW's best show since Gossip Girl.... it has a forthright narrative seriousness, a respect for the gobbledy-gook that makes up any superhero's backstory--and a game cast performing with the correct degree of seriousness. [19 Nov 2012, p.35]
88
San Jose Mercury News/Contra Costa TimesChuck BarneyOct 5, 2012
Season 1 Review: Arrow does what a solid pilot should: Suck us in, make us anxious to see what's next and set up several intriguing possibilities. Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyJeff JensenOct 9, 2013
Season 2 Review: The sophomore-season premiere shows no signs of slumping. Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyKen TuckerOct 23, 2012
Season 1 Review: Your interest in Arrow depends on how much you miss the troubled-in-love, conflicted-by-family heroics of Smallville--it mirrors that series' setup. Read full review
83
Boston HeraldMark A. PerigardOct 10, 2012
Season 1 Review: Arrow has so much going for it, it doesn't need to linger on the past. Read full review
80
ColliderAllison KeeneOct 4, 2016
Season 5 Review: A strong start to what feels like it will be a much more grounded season. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesMary McNamaraOct 10, 2012
Season 1 Review: Smooth without being slick, textured but not self-indulgent, Arrow reminds us that the best stories we tell are both revelatory and a whole lot of fun to watch. Read full review
80
Philadelphia InquirerDavid HiltbrandOct 9, 2012
Season 1 Review: The pilot of Arrow is a darkly gleaming gem. If the show can keep up its cinema-quality action sequences and maintain an air of mystery to Ollie's agenda, this could be a really fun series. Read full review
80
Denver PostJoanne OstrowOct 5, 2012
Season 1 Review: What "Nashville" on ABC and Arrow on the CW have in common, is appealing characters in well-plotted stories. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesLori RacklOct 10, 2012
Season 1 Review: This slick action-drama is based on the comic book superhero Green Arrow. Prepare to quiver. Read full review
75
RedEyeCurt WagnerOct 10, 2012
Season 1 Review: Arrow landed in my list of Top 5 pilots of the season, and I hope future episodes are as enthralling and well-made. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleDavid WiegandOct 9, 2012
Season 1 Review: The action is hot, fast and believable, achieved through quick-cut editing and spot-on direction. Read full review
75
HitfixAlan SepinwallOct 9, 2012
Season 1 Review: Arrow is a competently-made superhero drama with an appealing lead performance from Stephen Amell. Read full review
70
Pittsburgh Post-GazetteRob OwenOct 10, 2012
Season 1 Review: There's nothing particularly new about a superhero show, but Arrow exhibits a stylized ferocity that, in its initial hour at least, makes a positive enough impression. Read full review
70
TV Guide MagazineMatt RoushOct 10, 2012
Season 1 Review: Familiarity points deducted, Arrow is still a very slick piece of work. Read full review
70
The New York TimesNeil GenzlingerOct 9, 2012
Season 1 Review: This looks like a pretty tasty fantasy drama. Read full review
70
Miami HeraldGlenn GarvinOct 9, 2012
Season 1 Review: Arrow has a rather stylish neo-Goth look, and Stephen Amell (who played a dim-bulb gigolo in Hung) neatly balances his portrayal of Arrow between camp and Saturday-matinee ingenuousness. Read full review
70
Boston GlobeSarah RodmanOct 9, 2012
Season 1 Review: Arrow isn't quite a bullseye on its first shot, but it hits the target. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterTim GoodmanOct 3, 2012
Season 1 Review: Arrow, proves to be both on-brand and entertaining--if you turn off the snark detector and downplay the need for plausibility or logic. Read full review
67
Uncle BarkyEd BarkOct 8, 2012
Season 1 Review: Arrow may not be a-point-ment television. But for starters at least, it's a sharper little tale than expected. Read full review
67
Washington PostHank StueverSep 14, 2012
Season 1 Review: There is absolutely nothing new about anything seen here and yet Arrow has nice aim. Read full review
63
USA TodayRobert BiancoOct 9, 2012
Season 1 Review: Granted, it's all standard superhero stuff. But the action scenes are well-handled, the emotions and the characters mostly ring true, and the plot offers enough twists to keep you intrigued. Read full review
60
We Got This CoveredRobert Yaniz Jr.Oct 3, 2016
Season 5 Review: “Legacy” very much feels like Arrow trying to find its footing once again, and though the episode takes some steps in getting the show back on top, more work has yet to be done to redeem the series for last season’s jumbled narrative. Read full review
60
New York Magazine (Vulture)Matt Zoller SeitzOct 10, 2012
Season 1 Review: Arrow is sincere and energetic but visually undistinguished. Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsDavid HinckleyOct 10, 2012
Season 1 Review: Arrow turns out to be a lively show, probably better than hard-core "Green Arrow" fans expected. That's a good start. Read full review
60
PopMattersCynthia FuchsOct 10, 2012
Season 1 Review: It's an ingenious first two minutes of a series premiere, actiony and exciting and legible enough. Read full review
50
VarietyBrian LowryOct 8, 2012
Season 1 Review: Arrow certainly looks polished (having David Nutter direct a pilot virtually insures that), but there's only so much action an hourlong drama can afford, and the characters necessary to sustain the series are, initially, strictly two-dimensional, even with the island as a go-to flashback. Read full review
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