‘DC’s Stargirl’ Boss Geoff Johns Explains What Changed From The Original “Pilot”

If you just watched the premiere of DC’s Stargirl on The CW, you might not even be aware that anything was missing. The story of young superhero Courtney Whitmore (Brec Bassinger) and her step-dad Pat Dugan (Luke Wilson) battling evil in the small town Blue Valley, Nebraska technically aired its premiere tonight; but in fact, a longer version of “Pilot” started streaming yesterday (May 18) on DC Universe.

“Episodes 1 and 2, they were designed to be a two-hour Stargirl movie, essentially,” DC’s Stargirl showrunner Geoff Johns told Decider. “Both of those cuts, our final cuts were 50-plus minutes. That was locked. When we had to go in and cut one and two down to broadcast, that was a challenge. We really did look through a couple of different ways to do it.”

The reason for these big changes? The deal to air DC’s Stargirl on The CW as well as DC Universe was set after the show was wrapped. That meant going back into the episodes and, where the pilot is concerned, cutting out nearly 10 minutes of footage to make the broadcast network’s 42-minute air time. “The show is paced very deliberately,” Johns noted. “It’s paced a little slower than other superhero shows on broadcast, but it’s paced a little more like a streaming show.”

For those who don’t have time to check out both versions of the series the changes vary from little snips here and there — like establishing shots of Barbara Whitmore’s (Amy Smart) new job, and Pat’s auto shop — to plot-lines that will potentially pay off down the line.

One of the bigger scenes missing from The CW broadcast finds Courtney, overwhelmed, wandering through the halls of her new school when she’s approached by HBIC Cindy Burman (Meg DeLacy). Knowing that Courtney is from Los Angeles, Cindy all but forces Courtney to become one of their friends and join the cheerleading squad, something that the new Blue Valley resident had expressed reticence about just a few scenes earlier. Yet a scene later, Courtney is again lost and friendless in the school cafeteria, and ends up getting sat at the losers table. Though the scene with Cindy is clear set-up for later — the character, otherwise, doesn’t appear in the pilot — excising it illuminates how lonely Courtney feels in her new, small town life.

Another potentially big cut to the pilot removes a mysterious, extremely creepy bearded janitor (Mark Ashworth) at the school. Though he only appears briefly in the background of two scenes — one where Courtney is overwhelmed walking through the school halls, the other where she misses the bus after detention — the unnamed character (he’s called “Janitor Justin” on IMDb) all but looks in the camera and says, “hey, I’ll be important later.” Unlike the previous scene that changes (and I’d argue, strengthens) Courtney’s emotional arc, this tweak only removes a fun Easter egg that will pay dividends down the road.

Though these and other changes aren’t on the level of, say, a Director’s Cut that completely reinvents the original product, it is fun to compare the two — something that Johns hopes fans will do.

“I’d encourage anybody who really enjoyed the show, watched it on The CW, to seek out the longer cuts,” Johns said. “Because there are some great scenes that we just couldn’t … show in Episodes 1 and 2 on broadcast.”

DC’s Stargirl streams Mondays on DC Universe, and Tuesdays at 8/7c on The CW.

Where to watch DC's Stargirl