Theres a tendency - to the point of it being an easy target for jokes - for DC properties to go down the dark route when adapting them for TV and film. This worked out extremely well for Christopher Nolans Batman trilogy, but prompted much derision for Man of Steel and the first look at Batman v Superman. Arrow hasnt received that kind of criticism, but it has been of a similar gritty vein, something that has come into focus more in season 3 with the emergence of the much brighter and lighter Flash. Arrow is heading more in that direction now, with creator Marc Guggenheim telling io9 that the fourth season will have a consciously lighter tone. He said:
I happen to like dark and I like the fact that Arrow is a pretty dark show particularly for a network show. That said, every year you want to mix things up and there was sort of a collective desire on all of our parts to try to inject a little bit more lightness into the show, a little bit more humor.
Based on the success of The Flash, lightening up Arrow cant be a bad thing, as long as it doesnt go too far in changing the core ethos of the show. And it paves the way for a lighter version of Olivers character as well