Plot: High school sophomore Courtney Whitmore 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.
Review: Since 2012, The CW's Arrowverse has dominated the landscape of DC Comics properties on the small screen. The interconnected universe, which shared the massive Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover last year, has created a dedicated fanbase thanks to a fun approach to storytelling despited somewhat limited special effects and budgets. While DC Universe has their own series like Titans and Doom Patrol that evoke the similar sensibilities of the Arrowverse, they have ventured into more adult territory on the streaming service. DC Universe's latest superhero adaptation, Stargirl, will air also on The CW and is the perfect blend of the teen-centric network with the higher caliber budgets of the streaming platform. In short, Stargirl is much better than it should be.
Based upon Geoff Johns' iteration of the Stargirl character, Courtney Whitmore is here played by Brec Bassinger. While Stargirl has appeared a couple of times in previous Arrowverse series, this is a new take on the character that exists in a parallel world to the one that Flash and Supergirl call home. On this Earth, the Justice Society of America has been defunct for a decade after a run-in with the Injustice Society. The JSA on this world was led by Starman (Joel McHale), Hourman (Lou Ferrigno Jr), Doctor Mid-Nite (Henry Thomas), Hawkman and Hawkgirl. Starman's trusty sidekick Pat (aka Stripesy) is one of the few survivors of the team's run-in with Brainwave and Icicle which leads to the series picking up ten years later without a successor to Starman's cosmic staff. Enter young Courtney.
Watching Stargirl, I was prepared for this to be a light and airy piece of entertainment with some of the bravado and, well, cheesiness of the CW superhero shows. Don't get me wrong, I like The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow, but there is a formula to those shows that features a season-long nemesis with villains of the week peppered through the two dozen episodes. What Titans and Doom Patrol did well was tell a serialized story while keeping the feel of a superhero story, albeit with a much more adult bend. Stargirl has profanity, but far less than other DC Universe shows and the serialized story gives it a much more cinematic feel. It also helps that the acting talent benefits from better dialogue overall.
Of the thirteen episodes in the first season, three were made available for this review and they really do a nice job of introducing Courtney and her connection to Starman and the cosmic staff. There are a lot of conveniences needed to make the story come together, but it works in the context of the show. What is nice is that Stargirl doesn't inherently have any superpowers but rather a connection to the anthropomorphic staff which accentuates her skills as a gymnast. But, Courtney is a teenager and is new to the superhero role which allows Luke Wilson's Pat to go from sidekick to mentor. Wilson is good in the role, playing a convincing father figure as well as a sidekick past his prime. Amy Smart is also good as Courtney's mother who has no idea of the heroics that run in her family.
And while Stargirl does focus on the title character, this series could easily have been called Justice Society: The Next Generation as we see our heroine assemble a new squad of heroes to take the place of Doctor Mid-nite, WildCat and the other slain heroes. This also may allow us to see our first look at Alan Scott in live action plus another version of The Flash. Pitting them against the legacy members of the Injustice Society does give Stargirl a tone reminiscent of Hulu's Marvel series Runaways. But, Stargirl is squarely a DC Comics world and may be the most accessible of the shows so far. There is a solid soundtrack of music ranging from Johnny Cash to more contemporary pop tunes which makes this a nice show that should appeal to teens and adults alike.
Stargirl is a lot more fun than I was expecting and the fact that this series will air on The CW will give it the exposure it deserves. Geoff Johns has done an admirable job of bringing his iteration of this character to the screen and it is the most enjoyable new DC series since the premiere of The Flash. Thanks to a talented ensemble cast of veteran actors and newcomers, well executed special effects, and an engaging story that hits all of the right notes, Stargirl is destined to be a hit. While some may be turned off because this series looks like it may not be aimed at their demographic, I bet if you gave it a try you would find yourself watching week after week.
Stargirl premieres May 18th on DC Universe and the next day on The CW.