Season 1 is the first season of the DC Universe and The CW series Stargirl. It premiered on DC Universe on May 18, 2020 and The CW on May 19, 2020,[2] and ran for thirteen consecutive weeks. Each episode premiered on DC Universe,[3] and on The CW the following day. The season concluded on DC Universe on August 10, 2020 and The CW on August 11, 2020.
DC's Stargirl: The Complete First Season, as well as its companion, DC's Stargirl: Season 1 Original Television Soundtrack are available to buy on any platform.
Synopsis[]
Courtney Whitmore (aka Stargirl) is smart, athletic, and above all else, kind. This high school teenager's seemingly perfect life hits a major speed bump when her mother gets married and her new family moves from Los Angeles, California, to Blue Valley, Nebraska. Struggling to adapt to a new school, make new friends and deal with a new step-family, Courtney discovers her step-father has a secret; he used to be the sidekick to a superhero. 'Borrowing’ the long-lost hero's cosmic staff, Courtney becomes the unlikely inspiration for an entirely new generation of superheroes.[4]
Cast[]
Starring[]
- Brec Bassinger as Courtney Whitmore/Stargirl (13/13)
- Yvette Monreal as Yolanda Montez/Wildcat (13/13)
- Anjelika Washington as Beth Chapel/Dr. Mid-Nite (13/13)
- Cameron Gellman as Rick Tyler/Hourman (11/13)
- Trae Romano as Mike Dugan (13/13)
- Jake Austin Walker as Henry King Jr. (9/13)
- Hunter Sansone as Cameron Mahkent (5/13)
- Meg DeLacy as Cindy Burman/Shiv (11/13)
- Neil Jackson as Jordan Mahkent/Icicle (12/13)
- Christopher James Baker as Dr. Henry King Sr./Brainwave (11/13)
- Amy Smart as Barbara Whitmore (13/13)
- Luke Wilson as Pat Dugan/S.T.R.I.P.E. (13/13)
Special Guest Stars[]
- Henry Thomas as Charles McNider/Dr. Mid-Nite (1/13) and Charles McNider, AI (9/13) (Voice)
Guest Stars[]
- Nelson Lee as Dr. Shiro Ito/Dragon King (7/13)
- Joy Osmanski as Paula Brooks/Tigress (7/13)
- Neil Hopkins as Larry Crock/Sportsmaster (7/13)
- Mark Ashworth as Justin/Shining Knight (8/13)
- Hina Khan as Anaya Bowin/The Fiddler (9/13)
- Eric Goins as Steve Sharpe/The Gambler (9/13)
- Joe Knezevich as William Zarick/The Wizard (3/13)
- Joel McHale as Sylvester Pemberton/Starman (1/13) and Ultra-Humanite (1/13)
- Lou Ferrigno Jr. as Rex Tyler/Hourman (2/13)
- Brian Stapf as Ted Grant/Wildcat (1/13)
- Geoff Stults as Sam Kurtis (1/13)
Co-Starring[]
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Episodes[]
- For a detailed representation of the season's ratings, go here.
