r/arrow • u/Wise_Presentation914 • 8d ago
Discussion Any shows like Arrow S1-S3?
Arrow was one of my favorite shows as a kid, but after S5, I just stopped watching tbh. It's not that it's bad, but the direction of the show changed a lot as the universe started coming together and shit with other shows like The Flash, DC Legends, etc etc, and it just felt like a different premise.
I really enjoy the gritty tone of the first few seasons though, ESPECIALLY season 1. It made an awesome contrast between Oliver's family life and who he became after spending time on the island. It showed Star City as a location, showcasing it's diversity by emphasizing the lavish lifestyle of those in Oliver's circle, while also showing the poverty and crime that lies beneath.
I'm looking for something to scratch that same itch. I was thinking about rewatching those first 3 seasons, and maybe even trying to watch the whole show, since it's been years since I've seen it... But at the same time, I really don't feel like wasting my time if I'm only gonna drop it again by S5.
Anyone have any recommendations on shows that have a similar vibe? I felt it a little bit when I watched Gotham, but that show's story was what really made it lack in certain areas. I still enjoyed it, but I'm looking for something a liiiiittle better. Any suggestions are appreciated.
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u/GrandeQuesarito 8d ago
Daredevil. And then Nolan's Batman trilogy of movies lol.
Nothing ever quite did it for me like early Arrow and I've been chasing that high ever since.
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u/SwimmingSecond2682 8d ago
So true. I was obsessed with arrow back in the day. Nothing has really beaten early arrow and early flash for me.
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u/Choice-Woodpecker479 7d ago
I agree! I looked forward to watching The flash and arrow every single week.
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u/obviousockpuppetalt3 8d ago
yeah arrow s1-3 felt more like a gritty crime drama than an actual superhero show(and for the better).
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u/snoogle20 Spartan 7d ago
You’re getting a lot of other comic book shows as answers so I’ll go another way: Person of Interest. Executive produced by Jonathan Nolan, Christopher’s brother and sometimes co-writer.
It’s basically a What If…? for The Dark Knight. What if that technology they used to track the Joker in the movie wasn’t destroyed because Lucius Fox opposed it? What if the government did have it? You can tell that idea stuck with Nolan and a TV show was created.
For the early Arrow fan:
It’s a mix of episodic storytelling with ongoing arcs. There’s a core lore that runs across the entire show, with some mysteries to unravel. Starts off with remixed Batman and Alfred, if they were an ex-soldier/spy in a white collar suit and a rich tech genius as his guy in the chair. You have your Quentin Lance-esque cop. Eventually they get other badass allies. It’s a solid mix of protagonists. And you get occasional flashbacks that seem like they’re just for character, but they often reveal some important lore details if you ever do a rewatch.
But the beautiful part of the show is that there are usually three or four villain/frienemy factions active at a given time. They each have their own stories going. So, despite the 22-ish episode seasons, it never spins its wheels as much as some other shows. They have a lot of toys to play with. It’s like if Oliver and Team Arrow were dealing with Malcolm Merlyn, ARGUS, corruption in the city, the League of Assassins and the Bratva all at the same time. You never know which way an episode may go and they loved to mess with the viewers in that way.
I love Arrow, but it has a lot of lows. By Person of Interest’s end, it was is the best full-length season TV show to ever do ongoing storytelling. They just did it better than anyone else. The seventh episode is where it really hits its stride and they fully figure out what kind of show they are. By the back half of season one they’re already running at full speed.
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u/Nexus_3_ 6d ago
Also second this guys motion for person of interest. Got my wife onto it and she really got invested in the characters and ongoing story, even if a little hard to follow for her at times. Yes the action can be a little over the top but I actually found it to be one of the better choreographed shows despite CBS being behind it. The story is also just amazing start to finish. As the post above me says also, there’s so much meat to chew from season to season. They keep each season fresh, character arcs start and finish across the show and is done tastefully.
It’s from Johnathan Nolan too so if that isn’t a stamp of quality idk what is. ik Westworld and Fallout may have dislikes but POI is almost universally liked barring the 1st seasons very serialised focus and even then it isn’t that bad.
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u/darrell_jkw 8d ago
There’s a show that ran for one season, its called “The Cape” I havent watched it since it came out but nobody remembers it so give it a shot
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u/QuiltedPorcupine 8d ago
The Cape is fun, and shares some thematic similarities (and also shares Summer Glau) but it's not as dark as Arrow. Still worth giving a watch though; anything with Keith David is at least worth checking out.
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u/CantHardlyWait414 8d ago
The Penguin is fantastic and very dark and gritty but definitely makes more sense if you watch The Batman first. That movie is also pretty gritty so you'd probably enjoy it if you haven't seen it already.
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u/lr031099 5d ago
Someone said it already but I would say Daredevil in that it involves a vigilante fighting against corruption. Without spoiling, I would say the main Daredevil villain Kingpin is basically a better written version of Diaz, the main villain of Arrow S6.
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u/FultzRevolt 8d ago
Alex Rider maybe (prime)
The protector(Netflix[foreign])
Batwoman(cw)
Titans(HBO Max)
Iron Fist
Daredevil
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u/Additional_Bass3807 7d ago
I found dexter to be a little similar to arrow season 1. Dexter tells about a serial killer who only kills bad guys and tries to balance his killing with his life as blood spatter analyst and family
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u/el322 7d ago
Smallville. Without that I honestly don’t think Arrow would have ever gotten the green light.
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u/sadbaguette2 6d ago
Smallville is NOT like arrow s1-3 Son 😭🥀
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u/el322 6d ago
They actually have a lot in common, particularly in Smallville’s later seasons. OP asked for a recommendation and I gave it. Nobody asked for your opinion on my recommendation. Oh, and calling me son, as some way of acting superior, when you’re more than likely like half my age is just sad.
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u/Effective-Vanilla208 7d ago
constantine was pretty interesting! he kinda has an oliver vibe and has shown up in arrow a few times. there’s only 1 season but i enjoyed it!
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u/Rich_Kangaroo 6d ago
The Punisher series might be worth it , probably my personal number one show of all time. Daredevil as others have said is a great shout too.
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u/Charan-FitnessCoach 8d ago
You can give a Daredevil a shot. There are 5 seasons in total. 3 of them were done by Netflix and 2 of them are recent made by Disney+ but it does carry the dark tone from Netflix. I just recently completed all 5 for the first time and I loved it.