As time passes, it becomes evident that Stargirl will not get Season 4 and won’t get the renewal we’re hoping for. I am trying not to lean where the evidence is. While I will not give up hope, there’s evidence. The lack of promotional material for the show is a significant indicator, as mentioned by Arricksreloaded. The CW has a habit of not promoting shows that are about to expire. Also, the dip in live ratings is a significant indication.
However, there are a few things I wanted to go over as well about the show’s limbo fate. I want to clarify that I am just as much in the dark as everyone else. I don’t know anything outside of what I’ve seen and read. While I want to believe there is hope for a renewal, the more we’re left to wait, the bleaker it looks.
The CW Needs To See We Love Stargirl!
However, we need to consider the position the show is currently in. It was the only show not given a renewal notice before Nexstar bought the CW. It has been said that Nexstar bought the network because of its unique streaming platform. However, I’m unsure if that means The CW app or the overall streaming, where it’s on different international platforms such as Binge, Foxtel, and Amazon Prime.
Nexstar would be stupid to cancel a show by looking solely at the live numbers. The days of a television series being renewed by looking at the live figures are over. That ended when streaming services started taking over the way we watch content. In all honesty, I think Stargirl should have remained a streaming show. It would’ve gotten better viewer numbers than what it has been.
Low Ratings Don’t Necessarily Mean Cancellation
We still do not know what the first two DVR ratings were. Knowing all the numbers is normal, as most shows don’t have those figures released. Not to mention, shows have been cancelled for much lower numbers than Stargirl, and some have received a renewal notice with far lower. However, season 3’s numbers have been steady.
This week’s episodes were the lowest the series has ever gotten. Some sources say the live ratings dropped to 0.39, while TVLine, which I mentioned yesterday, said the numbers were 403,000. This is not great, but Nancy Drew‘s third season had terrible ratings and received renewal due to the social media push. One week, one episode got under 300k viewers.
Stargirl fans are super passionate and have lobbied on social media. Comicbook bought this up in an article about a week ago. The show’s hashtags, #RenewStargirl and #DCStargirl, trend weekly. Brec Bassinger told Comicbook that she said that series creator Geoff Johns “has left no stone unturned” for the show to continue as it is his baby. She said she had seen the outpouring of love for the show online, as have the cast.
Media Coverage, Remaining Steady And Other Projects
Bam! Smack! Pow! made two points in their tweet on the ratings. They said the drop in ratings this week was due to many shows returning on other networks, so it is much more competitive. Also, the show is still The CW’s most-watched weekly show. However, they added that this might change when The Winchesters and Walker: Independence start and when Walker returns for its third season.
BSP also noted that Stargirl is holding its own for now. However, as I mentioned in another post, the news of the fan campaign has even hit mainstream entertainment outlets, with CBR reporting on it. This is a good sign that people are listening to how fans feel. Also, some fan campaigns have been successful. For example, when The Expense was axed from Syfy, a massive fan campaign got it moved to Amazon Prime. The same applies to The Clone Wars Season 7. The fans pushed for years to get the show one final season and were rewarded handsomely.
There was a jump scare amongst the fanbase the other week when it was announced that Brec had been cast in a series of Lifetime television movies, according to Deadline. This has led fans to think that the show has been axed and that we haven’t been told. Being in other things between seasons is normal for cast members on shows. Anjelika Washington has done a ton of Netflix movies between seasons. Hunte Sansone did Safety after Season 1 wrapped. Also, Tom Cavanaugh plays the Wellses on The Flash and has been in a heap of Lifetime mystery movies between Seasons.
Continued Jumpscare
In just the past day or so, it has been announced that Yvette Monreal, who plays Yolanda, was cast in a television pilot for HBO Max, according to Just Jared. I want to stress that there is no guarantee that this project will get picked up. Also, back to Brec’s television series, Lifetime movies have a very short production time. Two films can be shot back to back over a month.
Another example of an actor on a different project I should’ve mentioned earlier is Melissa Benoist. She was on Broadway when production on one of the final seasons of Supergirl started. She was written out of the show temporarily to accommodate her not being there. If Stargirl is given a renewal, they could do the same with anyone unable to be there when production starts.
We’re Going To Keep Fighting For Our Show!
As I said at the beginning of this post, I have a terrible feeling that I know what the outcome of Stargirl will be. I hope I am wrong. The last thing I want is our hopes (#RenewStargirl) for renewal to become a #SaveStargirl campaign. However, I am sure Geoff Johns has a backup plan for his baby. He started Courtney’s journey when she appeared in the Stars and Stripes pages years ago. So only he should be able to dictate whether the show continues.
If The CW and Nexstar are sensitive, they will review all their data regarding social media conversations, streaming stats and whatever else they have and do the right thing by the people who tune in each week to their network. But unfortunately, they have no inklings that Gotham Knights will be successful. There’s already a backlash because Batwoman was axed, and people blame Gotham Knights for the cancellation. Personally, I don’t believe that. I don’t know the motivations behind the cancellation, but they cut all the ones they saw as ‘baggage’ or had high budgets that weren’t generating enough money to stay on the air. Krypton had a similar thing happen.
To all the fans reading this, jump on social media and have conversations on whatever platform you’re on. Watch the first four episodes on the loop if you need to. Then, do whatever you can to make The CW and Nexstar consider renewal. We need to show as much love as possible, and we don’t go down without a fight.
