Arrow

Those following sexy caped crusader Oliver Queen's vigilante action will be pleased to know that Arrow will be back for a second season. But wait, there's more good news: The Vampire Diaries has also received an early pickup for season five and Supernatural will continue its epic run with a ninth season.

None of these renewals comes as a big shock, but they are a big relief. Arrow has been The CW's most consistent freshman series and most-watched show on the network this season. The Vampire Diaries was a sure bet, and let's face it, Supernatural will probably be on until the end of time. Are you happy about the renewals?

Add Arrow to the list of Fall TV successes: The CW has just picked up the brand-new series for a full season after two episodes. The superhero drama starring Stephen Amell has been getting great ratings for the network since its debut, with its premiere earning the biggest audience for a CW show since 2009. I'm excited for Arrow's pickup since it was one of our favorite new shows of the season — and Amell's vigilante archer isn't bad to look at, either.

Now that October is in full swing, most of Fall's new shows have had their premieres — including three new series from The CW. They're all pretty different: Emily Owens, M.D. focuses on a group of doctors, Beauty and the Beast is a fairy-tale-meets-cop-show procedural, and Arrow is the network's newest superhero show. Each series premiere earned decent ratings, but only time will tell how they will resonate with audiences as more episodes are rolled out.

I was hooked on Emily Owens right off the bat, and I'm willing to give Arrow a few more chances (even if the pilot didn't wow me). As for Beauty and the Beast? Let's just say I'm going to stick to Once Upon a Time to get my fairy-tale fix. That said, I'm interested in your thoughts on the new shows — how do you feel about The CW's three new series?

The CW is adding an action-packed superhero drama to its Fall slate with Arrow, based on the DC Comics character Green Arrow. Stephen Amell plays the hooded archer, who is a vigilante by night and a rich playboy by day. Keep reading to find out if the series sounds like something you may want to watch when it premieres tonight.

• What it's about: Oliver Queen (Amell) resurfaces a few years after being presumed dead in a shipwreck. When he's returned to his home, he has a big secret: he learned quite a few deadly skills on the island he was marooned on (including the titular bow and arrow), which he can now use to fight crime. What happened to him on the island isn't the only skeleton in his closet, though; before he disappeared, he was an irresponsible party boy cheating on his girlfriend (Katie Cassidy).
• Where it works: The action of the pilot is exciting, especially Amell's physical feats when he's acting as his alter ego. Plus, his scandalous backstory is as soapy as the other guilty-pleasure shows The CW is known for.
• Where it doesn't: Cassidy and Amell don't have much chemistry, and it's clear that he's supposed to want her back, even though she's understandably angry at him. Also, Oliver's disguise mostly consists of a hoodie, which doesn't exactly create a shroud of mystery.
• When it's on: Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on The CW.
• You might like this show if: You hate waiting for a new superhero movie to come out.

See some pictures and a preview of Arrow after the jump.

Who needs to wait years for a new superhero movie to come out? Not TV fans, because The CW is bringing a bit of the comic book world to primetime. In the vein of the long-running series Smallville, Arrow tells the origin story of a famous DC Comics character, the Green Arrow. Stephen Amell plays the lead on the show, which is about a party boy who goes missing for a few years and then returns as a masked vigilante. He came to TCA today with his costar Katie Cassidy and the showrunners to talk about the comic book origins, the high-octane action, and his mysterious character. There were lots of movie references bouncing around, which made me feel like Arrow may be our small-screen answer to big-screen superheroes. Here's why:

• The lead actor has movie star good looks and acting chops. Amell plays Oliver Queen, an irresponsible playboy who gets taken to an island and then comes back as a killing machine known as Arrow. Amell talked about how there are so many different sides to Oliver that it keeps him on his toes, but it's not just going to be a superhero show where Arrow is fighting crime. "Oliver clearly has posttraumatic stress disorder," he said, adding that we'll get into that, which demands a good actor. The showrunners think Amell has the ability, with executive producer Greg Berlanti saying that Amell was the first one to audition for the role, and that after him, "everyone else paled by comparison." Fellow EP Andrew Kreisberg agreed, saying that Amell is an "unbelievably talented actor."
• The show will be full of action. There are awesome stunts in the pilot, which is to be expected since the hero's trademark weapon is a bow and arrow — pop culture's current trendy weapon. To that point, Amell said that his training started with a 45-minute video illustrating all the ways that archery has been done wrong in film and TV. But there's far more than archery on Arrow, and Amell has been training like crazy for the show's stunts, finding "muscles I didn't know existed." Berlanti says the show is "consistently athletic," and that it's "a little frightening" when your lead does so much stunt work.

Find out more about why Arrow is so promising after the jump.