Entertainment

5 Shows To Help Make The 'Arrow' Hiatus Fly By

by Molly Freeman

The fourth season of Arrow has been a mixture of moments both light and dark — or should I say Darhk? Although we've seen Oliver and Felicity find happiness by finally settling down and admitting their feelings for each other (consequently sending "Olicity" fans into a tornado of feelings of their own), Damien Darhk also arrived in the newly renamed Star City to begin terrorizing Team Arrow. The midseason finale of Arrow, "Dark Waters," will see the light and the dark (read: Darhk) sides of Oliver's life intersect, likely leaving fans eagerly anticipating the show's return from its winter hiatus. But when will Arrow Season 4 come back after "Dark Waters?" Don't worry, Arrow should return in late January — hopefully.

The CW hasn't announced an official return date for Arrow quite yet, instead keeping us on the edge of our seats, but the network will unveil its newest entry in the DC Comics TV universe, Legends of Tomorrow , on Jan. 21. So, it's likely Arrow may return around the same time, either Jan. 20 or Jan. 27, though that's just my best prediction. Of course, even if Arrow returns at the end of January, that's still at least a month and a half of free time to fill! But try not to panic, I've got you covered with five TV shows to watch while awaiting the return of Arrow.

The Flash

Let's get this one out of the way first because if you aren't already watching the Arrow spinoff, The Flash, what are you even doing? How do you understand the crossover episodes? How do you deal with the lack of joy brought by Grant Gustin's smile? Watch The Flash; Season 1 is available on Netflix so you have no excuse.

Smallville

Before The CW's popular DC Comics shared universe, there was The WB's Smallville. The show followed Clark Kent for 10 seasons as he battled DC villains, learned about his Kryptonian powers, and developed into the Superman character we all know and love. All seasons are available on Amazon and bonus: Smallville has its own version of Oliver Queen.

Birds of Prey

Another DC Comics television series, this time focused on the female characters of comic book lore, is the short-lived Birds of Prey. The show is sort of a mixture between Gotham, Arrow, and The Flash but unfortunately it only ran for one 13-episode season. On the bright side, though, that season is available to watch on Amazon!

Daredevil

Okay, maybe it's blasphemous to suggest a Marvel show to fans of a DC Comics series, but if you like the gritty crime drama aspect and masked vigilantes of Arrow, then watching Daredevil is a good decision, I promise. Plus, the show is part of Netflix's shared Marvel universe, so if you enjoy it, you can also check out Jessica Jones. Daredevil's entire first season is available on Netflix.

Robin Hood

It's no surprise that the Green Arrow was inspired by the legendary folk hero Robin Hood, and the character has been immortalized in a number of movies and television series. One of the more recent iterations of Robin Hood is in the three-season BBC show, which is currently available on Netflix. Since Arrow is on hiatus, you might as well watch another show about a vigilante archer in green, right?

You may need to wait over a month for Arrow to return, but there are plenty of other comic book/action TV series out there to fill the time, so hopefully it'll fly by as fast as one of Oliver's arrows.

Images: Diyah Pera/The CW; Giphy (3)