Why Is ‘Arrow’ Ending? Stephen Amell Explains Before Season 8 Premiere

It’s the beginning of the end for “Arrow.” Tuesday’s Season 8 premiere will kick off the final season, but The CW didn’t cancel “Arrow.” Star Stephen Amell was first to suggest the show should end, and he actually thought it would wrap up last year.

“I decided midway through Season 6 — basically over the Christmas break — that it was time to be done, and I broached that subject with [Arrowverse executive producer] Greg [Berlanti],” the Green Arrow actor told TVLine.

That’s more than a year before the ending was announced. Berlanti and Amell talked about bringing the series to a close for close to a month before they officially told executives at The CW. They wanted to be sure that they were ready to close “Arrow.” They were both apparently set to conclude the show, but Berlanti knew the story needed a little more time to finish on a high note.

“I assumed that [the series] was going to end at the end of 7, but Greg’s smarter than me, and he had a really good idea about a limited run in Season 8,” Amell said.

It was Berlanti’s idea to do a limited run of 10 episodes for the final season, and the shortened season will waste no time before paying homage to the show’s beginnings.

“It’s a different show in season 8. It’s like we’re playing our greatest hits,” Amell teased to Entertainment Weekly. “The premiere is the pilot. It’s almost like episode 1 is an ode to season 1. Episode 2 is an ode to season 3.”

As for the series finale, Amell says he already knows what is to come. Fans have long guessed Oliver’s death, but he isn’t spilling spoilers. Instead, he noted that it’ll be an emotional final chapter.

“[Berlanti] told me today, and I cried. I cried as he was telling me. There are a lot of hurdles to get over to make that final scene,” he noted.

Though it is shorter, the final season will be stretched out across the next several months. The series finale will not air until 2020.

The final season of “Arrow” starts Tuesday at 9 p.m. EDT on The CW.