Stargirl

The Arrowverse DC shows on the CW get a lot of flak online, and at times, rightfully so. The show runners balance telling solid superhero stories while infusing enough teen melodrama to keep the typical CW audience riveted. And well… it works. The shows do good ratings and the crossover appeal seems to be pretty big. But I think the lower budgets, forced relationships, and bad graphics at time get too much focus at times. Maybe I’m a little less harsh on the shows because I remember what it was like not to have superhero TV shows on and quite frankly, I don’t think they are all that bad. I’m not current on any particular show, but I’ve enjoyed Arrow, The Flash, and Supergirl quite a bit over the years.

A few nights ago, I decided to do a DC Unlimited free trial to check out a few episodes of Harley Quinn. I was one of those people who paid upfront for a year of DC Unlimited when it launched and found myself quite disappointed with the offerings. I enjoyed Titans and loved some of the exclusive content they had at first, but when they cancelled Swamp Thing before it even aired I was crushed. Being a big Swamp Thing fan, this killed me and I began to lose faith in the service. It was apparent the streaming service wasn’t a priority for Warner Brothers, and the lack of comics upon launch and the constant rotating movies and comics proved that.

I logged on to watch Harley Quinn and that’s when I noticed the first episode of Stargirl was streaming. This was a show I didn’t really see myself enjoying and I had no interest in checking it out. But I ran across an article about Geoff John and how the character was a tribute to his sister who died in a plane crash and well… I just felt like supporting the show. It also helped that I really liked the cast. I’ve always been a huge fan of Amy Smart since I first saw her in Road Trip. I especially loved her performance in Interstate 60. Luke Wilson is great in the right role and Joel McHale is almost always a joy to watch. #SixSeasonsAndAMovie

I clicked on Stargirl and within the first couple of minutes I was beginning to regret it. The opening scene is action filled but a bit of mess tonally. I decided to let things played out and I’m glad I did. Stargirl was actually quite enjoyable and a breath of fresh air in comparison to the typical Arrowverse shows.

Stargirl comes across almost Spielbergesque. It feels like something you’d watch in the 80’s with the whole family. It’s wholesome, but not in a cheesy way. While watching it, I really felt the same sort of vibe I got from Shazam, which is a good thing. I miss that feeling of magic in the movies and Shazam really captured that for me. There was awe and excitement at the powers, and Stargirl channeled that as well, albeit on a smaller scale.

I’m not sure about villains as they came across a bit… unimpressive, but we really didn’t get a chance to learn much about them as this first episode spent the time setting up the family dynamic and introducing our main character to the world of superheroes.

Speaking our main character, Courtney, portrayed by Brec Bassinger, she did a great job. She’s in her early twenties, but does look and come across more like an actual teenager which is rare on TV shows. I’m interested in seeing how her character grows and if she can truly lead a TV show but my initial impression was a good one. I was pleasantly surprised with Stargirl and I hope it keeps up the same level of quality. It doesn’t feel like an Arrowverse show and I think that is a good thing. The DC shows on the CW could use a little diversity.