‘Stargirl’ Ending With Season 3 on The CW

Another one bites the dust at The CW.

DC Comics drama Stargirl will end its run with its current third season. The series starring Brec Bassinger and from creator Geoff Johns and Warner Bros. Television will wrap its run with its finale Dec. 7.

The news, which had been rumored for some time, comes as the broadcast network has dramatically reduced its volume of U.S. scripted originals. The CW was sold earlier this year, with station group Nexstar taking over nearly full control of the network in October.

“Stargirl has always held a special place in my heart for many reasons,” Johns explained in a statement Monday. “With all the brewing changes at the network, we were aware this was possibly the last season, so we wrote with that in mind and have delivered what I believe to be the best season of Stargirl yet, with complete creative closure. The cast and crew are extraordinary, and I’d like to thank them for helping me bring this series to life. Brec embodied Courtney in every way possible — with grace, strength and humor — exceeding my wildest expectations. I am grateful to WBTV and The CW for giving us a home to tell this story and to honor my beloved late sister, and I’m beyond thankful to the press and fans who have always championed us for three amazing seasons. Most series never get this far. We couldn’t be more proud of our show and the fan community it’s built!”

Stargirl was originally developed for former streaming platform DC Universe. The drama, which is exec produced by Greg Berlanti and his Berlanti Productions partner Sarah Schechter, aired its first season on the platform that is no longer in the scripted originals business. The CW, in a rare streaming-to-linear deal, inked a deal to air episodes of the series a day after they dropped on DCU for season one. Following its linear run, The CW renewed Stargirl for a second season, with the broadcaster set as the show’s exclusive home after DCU exited the scripted originals space. The CW took it a step further and gave an early season three pickup to Stargirl in May 2021, before its sophomore run debuted.

“Getting to play Stargirl and be a part of the DC Universe has been the greatest honor, and I am so grateful for every moment of it,” Bassinger said. “I would like to thank our fearless leader Geoff Johns, along with WBTV, The CW, the cast and crew of Stargirl, and of course, the fans. Thank you. This show will forever live in my heart.”

Stargirl was among the few U.S. scripted originals to have survived the 2022-23 season. The CW, ahead of its formal sale to Nexstar, canceled more than half of its scripted originals roster in May.

With Nexstar now running The CW, CEO Mark Pedowitz stepped down from his role as broadcast’s longest-tenured network boss after more than a decade. Other executives, including the heads of finance and marketing, have since been pushed out as Nexstar plots a future for the network that will focus on affiliates and cheaper originals as it plans to make The CW profitable for the first time.

It’s worth noting that The CW was never designed to be profitable but rather make money for its studio parents. Both CBS Studios and Warners made billions from its programming on The CW thanks to lucrative foreign sales and a $1 billion Netflix output deal. With the arrivals of HBO Max and Paramount+, those domestic and foreign streaming rights became vital to keep in-house to build both platforms. With both revenue-generating business models no longer making sense, CBS Studios and Warners sold The CW to Nexstar.

Stargirl becomes the fourth CW scripted original to get a proper ending this season, joining Nancy Drew, The Flash and Riverdale. In addition to those four, The CW’s scripted roster also includes All American and its Homecoming spinoff, Kung Fu, Superman & Lois, Walker and its spinoff, Independence, as well as fellow rookies Gotham Knights and Supernatural prequel The Winchesters.