It’s fitting how as Arrow begins a new chapter in its story that it gets a new showrunner that’s ready to bring her love, knowledge, and passion to the show. Beth Schwartz takes over the reins for departed showrunners Marc Guggenheim and Wendy Mericle. And if it’s any indication already, Schwartz is looking to infuse more character dynamics into the show.
Schwartz has been a part of Arrow since its first season. (Fun fact: The first episode she wrote was Colton Haynes’ debut) So for Schwartz, she feels most at home with these characters, which bodes well for character-centric storytelling that has been lacking.
“The characters are in my blood,” Schwartz told us during a roundtable interview at San Diego Comic-Con. “I don’t know if it’s the easiest, but it’s definitely my most comfortable because I could come up with stories for Arrow until the end of time.”
Schwartz takes over at an interesting time in Arrow’s story. Season 7 will open with Oliver Queen in prison after he admitted to the world that he was the Green Arrow, which provides some amazing opportunities to explore character dynamics and a specific reality of the situation. Specifically, Oliver and Felicity.
With Oliver in prison, Schwartz is excited to explore the realism of the situation and how it affects husband and wife.
“They’re going to struggle,” Schwartz said of Olicity. “Mostly because Felicity’s husband is in prison. So I really want to play with the reality of that. What is it like for your husband to now (be in prison.) His identity is out, her safety is in question, everyone knows who she is and her son.
“We’re just playing with the real and how hard it is, even without him being a superhero but having your husband be in prison,” she continued. “That’s not going to be great for her or him.”
Watch our interview with Schwartz below, where she talks about her excitement for Batwoman, dealing with crossover events between four shows, Black Siren and more.
Arrow season 7 premieres Monday, Oct. 15 at 8/7c on The CW.
