For most of the history of the medium, the cancellation of a TV show meant it was definitively over. Today, fan campaigns to save this or that show are common. Stargirl is currently airing its third season on The CW, but with the network's recent ownership change, fans are starting their campaign to renew the series early.
The network television model is changing in the ongoing era of prestige TV. Broadcast titan NBC is considering dumping scripted series in the 10 PM hour. Scripted shows are expensive -- even moreso when they are as visual effects-heavy as Stargirl. Yet people love this earnest, heartfelt melodrama for teens. Stargirl is as family-friendly as it gets and the vast majority of the discourse online is positive. While David Ramsey thinks Superman & Lois can save the Arrowverse, maybe Stargirl is the hero they've been looking for.
Stargirl is a unique superhero story in today's crowded pop culture landscape. It's cartoonish and innocent and campy, but yet with these actors and these stories, it works. It feels simultaneously like a tonal throwback to an earlier era of superhero media and a dynamic coming of age tale and makes hope a fresh concept. In an interview with Starburst, actor Amy Smart revealed the cast will find out if Stargirl gets a Season 4 by the end of September. The live ratings and online rewatches of the episodes released now are the most important in terms of getting the show renewed. That gives the #RenewStargirl Twitter campaign two goals.
The first is, obviously, to get The CW to see how much of a voice the passionate Stargirl fans have. But both Warner Bros. Discovery and Nexstar could use a public relations win after their recent stumbles. If there is enough of a persistent social media presence, it makes sense to bring the series back and show fans something on the network has support. The campaign can raise awareness about how important the live ratings for the new few episodes are, too. If the tweets generate buzz for the series, more people may check it out and boost the ratings at a crucial time.
Given all the moves Warner Bros. Discovery made with HBO Max, they don't seem to be interested in saving shows. Yet Stargirl survived the last merger between Warner Bros. and AT&T and the Twitter push might help it survive this one. The volume of the campaign may be nowhere near the amount of discourse around The Flash movie or the Snyderverse. But the fact that it is almost entirely positive should catch the parent company's attention.
Saving Stargirl -- either by exerting pressure as minority owners in the CW or simply shifting it to HBO Max -- is just the kind of public relations victory Warner Bros. Discovery needs to shift fan attitudes even the company's perception in the industry. The show has heart, humor and genuinely cinematic direction. Unless The CW's new owners plan to eschew scripted series altogether, they should consider themselves lucky to have it in their arsenal and listen to the Twitter buzz.
Stargirl airs Wednesday nights at 8:00 p.m. on the CW.