When Warner Bros. launched its streaming service DC Universe, it came with the promise of a number of exclusive, original shows: Titans, Doom Patrol, Swamp Thing, and Stargirl. Yesterday, the company announced that it’s moving Stargirl‘s debut back from its original January 2020 release date, and that episodes of the series will also air on The CW.
The series is set to follow high school student Courtney Whitmore (Brec Bassinger), who has recently moved from Los Angeles to Nebraska, and learns that her stepfather, Sylvester Pemberton (Joel McHale) was once Starman, the sidekick to a superhero, S.T.R.I.P.E., the alter-ego of Pat Dugan (Luke Wilson). More importantly, she discovers that he still has a powerful cosmic staff, and uses it to become a superhero herself. The series was originally slated to debut in August 2019 on the service, but that was later bumped back to January 2020, and now, sometime in the “second quarter 2020,) according to Warner Media.
When the series does debut, it won’t be exclusive to DC Universe: the episodes will air on The CW the day after they first stream on DC Universe, and will also be available on the network’s digital platforms. It also looks as though Stargirl will tie in with The CW’s DC franchise, Arrowverse, with the character set to briefly appear in this year’s massive crossover event series, “Crisis on Infinite Earths.”
The move further erodes some of DC Universe’s exclusivity. Streaming services such as Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV +, Disney +, Netflix, and others have all relied on an assortment of original shows to entice subscribers to sign up, and DC Universe was no exception. But WarnerMedia recently announced its own major streaming service, HBO Max, an umbrella service that will include some DC Universe content — including the Arrowverse (it’ll have some original shows of its own set in that franchise), while another DC Universe original, Doom Patrol, will see its second season debut on both platforms.
What does this mean for DC Universe? It’s unclear, but WarnerMedia has said that it’s not planning to shutter the service anytime soon. Indeed, the company recently announced that it was renewing Titans for a third season, and of course, Stargirl‘s debut is set for sometime next year.
