Seems I must think out of the mainstream. Arrow looks to be generally well regarded by critics (from Wikipedia):
Critical response
Season one received favorable reviews, with a Metacritic score of 73 out of 100, based on reviews from 25 critics, making it the highest rated CW show in five years.[72][73] Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes calculated an approval rating of 86%, based on 35 reviews, for the first season. The site's consensus reads: "The CW nails the target with Arrow, a comic book-inspired series that benefits from cinematic action sequences, strong plotting, and intriguing characters."[74]
Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times called the series an interesting setup with a quality look, describing Amell as "a poster boy (no doubt literally) for the Katniss Everdeen set."[75] Brian Lowry at Variety described the series as a "handsome but stiff surrogate for Batman that could benefit from sharper execution."[76] In reviewing the final episode of season one, Alasdair Wilkins of The A.V. Club gave the season as a whole a rating of B+, noting that the show "hasn't quite figured everything out yet, but it's had some standout episodes."[77]
Jeff Jensen of Entertainment Weekly gave the first half of season two a rating of B+, saying, "Arrow possesses an intelligence that shines through its TV-budget production values, which aren't too shabby. The writing is adult and witty, the action is exciting, and Amell holds the center with well-cultivated ease."[78] The A.V. Club's Carrie Raisler gave the first half of season two a rating of A-. She said, "Arrow [has] officially established itself as one of the most satisfying shows on television. The most satisfying thing of all is that it did so by respecting its characters... [Arrow respects] the character's comic-book roots in its overarching plotlines, all while using the network-appropriate soap-opera stories to do the heavy character lifting."[79] Season two received critical acclaim from critics and fans alike, for the action sequences, storytelling, performances of the cast, drama, and the portrayal of Slade Wilson.[80]
Despite a strong critical start for the season three premiere,[81] the second half of season three has met with criticism, particularly for its preoccupation with romance, leading to accusations of the show "devolving into a CW fever dream" and "turning Star City into Dawson's Creek"[82] and becoming a 'soap opera'.[83] After the conclusion of Oliver Queen and Felicity Smoak's longterm romance, the flashback sequences were characterized sporadic and "superfluous", with Ra's al Ghul described as a "shallow" and "underutilized" villain "absent of clear antagonism",[84] although Matt Nable was generally praised for his portrayal of the character. Furthermore, while parallels to Batman had always existed in the show, the use of such a major character from Batman's rogues gallery and the essential application of the "Daughter of the Demon" and several other Batman and Ra's al Ghul storylines applied to Oliver Queen came under particular fire from viewers, who accused the show of "ripping off" Batman.[85] The season finale was described as "dull", "lacking scope", and "underwhelming" by IGN's Jesse Schedeen in light of the "high standard" the show had previously established for its finales. He cemented the mixed reception of season three as being "haphazardly paced" and "struggling to develop a clear sense of direction".[86]
The fourth season received mixed reviews. The season earned a strong critical start, with praise given to the action scenes and Neal McDonough's performance as Damien Darhk. However, the second half of the season received increasingly negative reviews for its mundane flashbacks, lack of narrative focus, and formulaic season finale.[87] Ryan Fleming, of Deadbeatspanel.com noted that Arrow was "honoring the comics, but it isn't beholden to them. Characters... have been introduced, but they aren't exact replicas of their comic counterparts. Instead, the characters tend to be loosely connected."[88] Lesley Goldberg of The Hollywood Reporter noted the presence of the character Thea "Speedy" Queen as one of the larger departures from the comics in the series, as well as the character's early willingness to kill.[89] Comic Book Resources's Kevin Melrose has also noted the series tendency to have loose connections to the source material.[90]
The fifth season has received critical acclaim from fans and critics alike, giving praise for the performances of Stephen Amell and Josh Segerra, action sequences, storytelling, season finale, and overall improvements from Seasons 3 and 4. IGN gave Season 5 a score of 8.7 out of 10, stating that the it "managed to overcome them and recapture a lot of what made the show so memorable in its first two seasons".[91]
