Hold on, is DC Universe actually killing it? The streaming service/digital comics platform that was entirely based around DC stuff like Batman and Superman seemed like a tough sell to the average consumer at first, especially since its flagship original series Titans looked shaky in its first trailer, but Titans has been received better than that trailer would indicate and the follow-up Doom Patrol series is looking pretty good. Is it possible that the general public was too pessimistic about this thing? If so, DC Universe’s upcoming Stargirl series might end up coming out as an actual hit.
For starters, the series comes from original Stargirl creator Geoff Johns, who loves the character so much that he definitely won’t let the show turn out poorly, and we previously heard that it’s going to star Brec Bassinger as the eponymous star-based girl with Joel McHale recurring as her mentor Sylvester Pemberton—a.k.a. Starman. Those both sound good, and now Deadline is reporting that Luke Wilson (a real actor who has been in movies!) has also joined the cast as Pat Dugan, the former sidekick of Starman who quit the superhero life so he could become a regular mechanic. He also happens to be the stepfather of Bassinger’s character, and when she decides to become a superhero, he jumps into a big robot suit called Stripe and fights crime by her side. (The Stargirl and Stripe duo popped up frequently on the Justice League Unlimited cartoon if all of this sounds familiar.)
In a statement, Johns said that he only ever envisioned Luke Wilson in this role, saying he’s been a fan since he saw Bottle Rocket in 1996, so actually getting to cast him is like he “won the lottery.” The show will also feature Lou Ferrigno Jr. as Hourman, Brian Stapf as Wildcat, Henry Thomas as Dr. Mid-Nite, and Anjelika Washington in some unknown role.
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Titans was fine, better than i feared, actually. But most excited about the return of Young Justice. Watched the first three eps, which start kinda slow, but so far seems exactly like the show i loved.
Titans was fine to start, but it infuriated me by the end. I ended most episodes thinking “Is that it?” Then, when they finally got some action and ended an episode with a cliff-hanger, they wasted the entire next episode on the backstory of two characters I never cared about in the first place. I was so angry with the show for that. Why on earth did they think that was a good idea?
Yeah for me is started “Hmmm, well OK.” Then “Ok, i am on board with this…” But it seemed like every time the story got cooking, they got sidetracked somehow. And the last ep was just kind of a waste of time, I thought. Too much world building, not enough relevant story. Didn’t really need the backdoor pilot for Doom Patrol I thought.
The finale felt like the penultimate episode, the setup, than an actual conclusion of a season. Eleven episodes is an awkward number for a season. I think in general there was less happening in each episode as the season went along. I let episodes stack so I usually watched two a week than the usual one, but they wrote the series for it to be binged and yet released it weakly.But I actually didn’t mind the Hawk and Dove episode as a standalone.
There’s a reason for that – they actually wrote and shot a twelfth episode and are “cannibalizing” it into the Season 2 premiere. If that were the only behind-the-scenes/production shift or whatever, I’d still think the first season struggled with chasing plot squirrels. But it turns out the entire first season was Justice League’d: https://screenrant.com/titans-show-every-reshoot-change-trigon-batman/Who knows if the original vision for season one would’ve been drastically different (or better), but reshoots would explain why the season was all over the place. I’m not sure what to make of the fact that it sounds like this was a creative decision and not a corporate one.I actually didn’t mind the Hawk and Dove episode as a standalone.Me too.
Interesting read. It sounds like the whole season was cannibalized. It was written and at least mostly shot for 13, they decided on 11 episodes and really only left enough material for 10. Maybe 10 and a half.
I wouldn’t have minded it if it had happened at another point in the season. Placing it in the middle of the cliff-hanger is what angered me.
That’s totally fair.And in all honesty, I think I liked the idea of what the episode was going for more than the execution. I was really impressed with how well some scenes were directed, and floored by how bad other scenes were. In other words, like the show itself, it was a mixed bag. But I can’t defend the decision to put it right after the previous episode.
I think “released it weakly” is an almost perfect Freudian slip. Kudos to your subconscious.
How many episodes of Young Justice have been released? Was it an all-at-once deal? Or a weekly release schedule? I don’t have a subscription to DC, and although Stargirl is now piquing my interest, YJ is definitely the only reason I’d subscribe.
Three eps were released on Friday. Looks like it’s three every week for the next couple months. Right now 26 eps listed.
I believe they are splitting the first season up, 3 episodes each Friday in January (with 4 episodes on the final Friday), and 3 episodes each Friday in June (with 4 episodes on the final Friday).
Ah, did not hear that. Kinda sucks because I’ve been waiting for this for forever, but i guess i’d rather have half now than wait a few months for the whole thing…
The bigger headline will be when an actor opts out of the Comic Book universe. Still holding out for Meryl Streep’s turn as the Silver Surfer ;o)
I feel like you might lure Streep in with an accent – maybe from some mythical country like Latveria.
Hold up. There’s a Lou Ferrigno Junior???
There is. He’s been acting in various capacities for the good part of the decade by now.
Is he any good?
Don’t know yet. I’ve only seen him in bit roles, and he doesn’t seem to pop up in them. His most prominent role recently might be his recurring spot on SWAT, but he’s just… there.
I liked the Stargirl they had on Legends of Tomorrow and wish she had joined the team (instead of leaving her in Arthurian times to be Merlin, which was dumb). But I will give this a chance for sure
few things have been botched like the JSA was in Legends. Though the LEGION certainly takes that crown so far
I guess I’m glad DC is maybe turning it around…as long as the dismal quality and bro-ish randian tone aren’t issues…but then again as comics are serials shouldn’t they inherently do better as TV shows than limited events? Maybe that’s just me wishing for a 40 episode Jessica Jones season.
Let’s all remember Geoff Johns’s least creepy contribution to superhero comics, an underage teeny-bopper with braces whose super-powers issue from a giant phallus and who is supposedly based on Johns’s own sister
I’m pretty excited for this since this series and John’s JSA were my gateway into modern DC comics. John’s work at DC is always, at the least, fun so I expected this to be as well.
Looking forward to this
What the hell? There is a person named Brec? And I just found out that she has brothers named Beric (also not a name), and Brice. That is a real weird limiting of letters for children’s names those parents opted for.
Mmm, Beric Morley thinks Beric is a name.
It sticks in your head though.
“Is it possible that the general public was too pessimistic about this thing?”No, Titans is still shit. But Young Justice is fantastic, Doom Patrol looks great, and Stargirl is obviously shaping up nicely. So maybe it has a future. I dunno.Titans is still hot flaming garbage, though.