Stargirl Producer Geoff Johns Says “It Was Painful” to Cut Scenes for The CW Broadcasts

When Stargirl comes to The CW next week, the series — which was originally created for the DC Universe streaming service — will have to make some minor changes to the series in order to make it work for broadcast. Now, obviously, the series isn’t anything like Doom Patrol (which will see its second season debut in June). There aren’t torrents of foul language to edit out to make sure the FCC is happy. Instead, it’s just cutting scenes for time — which, as any filmmaker will tell you, is actually harder. After all, removing content that could get you in trouble is a pretty cut-and-dry process.

Not so with cutting for time — and not only is it not pre-decided for you, but also it can be nerve-wracking to make another editing pass after you have already decided on the “perfect” one. That made it hard to make the changes, even if it was ultimately worth it, according to Johns.

“We had to lift some scenes out of [episodes] one and two. It was painful to do, but I was thrilled it was going to be on broadcast as well as streaming,” Johns told EW. “The more people see the show, the more people get to meet Stargirl and the Justice Society. I really hope the characters connect with people that don’t even know them.”

Stargirl will follow Courtney (Brec Bassinger), a high school student whose life is turned upside when her mother remarries and moves them to Nebraska. More than that, there’s her stepfather’s connection to the Justice Society of America as her stepfather Pat Dugan? He was STRIPE, the sidekick to Starman. The series will take inspiration from the Stars and STRIPE comic, and according to co-creator and executive producer Geoff Johns will also have a tone similar to that of Spider-Man: Homecoming and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

The series will also star Amy Smart as Barbara Whitmore, Luke Wilson as Pat Dugan/STRIPE, Joel McHale as Sylvester Pemberton/Starman, Lou Ferrigno Jr. as Rex Tyler/Hourman, Brian Stapf as Ted Grant/Wildcat, Henry Thomas as Charles McNider/Doctor Midnight, Joy Osmanski as Paula Brooks/Tigress, Neil Hopkins as Lawrence “Crusher” Crock/Sportsmaster, and Nelson Lee as Dragon King. The series joins both DC Universe’s eclectic array of original programming, including Titans, Young Justice: Outsiders, Doom Patrol, and Harley Quinn, as well as The CW’s roster of The Flash, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow, Batwoman, and Black Lightning.

Stargirl premieres Monday, May 18, on DC Universe. On Tuesday, May 19, the series will have its broadcast debut on the CW, airing at 8 p.m. ET/PT, before a new episode of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow.