It's been a rough road for The CW's Arrow. After a successful first season was followed by an even more revered sophomore effort, the series fell somewhat adrift. The first two seasons paved the way for what would be called the Arrowverse, with The Flash and DC's Legends of Tomorrow spinning off directly from seeds that took root Arrow. But the truth is, as Arrow went into its third and fourth seasons, the show began to suffer. Somehow, the series became less of what fans wanted -- less of a dark superhero action series, and more of a melodramatic relationship story.

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The focus of the series became muddied, and fans began to notice. Luckily, it seems like the powers that be noticed this as well, as the series' fifth season was a return to form. Once again focusing on its principal character and his struggles, the season featured a compelling villain in Prometheus, one that was ahead of Oliver Queen at every turn – something we hadn't seen since Slade Wilson was a regular on the series all the way back in season two. Now, Arrow's sixth season is almost upon us, and fan expectations have risen once again. That said, there's still an amount of uncertainty as we wonder if we'll get more of Seaons 3 and 4, or more of the Season 5, but there are some ways that Arrow can once again deliver the goods and remain at the top of its superhero field.

First, Arrow will once again need a compelling antagonist. When Adrian Chase went out with a literal bang, he left a vacancy in the villain department. Malcolm Merlyn, Slade Wilson, Ra's Al Ghul, Damian Darhk and Prometheus -- there's a long string of interesting villains that Oliver Queen has faced, and Richard Dragon, who will be played by Kirk Acevedo, is next in line. Of course, Arrow has often used more than one main villain in a particular season, an appetizer before the main course of sorts, like Brother Blood and Tobias Church in seasons 2 and 5, respectively. With these two seasons being the strongest of the series, Arrow would do well to follow their formula instead of focusing on a singular big bad for the entire season. No matter how fantastic Richard Dragon is, he might well be nothing more than an opening act before the real villain makes himself known.

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Part of what made Season 2 and 4 less than enthralling was the expansion of Oliver's team. Where before he used to work alone, with Felicity on tech support and Diggle as backup, we now had Roy Harper, Thea Queen, Black Canary and Spartan all taking part in the battles that the Arrow used to fight by himself. Season 5 offered some course-correction by once again highlighting the one-man army that is the Green Arrow, somehow managing to do so while involving a team of sidekicks in Wild Dog, Ragman, Mister Terrific and a new Black Canary. This time around, the responsibilities were evenly divided between team members, and the titular superhero wasn't neutered because of it. He was allowed to be his efficient, deadly crime-fighting self.

Arrow -- "So It Begins" -- Image AR506b_0067b.jpg -- Pictured (L-R): Rick Gonzalez as Rene Ramirez/Wild Dog, Echo Kellum as Curtis Holt/Mr.Terrific, Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen/The Green Arrow, David Ramsey as John Diggle/Spartan, Madison McLaughlin as Evelyn Sharp/Artemis, and Joe Dinicol as Rory Regan/Ragman -- Photo: Katie Yu/The CW -- © 2016 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Hopefully, Season 6 will continue this trend. Season 5 ended with every single member of Team Arrow – besides Oliver – in mortal danger, but we doubt many, if any, will actually be revealed to be dead come the Season 6 premiere. The new season's marketing has proven smart, avoiding most of Oliver's usual supporting cast. Other than Slade Wilson, Dinah Drake and the Earth-2 Laurel Lance Black Siren, we're not yet certain of who makes it off the island alive, but we doubt that Diggle, Felicity and Thea, two incredibly important characters to the series and to its fans, died off-screen. Assuming Wild Dog and Mister Terrific also survived (both actors are confirmed to be series regulars and are featured on this year's Arrowverse crossover poster), we hope Arrow will continue to be adept at juggling them and the rest of Team Arrow, giving each of them different -- and interesting -- storylines.

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Felicity's story with Helix doesn't seem to be over, for example, and we hope to see that thread get picked up. With Michael Emerson set to appear on the show in a mysterious capacity, it's possible the Lost and Person of Interest actor could be the previously mentioned but as-yet-unseen leader of Helix, Cayden James. Felicity has proven time and again that she can be a strong character both in and out of Team Arrow, and that trend should continue by giving her a storyline that matters.

The same could also be said for John Diggle. He's Oliver Queen's oldest ally, yet he's sidelined more often than any other member of Team Arrow. Sure, he received his very own superhero costume and codename, but somehow that has never really felt true to the character. Diggle is a soldier. He's smart and he's a leader, someone who deserves more than just gallivanting around Star City in a mask. With his skill set and expertise, Diggle could do a lot more for the world. He could even prove to be a fine addition to A.R.G.U.S., in a co-leading capacity alongside his wife Lyla.

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When it comes to relationships, we know that Arrow will give us plenty of drama. It's a part of its DNA, ever since the very first episode. We only hope it will continue to do so in a natural, organic way, without rushing or forcing character moments like it did throughout the third and fourth seasons when Oliver and Felicity's relationship was put on the fast-track, a turn of events that saw both characters suffer individually. Season 5 worked long and hard to remedy that mis-step, first by mostly ignoring the duo's past as fiancees, then by acknowledging that the two had pushed their relationship too far, too fast. It doesn't matter to us who Oliver ultimately ends up with, whether it's Laurel, Dinah or Felicity -- we know that the show is taking many liberties from the comic books. What we want is a relationship that doesn't feel forced and remains true to the characters.

Relationship drama aside, at its heart, Arrow is a comic book show. It's an action drama who takes inspiration from a comic book world that is both fantastical and gritty. More than anything, we want the series to reflect what the DC Universe is -- a place where chance meetings between heroes and villains are the norm, and where any fan-favorite character could pop-up at any time. We already know that Manu Bennet's Slade Wilson will once again have a recurring presence on the show, and that's undoubtedly great news. The more Deathstroke, the better. But why stop there?

The Question is a character who would feel right at home in Arrow's Star City, as would Ted Kord's Blue Beetle, a character teased more than once already. The Huntress is also out there, and she's bound to make a return. Green Arrow also has a long comics history of rivalry with Hawkman, a character who is in need of some redemption after his rocky introduction on Legends of Tomorrow. Oliver Queen's son William will also now be a part of the show, as evidenced by Season 6's trailers and early photos. Now that Oliver's five year story of flashbacks is over, could we see the series borrow a page from the Lost playbook and introduce flash-forwards, perhaps showing us an older William as his father's successor?

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There are many ways that Arrow can continue to please fans old and new. It has a great cast, one that convinces us to tune in every week, and it has a strong basic premise, not to mention a devoted fan-base. In the end, all we're really asking for is for the series to keep doing what it does best: Just hit the bullseye.

Season 6 of Arrow premieres October 12 on The CW.