The CW's Arrow season 8 takes place on Earth-1, picking up one week after the events of the season 7 finale. Over the last seven years, Arrow has followed Oliver Queen's journey from killer vigilante to inspiring hero. Season 8 will serve as a lead-in to Crisis on Infinite Earths, where it's implied the protagonist will die in battle.
A lot can be said about Arrow. The show helped kick-start a wave of superheroes on television. Without the show, fans likely would never have gotten The Flash or Supergirl. Like every show, there has been ups and downs, but Arrow has remained steadily popular for its consistent tone and characterization of Oliver Queen. During the Elseworlds event last season, Oliver made a deal with a being called the Monitor. Viewers were not able to hear this conversation. But, as the season finale revealed, Oliver is fated to die during Crisis on Infinite Earths. The finale ends with him going with the Monitor to try to prepare the multiverse to survive the event.
During the Television Critics Association summer press tour (via The Wrap), Arrow executive producer Beth Schwartz confirmed that season 8 will kick off one week after the season 7 finale, while star Stephen Amell confirmed the whole season is set in 2019. In addition to this, Schwartz said the season will take place on Earth-1. Earth-1 is the home of Green Arrow and the Flash, making it the primary Earth in the multiverse. Talking about Oliver's potential death, executive producer Marc Guggenheim says the ending will not be what most fans are thinking.
"Whenever I read about this online, people are asking us questions, they’re thinking about things in a very binary way, that the ending will either be X or Y. All I would say is that we have Z planned."
Arrow season 8 will be the biggest season of the show. According to Guggenheim, "Each episode is humongous. It’s not like anything we’ve seen on the show before." Although it's confirmed the season premiere will take place one week after season 7, it seems part of the season will have flash forwards as well. Both Katherine McNamara and Joseph David-Jones, actors for Mia Smoak and Connor Hawke respectively, were confirmed to be series regulars for the final season. How everything will work together remains to be seen, but one thing remains clear: Arrow fans are in for a big conclusion.
It is definitely bittersweet to hear the Arrow staff talk about the show's end. On one hand, it is satisfying to see a saga come to a close with much care put into it. On the other hand, viewers have been with Oliver Queen since 2012, so it will be an end of an era when it's all over. At the very least, for the final season, Oliver will don one more new costume.
Arrow season 8 will premiere October 15, on The CW.
Source: The Wrap