All 8 seasons of Arrow ranked from worst to best

1. Arrow season 2

• Year: 2013-2014
• Episodes: 23 
• Cast: Stephen Amell, Katie Cassidy, David Ramsey, Willa Holland, Emily Bett Rickards, Colton Haynes, Manu Bennett, Susanna Thompson, and Paul Blackthorne

There’s no doubt in my mind that Arrow season 2 is the best season of the series. The first season was an incredible introduction into the world of Oliver Queen, Star City, and what would later become the Arrowverse.

In Arrow season 2, the mystery of what happened to Oliver on Lian Yu continues with the flashbacks. They get more intense than ever, and we continue to learn more about Oliver, what happened, and how it’s going to shape the rest of the story. We also get the introduction to Deathstroke/Slade Wilson as a major player in the season. Deathstroke is one of my favorite characters in Arrow, so it’s bonus points from me. We also see the team add Sara Lance as Canary and Roy Harper as Arsenal in the second season.

For me, this is where Arrow really found its footing and became the show that shaped a decade of programming for a major network.

The creative team also took some bigger swings with their twists and turns in season 2. The first season is, more or less, straightforward. There’s a bigger mystery that’s unfolding, but we’re learning more and more about these characters. In season 2, that foundation was established, and it opened the door to a lot more of the big reveals that we’d come to expect in The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl, and the other Arrowverse shows on The CW.

We also get The Flash backdoor pilot in Arrow season 2. The eighth episode of the season introduces Barry Allen, played by Grant Gustin, and the rest is history.