# | Title | Director | Writer | Air Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "Stargirl" | Glen Winter | Geoff Johns | May 18, 2020 (DC Universe) May 19, 2020 (The CW) |
2 | "S.T.R.I.P.E." | Greg Beeman | Geoff Johns | May 25, 2020 (DC Universe) May 26, 2020 (The CW) |
3 | "Icicle" | Michael Nankin | Colleen McGuinness | June 1, 2020 (DC Universe) June 2, 2020 (The CW) |
4 | "Wildcat" | Rob Hardy | James Dale Robinson | June 8, 2020 (DC Universe) June 9, 2020 (The CW) |
5 | "Hourman and Dr. Mid-Nite" | David Straiton | Melissa Carter | June 15, 2020 (DC Universe) June 16, 2020 (The CW) |
6 | "The Justice Society" | Chris Manley | Taylor Streitz | June 22, 2020 (DC Universe) June 23, 2020 (The CW) |
7 | "Shiv Part One" | Lea Thompson | Evan Ball | June 29, 2020 (DC Universe) June 30, 2020 (The CW) |
8 | "Shiv Part Two" | Geary McLeod | Paula Sevenbergen | July 6, 2020 (DC Universe) July 7, 2020 (The CW) |
9 | "Brainwave" | Tamra Davis | Colleen McGuinness | July 13, 2020 (DC Universe) July 14, 2020 (The CW) |
10 | "Brainwave Jr." | Andi Armaganian | James Dale Robinson | July 20, 2020 (DC Universe) July 21, 2020 (The CW) |
11 | "Shining Knight" | Jennifer Phang | Geoff Johns | July 27, 2020 (DC Universe) July 28, 2020 (The CW) |
12 | "Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. Part One" | Toa Fraser | Melissa Carter | August 3, 2020 (DC Universe) August 4, 2020 (The CW) |
13 | "Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. Part Two" | Greg Beeman | Geoff Johns | August 10, 2020 (DC Universe) August 11, 2020 (The CW) |
Notes and Trivia[]
- Season 1 was supposed to air on the CW on Tuesday, May 19 (9:00-10:00 pm ET/PT). On Tuesday, May 26, Stargirl moved one hour earlier to the 8:00-9:00 pm time for the remainder of its season.
- This was changed when Stargirl was pushed back an additional week due to scheduling conflicts created by the 2019-2020 coronavirus pandemic. Season 1 started airing on Tuesday, May 19.
- Season 1 episodes fluctuate between being rated TV-PG and TV-14.
- Amazon Prime UK acquired the rights to air Season 1 on their streaming service starting on Friday, August 21st, 2020.[5]
- DC's Stargirl: The Complete First Season was released on Blu-ray and Digital on September 29, 2020, from DC and Warner Bros. The Blu-Ray edition includes a 3-disk set with all 13 original episodes.
- With the closing of DC Universe, Season 1 of Stargirl migrated to HBO Max for streaming rights.[1]
- On March 4, 2021, Stargirl was officially nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Superhero Adaptation Television Series.[6]
- The primary villains of this season were the Injustice Society of America, including Icicle, Brainwave, and others. The secondary villain was Shiv.
- During a live video on March 31, 2020, Cameron Gellman did a live video with co-star Hunter Sansone to celebrate the official announcements for himself, Anjelika Washington, and Yvette Monreal. At the time, Hunter and Jake Austin Walker were the only cast members not revealed.
- They revealed that all the characters and posters were supposed to be revealed at Wondercon. However, due to COVID-19 forcing the con to be postponed, the information had to be released differently.
- Cameron and Hunter Sansone both agreed that they were excited for everyone to see the stunts. They teased the stunts were incredible.
- Hunter said he was most excited for the special effects, which are, "going to be awesome".
- While teasing Rick Tyler's powers, Cameron said he is a lot like Superman because he has a cape and has, "super strength, can't fly but can launch, and see an hour into the future".
- Cameron revealed that all the resources that were going to in-person interviews and cons would be going to virtual interviews and online promos.
- Cameron and Hunter confirmed that there are twelve season regulars.
- On March 31, 2020, Geoff Johns spoke on the possibility of DC legends "The Flash" and "Green Lantern" appearing in Stargirl. He said they, "are spoken of and they exist in the JSA. There's a picture of them in the first episode, and there are plans in the future for things." He also mentioned that Alan Scott and Jay Garrick are the Green Lantern and Flash that he envisions. "They are a part of the original JSA and their legacies will be felt throughout the show. I don't want to spoil too much about it, but I can leave it at that."[7]
- On April 11, 2020, Meg DeLacy confirmed in her Instagram live that the episodes uploaded to DC Universe are longer than the episodes airing on The CW. The episodes were filmed to be an hour-long but were cut to forty-five minutes so it could air on The CW.
- In a magazine spread for "Maxim", Yvette Monreal spoke on the best aspects of playing Yolanda Montez.[8]
- On April 21, 2020, Joy Osmanski discussed several aspects of her character and the relationship between Tigress and Sportsmaster in Stargirl during an interview.[9]
- Geoff Johns was insistent that both Tigress and Sporstmaster were in a "real, genuinely loving relationship".
