Stephen Amell Regrets Leaving Arrow Early

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After eight successful seasons, Arrow concluded on its own terms, rather than being canceled. However, in a recent interview, star Stephen Amell admitted that looking back, he wishes the show had continued for a couple more seasons.

The CW’s “Arrowverse” essentially ended with the large Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover event, and that signaled the beginning of the end for all of its related shows. This was further complicated by changes in ownership – Warner Bros. was sold to Discovery, and The CW itself was bought by Nexstar. Years after finishing Arrow, Stephen Amell admitted to Michael Rosenbaum that he regretted leaving his first major TV role. While his later shows, Heels and Suits L.A., didn’t last as long as Arrow, Amell now understands how fortunate he was. With the entertainment industry constantly evolving due to the pandemic, strikes, and ongoing mergers like the one between Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount SkyDance, he’s come to appreciate that previous success even more.

Stephen Amell Regrets Choosing to End ‘Arrow’ When He Did, and He’s Got a Point

Rosenbaum questioned Amell about whether he had any regrets regarding a past project, and Amell was quick to admit that he did. He explained that he’d recently read an interview with an actor whose show was ending, and the actor said everyone involved was ready to move on. Amell immediately thought, “That was exactly how I felt!” While he maintains he doesn’t regret the decision itself, he does have several regrets about how things unfolded.

He discussed the possibility of the show lasting 200 episodes, or ten seasons, similar to the run of Smallville (though the actor who played Lex Luthor, Rosenbaum, departed after seven seasons). Despite immediately moving on to Heels, Amell returned to play Green Arrow (and the Spectre) during the final season of The Flash, and even made a quick appearance in the Smallville finale. In a conversation, Amell and the former Lex Luthor reflected on why they both chose to leave roles they now feel nostalgic about.

I made the decision around the middle of Season 6, during the Christmas break, that it was time to wrap things up. After talking with Executive Producer Greg Berlanti, we planned a full seventh season and a shorter eighth season to connect with the ‘Crisis’ storyline. The role was physically challenging, and the 23-episode seasons were exhausting, particularly for the main actor. Stephen Amell felt he was losing valuable time with his family and young children.

Despite initially stepping away, Amell has expressed that he truly misses playing the Green Arrow and Oliver Queen. He especially enjoys the positive impact the character has on fans, noting he loves seeing how much the show means to people at conventions. He’s also said that he regularly meets fans who share how important the show was to them, often on a daily basis.

Arrow Began DC’s Most Significant and Successful Shared Universe in Live Action

Stephen Amell acknowledges he might be looking at things optimistically, but he’s noticed a pattern: when a successful franchise builds a shared universe, fans quickly start to expect it as the norm. We’re seeing it now with the Marvel Cinematic Universe and again with Star Trek. After Arrow concluded, some fans immediately wanted more. Even with the new DC Universe being developed by James Gunn, many fans are already nostalgic for the days when they received up to five hours of new DC content each week.

During the latter half of 2025 alone, people streamed almost 55 million minutes of Arrow and a remarkable 311 million minutes of other shows within the Arrowverse. This suggests that even though the Arrowverse faced criticism in its later seasons, many fans still fondly remember it. The shared universe of TV shows launched around the same time as the original DC Extended Universe films, but it generally received a much warmer response and achieved greater success.

When Nexstar bought The CW, the Arrowverse shows weren’t given a chance to finish their stories properly. The cancellation of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow was particularly abrupt, leaving fans on a cliffhanger. While fans tried to rally support for a revival, changes at The CW and DC Studios made it impossible. Stephen Amell wasn’t responsible for these cancellations; he chose to end Arrow, but other factors likely contributed to the overall situation.

The Arrowverse Was the Main Way a Generation of Kids Learned About DC Heroes

Stephen Amell was clearly unhappy with the direction DC Studios was taking, especially regarding its approach to existing TV shows. While he didn’t directly criticize The CW’s Arrowverse, James Gunn often talked about wanting to create a more connected DC Universe in both movies and television, because previous efforts felt disjointed. Ironically, the Arrowverse thrived precisely because it remained separate from the often-divisive DC Extended Universe, which had alienated fans of both Zack Snyder’s vision and those who disliked it.

Stephen Amell recently shared that the decision to halt a potential Arrow movie, even when the Arrowverse was incredibly popular, came from studio executives who were driven by fear. This pattern of decision-making aligns with Warner Bros.’ previous actions, such as abruptly removing Zack Snyder from Justice League before its completion. Following that, they launched the DC Extended Universe with films like Wonder Woman 1984, Birds of Prey, and James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, which had a very different tone. They also declined to bring back Henry Cavill to reprise his role as Superman.

Even in 2023, how a character is portrayed really depends on the specific story. For example, The CW’s version of Green Arrow was closer to Batman – but without Batman’s rule against killing. The show took the character on a path from a ruthless vigilante to a teacher, hoping to guide others to be more heroic. And before Tyler Hoechlin became known as the show’s Superman, another actor had played that part.

The first series to branch out from Arrow was The Flash, starring Grant Gustin as Barry Allen, a huge fan of Superman. The Flash actually ran for more seasons than Arrow, and Gustin seems like a more natural choice to continue the character in the new DC Universe—and not just because Stephen Amell publicly criticized the jokes about Green Arrow in Peacemaker. Gustin has a strong connection to the role of Barry Allen, and his portrayal could easily allow for Wally West to become the Flash for a new generation of fans, given Wally’s long history in the comics. Considering the shifts happening in the entertainment industry, it’s understandable that Amell would have wanted a more definitive conclusion for his show and its connected universe.

Despite its flaws, Arrow undeniably launched a significant era for DC Comics characters on television, along with its spin-off series. For many – from teens to those in their late 20s – the Arrowverse is likely their first real exposure to these heroes in live-action. With hundreds of hours of stories and large-scale crossover events, The CW shows achieved something the DC Extended Universe couldn’t before its recent overhaul. Like the comics they were based on, these shows were exciting, occasionally lighthearted, and often emotionally impactful. However, unlike comic books or established shared universes, there’s no way to revisit or restart the Arrowverse now that it’s concluded.

The complete Arrow is available on DVD, Blu-ray, digital, and streams on Netflix.

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2026-02-28 05:08