‘Arrow’ Gets Full-Season Order at The CW

Arrow has hit a bull’s-eye for The CW.

The adaptation of DC Comics’ long-running comic Green Arrow has been picked up for a full season at the youth-skewing network.

“Best way to start a Monday? Getting picked up for your back nine episodes. Thwick,” star Stephen Amell announced via Twitter. 

From executive producers Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim and Andrew Kriesberg, the drama stars Amell as a hooded vigilante who returns home after being stranded on an island and exacts revenge on those responsible for the downfall of the city he loves.

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The CW launched the drama in October, away from the clutter of the typical September Premiere Week, with the series opening to a strong 1.3 rating in the advertiser-coveted adults 18-49 demographic and 4.14 million viewers. The opening marked the network’s best premiere since The Vampire Diaries and its most-watched telecast in three years.

“Our strategy of rolling out our new fall schedule later in the year really paid off for The CW on several levels, especially with Arrow, which was the network’s most-watched premiere in three years and is one of the breakout hits of the new season,” CW president Mark Pedowitz said. “I’m proud of the quality of Arrow, and I’m happy we’ll be able to share more of it with viewers.”

The series held strong in week two, maintaining its 1.3 rating in the demo and declining a modest 16 percent among total viewers.  

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Helping its case, the series hasn’t shied away from introducing characters from DC’s vast library, including China White and Deathstroke, while enlisting fan favorite John Barrowman for a mysterious multiple-episode run.

Airing at 8 p.m. Wednesdays, Arrow has proved to be a strong lead-in for returning drama Supernatural, which improved in its second week. The pickup marks the network’s first this fall. 

Email: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com; Twitter: @Snoodit