- Joy also described her character as highly competitive and that through her Tigress persona, she gets to act out on her darker impulses.
- Season 1 of Stargirl is available to stream on HBO Nordic for Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland regions, on May 19, 2020.[10]
- DC Universe hosted three live Q&A interviews. They feature costume designer Laura Jean Shannon, co-showrunner Geoff Johns, and series star Brec Bassinger on May 7th, 14th, and 18th respectively.[11]
- On May 4, 2020, Decider released an exclusive promo showcasing the Injustice Society of America. It can be viewed here.[12]
- On May 7, 2020, Laura Jean Shannon talked about her super suits in Stargirl during her live Q&A.
- When speaking on the difficulties of Stargirl's suit, "Stargirl's suit might seem more simple and in some ways, it is since it does not have as many sculpted armor elements or other unconventional aspects, though those stars are hard to embed in that suit".
- When speaking on where the burden of creating Stargirl's suit fell, she said it was in on their tailor shop lead by Agnes Grzybowski. She had to, "integrate super streamlined sculpted bits into a form-fitted midriff-baring top and shorts while still keeping the fit perfect".
- She answered a fan question about the Cosmic Staff and the design of it. She said, "man that Staff has a total personality of its own! Basically you can think of it as a character in Stargirl! Much as I would have LOVED to design it, our awesome Property Master, Doug, worked alongside our amazing VFX team from ZOIC."
- When responding to questions on the most challenging suit to translate to screen she said, "I would have to say Dragon King was the most challenging to take from the page and create an impactful design that would resonate on screen… on the page, you can get away with a lot more in terms of color and exaggerated design elements than you can in "real life" before it starts feeling goofy. Once you try and emulate what is inked in the books on an actual body, it is a fine line you walk trying to stay true to the characters but also doing so in a way that actually imparts that character’s vibe… Had I been too literal with how Dragon King is inked, he never would have achieved feeling sinister… so- we worked to create a more grounded visceral version for the show. Luca Nemolato did the amazing concept art that we just posted on the team's Instagram! @LJSupersuits and Harwood Lee built the fantastic costume… our friends in the Make up dept. did an excellent job too which you can catch in some of the new trailers now!"
- When answering a question about Dragon King's makeup process she wrote, "we just built the understructure to his shroud to be a facsimile to the full makeup".
- She answered a question regarding which comic incarnations they drew from to create Stargirl's costume saying, "Geoff and I spent a lot of time pouring over all the various incarnations of Stargirl from the Comics in order to draw all of his favorite influences and then Gina DeDomenico, my concept artist and I started playing with ideas to bring her into the real world!".
- Her favorite Season 1 moments were, "the epic battle in the pilot followed by the kids assembling in their suits".
- S.T.R.I.P.E. was created based off of an amalgam of Geoff John's favorite renditions of the original character in the comics, combined with a hot rod.
- She described Sportsmaster's look as, "simplistic yet complex".
- On May 7, 2020 Geoff Johns did an interview with Polygon where he spoke about all things Stargirl.[13]
- He wanted to use the original JSA as inspiration so he could bring in a new version of Golden Age characters, that didn't get a "relaunching" in the "Silver Age" of comics. "And this Stargirl focuses on the core JSA heroes from yesterday, and also introduces this new group of characters that are going to take these legacies into tomorrow.". By getting to know the new generation, they were able to tell the story of who the golden age members really were.[13]
- On May 11, 2020, Neil Jackson who plays (Jordan Mahkent) did an interview with Meaww where he talked about Jordan and his son, Cameron Mahkent. He revealed a little bit of backstory for both Jordan and Cameron.[14]
- On May 12, 2020, Comicbook released two exclusive posters for Dr. Mid-Nite and Hourman. The posters also included a brief behind the scenes overview, courtesy of super-suit creator, Laura Jean Shannon.
- "Doctor Mid-Nite was full of opportunities for designing fun details into the suit and all of its accessories. Gloves made of customized leather hold pouches and pockets for potions and healing salves. Goggles that supply tactical knowledge to the wearer integrate into the rest of the Golden era-inspired updated design. Made for our petite bundle of positive energy, played by the effervescent Anjelika Washington! Our amazing tailor shop collaborated with Creative Character Engineering to dial in each of the integrated details to then get a final paint job from our talented Textile Artists, adding dimension and flair."
