Stargirl Officially Heading to The CW

Stargirl, the Geoff Johns-helmed series developed for the DC Universe app, will head to The CW, ComicBook.com can confirm — but not in the way you might think. The series will debut on DC Universe, then get a life on broadcast TV the following day on The CW. This means that two days after debuting on DC Universe, the series will be available to stream for free on The CW’s digital platforms. Last month, a rumor circulated that the series would head to the broadcast network, where it will likely be modified somewhat to fit the standards and format of broadcast television. While Stargirl was always depicted as being one of DC Universe’s more “family-friendly” shows, it was still devleoped for an app where language, violence, sexuality, and runtime were pretty loosely monitored. While Warner Bros.

The move is the latest shake-up in the short life of the DC Universe app, which offers unlimited digital comics as well as movies and TV based on DC’s deep library of characters for a monthly fee. Swamp Thing was cancelled after just one season — and the announcement came after only one episode had been released — reportedly due to production and financing issues. Doom Patrol earned a second season — but it will be jointly released on DC Universe and HBO Max.

DC Universe’s flagship series, Titans, seems to be about the only thing on the app that has had an easy go of it. It recently got renewed for its third season.

Stargirl will join an already-crowded lineup of DC shows on The CW, including The Flash and Batwoman, the network’s two biggest shows for same-day viewing. While Arrow will be gone before Stargirl ever debuts, the series will still share the airwaves with Supergirl, Black Lightning, and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. A Superman and Lois TV pilot is also reportedly in the works, with an eye toward filming in the spring. Later this season, Arrow will try out a “backdoor pilot” episode for a spinoff series titled Green Arrow and the Canaries, starring Katherine McNamara, Katie Cassidy, and Juliana Harkavy.

Stargirl follows high school sophomore Courtney Whitmore as she inspires an unlikely group of young heroes to stop the villains of the past. This new drama reimagines Stargirl and the very first superhero team, the Justice Society of America, in an unpredictable series. The project focuses on the character that started executive producer Geoff Johns’ career as a comic book writer when he created her in 1999, lovingly inspired by his late sister, who was killed in a 1996 plane explosion.

“There is no other character in comic books more special to me than Stargirl, and after searching far and wide I can say there is no other actor on the planet that embodies her more than Brec Bassinger,” said Johns back when the series was announced. “Brec’s warmth, strength, humor and positive energy are core to who Courtney Whitmore is. I’m so grateful she’s signed on for the role.”

The character of Stargirl has previously appeared in live action on Smallville and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. When the series was announced, fans noted that since Bassinger was a different actor than had appeared in Legends of Tomorrow, Stargirl would not be compatible with the Arrowverse — but given that there is a multiverse (and given that “Crisis on Infinite Earths” could plausibly muck with history in any number of ways before it’s over in January), don’t count it completely out.

Stargirl is being written and executive produced by Johns, and Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter will also serve as executive producers. The series is being produced by Berlanti Productions and Johns’ Mad Ghost Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television. The series stars Bassinger, Joel McHale, Lou Ferrigno Jr., Brian Stapf, Anjelika Washington, Yvette Monreal, and Christopher James Baker.

Stargirl is currently expected to hit DC Universe sometime early next year.