After a violent shipwreck, billionaire playboy Oliver Queen was missing and presumed dead for five years before being discovered alive on a remote island in the Pacific. When he returns home to Starling City, his devoted mother Moira, much-beloved sister Thea and best friend Tommy welcome him home; but they sense Oliver has been changed by his ordeal on the island. While Oliver hides the truth about the man he’s become, he desperately wants to make amends for the actions he took as the boy he was. Most particularly, he seeks reconciliation with his former girlfriend, Laurel Lance. As Oliver reconnects with those closest to him, he secretly creates the persona of Arrow—a vigilante—to right the wrongs of his family, fight the ills of society and restore Starling City to its former glory. By day, Oliver plays the role of a wealthy, carefree and careless philanderer he used to be—flanked by his devoted chauffeur/bodyguard, John Diggle—while carefully concealing the secret identity he turns to under cover of darkness. However, Laurel’s father, Detective Quentin Lance, is determined to arrest the vigilante operating in his city. Meanwhile, Oliver’s own mother, Moira, knows much more about the deadly shipwreck than she has let on—and is more ruthless than he could ever imagine.

• Season 1

The CW will broadcast the 15^th annual Young Hollywood Awards on Thursday, August 1.  This star-studded red-carpet event has long been regarded as the “Oscars of Young Hollywood,” spotlighting the accomplishments of the entertainment industry’s rising stars.  Nominees will be announced next month.

Eight years after its final episode aired, Everybody Loves Raymond is still making waves around the world, Deadline reports.  The BBC is filming a pilot for a UK remake of the Emmy-winning comedy later this month, with British actor-writer Lee Mack and Catherine Tate (Nellie on The Office) in the starring roles originated by Ray Romano and Cleveland’s Patricia Heaton.  You can see Raymond, weeknights at 12 and 12:30am on WBNX.

Congratulations to Shenae Grimes (Annie on 90210), who was married to UK musician and fashion model Josh Beech last week.   The wedding was held in Ashford, England, says Us Weekly, with Shenae’s close friend and costar AnnaLynne McCord (Naomi) among the guests.  The groom’s band, Beech, just released its debut EP; and the bride has officially changed her name to Shenae Beech. 

Colin Donnell (Tommy Merlin on Arrow) is a big fan of the stage.  “When I got to college I quickly realized there was nothing else I loved as much as theatre,” he tells TVG.  “It’s my first love,” having won rave reviews for his Broadway run in Anything Goes.  This summer in New York, he’ll be acting and singing in Shakespeare in the Park’s musical production of Love’s Labor Lost.

The Vampire Diaries co-creator Julie Plec says the most satisfying story to tell this past season was taking Elena from human to new vampire to emotionless, and back to feeling again.  “We took her to dark, angry places, and as writers—and for Nina (Dobrev), too—it was such a fun year to explore all the different sides of Elena,” she admits to TV Guide.