- "Classic Superhero pedigree was the driving force behind our bronzed super-strong Hourman. We focused on staying true to the comics and his portrayal through the years while adding a modern take for our new generation of heroes. Cameron Gellman transforms into a modern-day angsty teen trying to find his way through his newfound powers vested upon him in a suit that holds more than a little pertinent history for his character."
- On May 14, 2020, Geoff Johns did a live Q&A on DC Universe where he answered fan questions. He confirmed that there will be new Golden Age JSA members that have not previously been highlighted on screen before.
- On May 17, 2020, Yvette Monreal did an interview with bleeding cool where she talked about the differences between Yolanda Montez in the comics versus the show. She also broke down Yolanda's powers.[15]
- On March 17, 2020, Christopher James Baker did an interview with CBR where he broke down Henry King Sr. aka Brainwave.[16]
- On March 18, 2020, Brec Bassinger did a live Q&A on DC Universe where she answered fan questions.[17]
- She teased that the rivalry between Shiv and Courtney in the comics might be explored on-screen.
- Many Golden Age JSA characters have storyline closure.
- Episode seven introduces one of Stargirl's arch-nemesis and features an epic fight scene.
- On March 19, 2020, Brec Bassinger and Luke Wilson did an interview with Entertainment Weekly where they spoke about what fans can expect from the season. Their interview takes place post-Pilot premiere.[18]
- On March 19, 2020, Brec Bassinger and Luke Wilson did an interview with Entertainment Tonight where they talked about Luke's casting, Stargirl's powers, costume, and kick-butt action scenes.[19]
- Some episodes have content removed when they air on The CW to allow for the network's commercials, notably approximately eight minutes in each of the first two episodes. [20]
- While DC Universe airs the episodes in full[21], and Johns said starting with the third episode, both releases are "almost identical".
- The series release plans shifted and it stayed in post-production longer to accommodate the broadcast on The CW in order to accomplish the adjustments that had to be made.[22]
- Scenes removed in the first episode from the CW broadcast included[23]:
- Establishing shots of Barbara Whitmore's new job, and one at Pat's auto shop.
- An interaction between Courtney and Cindy Burman in the halls of Blue Valley High School that Alex Zalben of Decider said was "clear set-up for later" but helped strengthen Courtney's emotional arc.
- Some Mark Ashworth's scenes as "a mysterious, extremely creepy bearded janitor", which Zalben said was more of "a fun Easter egg that will pay dividends down the road".
- Also cut was a scene where Courtney found a newspaper article about Starman and Stripesy.[24]
- On June 15, 2020, The CW put out a statement across their various shows and through their various social media platforms, where they stated that racist/ misogynistic comments will not be tolerated. Nor will any hate towards the LGBTQIA+ community. So if people on their social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram leave these kinds of hateful messages, they will be blocked immediately.[25]
- On June 16, 2020, Anjelika Washington did an interview with TVGuide in which she teased Beth's future as Dr. Mid-Nite, her interactions with fellow JSA members, and surprise ISA members.[26]
- On June 16, 2020, Cameron Gellman did an interview with Collider where he talked all things Hourman.[27]
- On June 16, 2020, Cameron Gellman did an in-depth interview with CBR where he discussed everything pertaining to Stargirl and Hourman.[28]
- On June 17, 2020, Neil Jackson did a live Q&A with DC Universe.
- When speaking on the emotion of Jordan/Icicle, he said, "obviously his physical color is blue, but I also like that as a metaphor. He is deeply deeply sad, so I wanted that sadness to wash over everything - as if taking every scene he's in and painting over it with a blue wash. He takes no joy in killing and in many ways he wishes he didn't have to, but after his wife died he was thrust onto this path and he will see it to the end."
- His favorite scene is one of the final ones of Season 1, and after he read the scene, he called Geoff Johns and thanked him.
