Tag: arrow

Flash on Arrow = Jumping the Shark

Should we officially state that Warner Bros. has confirmed that Arrow will jump the shark this year with the introduction of Barry Allen? If you have been listening to what the creators of Arrow have been saying since before the show officially went on the air, you might be concerned with the introduction of Barry Allen and the Flash in the next season of Arrow.

Arrow on The CW

Arrow on The CW

What was Said

Before the first episode of Arrow aired, Marc Guggenheim, the show’s executive producer, told Blastr that he was not interested in having any of the other major characters from the DC Universe on the show. He explained how his vision was to have a show without super powers, the paranormal, or monsters.

Enter Barry Allen and Flash

Yesterday, HitFix did a live blog of a presentation by The CW’s president Mark Pedowitz about the upcoming season and some of the shows coming out. One of the things he discussed was how The CW plans on having some DC Comics shows in a shared universe. Arrow was the first step, but there will be many more. The next step is that they are going to introduce Barry Allen on Arrow,  give his backstory and have him acquire his powers on the show. So we will see Flash on Arrow. If all goes right, there will be a Flash TV series on The CW shortly.

Jumping the Shark

Typically, when people think about a show jumping the shark, they think about a moment in which a show spiraled out of control and could not be recovered. A variant view is when a show’s creator has to veer so much from the original plan for a show that the show becomes morphed into something which was never intended. Due to the Guggenheim comments, we realize that the introduction of a super power, and the introduction of a main DC Universe character, is a shark jump for Arrow. One season down and the series is already off the intended track.

Summer Glau on Arrow: More Buzz Than Sting

One of the hottest items of geeky news today is about Summer Glau on Arrow. The actress is going to be taking a reoccurring role on the show on The CW. While I am happy an actress I like has received work, I can’t get excited about Summer Glau on Arrow.

Summer Glau on Arrow: More Buzz than Sting

Summer Glau on Arrow: More Buzz than Sting

Summer Glau on Arrow: The Role

The actress will portray Isabel Rochev, Vice President of Acquisitions of Stellmoor International. The company she works for will push to take over Oliver Queen’s company. To this point, I have not seen confirmation as to how many times she will appear, but I do see a slight bump coming to at least her first episode on the series.

Summer Glau on Arrow Won’t Help Much

I cannot see Arrow receiving a significant bump from Summer Glau as the show is still on The CW. Arrow was The CW’s best show during the 2012-2013 season but it still only placed in at #130 on the overall list of shows during the season. Shows such as 1600 Penn, 666 Park Avenue, and Malibu Country were all ranked higher than Arrow last season and were cancelled without backlash or surprise. The final episode of the season only had 2.77 million viewers which was down significantly from the 4.14 million people which saw the premiere.

Summer Glau on Arrow: Sorry Summer

I first noticed Summer Glau on The 4400 which was a show my wife and I watched religiously. I later became a Firefly fan when a friend loaned me the box set. As I stated, I am happy she was able to find work, but is not going to be a blockbuster for her.

Why the Buzz Over Summer Glau on Arrow?

If Arrow is an overlookable show, why is there such a buzz over Summer Glau on Arrow? First off, Comic-Con International is only days away and the media companies want to jump on any news right now while we enter the “geek/nerd holiday season.” Oh, wait…there is only one real reason. Don’t believe the buzz as the actress and a handful of appearances will not save the show.

Arrow on The CW: Greatest Mistakes So Far

Recently, I was discussing “Arrow” on The CW with a fan in the store when he stated his belief that the creators of the show had yet to make a mistake. I rebutted him with a diatribe which I have edited and placed here for your reading pleasure.

“Arrow” Mistake #1: DC Marketing

Arrow on The CW

Arrow on The CW

Speaking frankly – the marketing DC flew with before “Arrow” came out on The CW sucked. Up until a few weeks before the show premiered, the only mention of the upcoming show on the DC website appeared in the News section. This series should have been marketed on the front page of the company’s site for all visitors to see and get excited about. How can I get excited by a show DC can’t get excited about? Remember, DC is one of the creators of “Arrow,” so they should have been pushing it from the start.

“Arrow” Mistake #2: Talking about Jumping the Shark

Before the show even premiered, the heads of “Arrow” on The CW were talking about how the show would jump the shark. They explained that they were not interested in having super powers on the show. Great, so if fans want superpowers on the show, you are going to ignore them? In the years that I have been following the TV industry, this was one of the stupidest statements I ever read. Why would a creator of a show tell potential fans they will not be listened to?

“Arrow” Mistake #3: Placing the Show on The CW

DC should have separated from the rest of the Warner Bros. company and marketed the show to another network other than The CW. Who in the hell watches The CW anyways? Many cable networks put up more numbers than the free network most people forget even exists. With the success of “The Walking Dead,” dozens of cable networks would have lined up for a chance to have their own comic book-based show. DC really dropped the ball.