'Arrow' Season 5 Will Feature the Most 'Violent' Fight in Network TV History
Plus other revelations from a sweaty Stephen Amell in a recent Facebook live chat, including "Flashpoint" and a new costume.
The era of DC superhero TV began with Arrow when it premiered back in 2012, but the show hasn’t lived up to fans’ expectations, especially this last season. Still, series star and social media maven Stephen Amell said in a Facebook live chat that when Arrow returns, the Season 5 premiere will feature the “most vicious, violent” one-take fight scene in “the history of network television.” Amell also said he insisted doing the scene without a stunt-double (and no shirt, to the delight of a sizable number of fans during the chat).
Speaking while on a treadmill in an “undisclosed tropical” location, Amell boasted that Arrow will be “fucking mean” when it returns, subtly referencing the show’s disappointing year.
Amell will have a slightly modified costume for his Green Arrow in the new season, that The Flash season premiere “Flashpoint” will “maybe” affect Arrow, and the return of a character who hasn’t been seen in two seasons.
Amell’s qualifier — “network TV history” — is worth noting. While no one can question the work of Amell and the Arrow crew, network TV restrictions are more strict about violence than cable or premium channels like HBO and Netflix. Into the Badlands and The Walking Dead have some of the most gruesome, gory fights on cable TV, but they’re still a few viscera notches below Game of Thrones on HBO or Marvel’s Daredevil on Netflix. Still, Arrow could be the most violent show on network TV if it wants to be.
Who from Arrow’s past will return? Characters like Ra’s Al Ghul (Matt Nable) and Deathstroke (Manu Bennet) have been absent, but so have more minor players like Huntress (Jessica De Gouw) or Oliver’s step-father, Walter (Colin Salmon).
Arrow Season 5 will premiere on October 5 on the CW.