- In his opinion, Jordan's name was changed from "Joar" for practical reasons. "Also, the name Joar would have just lead to several practical questions in the story requiring him to repeat and clarify the pronunciation. Jordan is just simpler."
- His favorite on-set moment was the first day Dragon King appeared. Neil has been close friends with Nelson Lee for over fifteen years, so it was an emotional moment for both of them.
- On June 18, 2020, Brec Bassinger did an interview with CinemaBlend where she teased Solomon Grundy, Denise Zarick, Barbara's work with The American Dream and how Courtney's world crashes down upon figuring it all out, as well as, Pat Dugan/STRIPE.[29]
- On June 25, 2020, the twitter account for Warner Bros TV released a special poster of Stargirl wearing another kind of mask to raise awareness for wearing masks during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.[30]
- On June 26, 2020 Neil Hopkins and Stella Smith did an AMA over on the Stargirl Reddit forum where they answered a couple of fan questions. [31]
- Stella knew the show she was auditioning for was Stargirl, but they used a mock script and a different character name.
- Neil for his part said that "the audition process was normal like any other audition it was on tape I never met the producers. The difference was I had no idea who I was actually auditioning for. I knew what the character was like but I had no idea that it was Sportsmaster or that it was a villain and the PC world. I didn’t know that until a couple of weeks later when I got the offer".
- Another Reddit user asks Stella if she knows which version of the Artemis character the show is basing it on (comics, Young Justice cartoon, or reinventing her for the show). To which Stella replied that the show is combining different elements of each version that has appeared in the media.
- She also mentioned that when it comes to her character, Stella did some slight research, but mostly based Artemis on what was written in the scripts.
- Neil also mentioned that the creation of the Sportsmaster Suit was a long one, and he had to try on several versions of it as they developed it. But it is apparently very comfortable to wear.
- Neil also revealed he hadn't heard of Sportsmaster prior to getting the role. But once he got offered the role, he immediately started reading upon him. Although most of what he found was the recent portrayal of Sportsmaster on the Young Justice series.
- When it comes to Sportsmaster though Geoff Johns had his own take on him and Neil described him as more funny and psycho.
- Neil went onto say that when he first met the producers they gave them "JSA: the Golden Age" to read, but So much of Neil's version of Sportsmaster was just in the script that they wrote for the series. It's a new, different take on the character.
- Neil also mentioned how shooting the fight scene in the 6th episode was a lot of fun but very grueling. The cast and crew saw a Lot of sunrises because it took them over a week to shoot due to the constant raining. As a result, they had to continuously end the shoots early, which lead to the schedule getting pushed again and again.
- In terms of the vibes on set, both Stella and Neil mentioned the Geoff made it a "chill and comfortable set", and that everyone was super excited to be able to work on this new show.
- Stella also stated that she'd be open to playing a heroic Artemis or a more villainous one. She also mentioned that in terms of inspiration, she's really been using Joy and Neil to determine the personality traits of Artemis.
- On Monday, July 6, 2020, it was announced that Stargirl had been renewed for a second season. However, starting with this season, it will air exclusively on The CW.[32]
- On July 7th, 2020 during the airing of Shiv Part Two on The CW, Brec revealed in a tweet that the hospital scene was a re-shoot. That in reality, they shot this scene weeks after wrapping the episode.[33]
- On July 21, 2020, WaterTower music released the full 22 song soundtrack for the first season.
- Calum Scott's cover of Robyn's "Dancing on My Own" debuted at No. 1 on The Hollywood Reporter's Top TV Songs chart, powered by Tunefind, following its appearance in "Brainwave Jr.".[34]
- "Dancing on My Own" racked up 10.5 million U.S. on-demand streams in July 2020, along with 3,000 digital downloads, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data.
- Geoff Johns wanted to incorporate Sir Justin's horse into the season, having her been kidnapped by Dragon King and in a cell next to Cindy's. However, they couldn't afford to make a CGI pegasus so the idea was scrapped early on in production. Geoff, however, does have hopes to incorporate the pegasus in Season 2 in some capacity.
- Stargirl is The CW's second-highest streamed series on their platform, following behind Tell Me A Story. For the top five, it bested Batwoman, Nancy Drew, and the The 100.