‘Stargirl’ Boss and Cast Tease More Romance Is Coming in Season 2

When you think about a CW series, which I’m sure you do all the time, you probably think some combo of the three “S”s: supernatural, superhero, and sex. The latter is arguably the fuel that keeps the network going, with ‘shippers eagerly and incessantly talking about their favorite (and least favorite) relationships online. And the shows themselves seem happy to lean into that, teasing the next eyebrow-raising pairing before the iron is cold on the previous one.

Not so with DC’s Stargirl, the show previously airing on both DC Universe and The CW, which will now be heading exclusively to The CW starting August 10 for Season 2. Though there has been some very mild flirting between the lead of the series, Brec Bassinger’s Courtney Whitmore, and the son of the first season’s big bad guy, Hunter Sansone’s Cameron Mahkent, romance has mostly been left on the table in favor of superheroics, big fights, and plot twists aplenty.

According to series creator Geoff Johns, that’s all part of the design.

“The slow developing romance in the show is just part of the show,” Johns told Decider when asked at a recent press day. “It’s the show’s storytelling.”

That slow developing romance extends to Rick Tyler (Cameron Gellman) and Beth Chapel (Anjelika Washington), two characters who have canonically dated in the DC Comics, but are mostly friends and co-workers as part of the young Justice Society of America on the series. But in Season 2? Well, expect a slow burn. At best.

“That relationship is a very deep relationship and, where it goes, we’ll play it out in the seasons,” Johns teased. “And Courtney and Cameron will also play this out. But there’ll be more romance coming up as the series unfolds.”

For Gellman, though, this is part of the appeal of the series, and something that differentiates it from your typical teen fare.

“I think it’s kind of cool that the show is focused on other things as well,” Gellman added. “Like, there’s only so much bandwidth that any project has to tackle certain themes… What do we get to focus on more because we’re not, you know, super wrapped up in kind of the group dating each other? I think that you do get to then dig into everybody’s individual mission and challenge.”

Still, there are two characters that, if not hot and heavy, at least we know have a confirmed romantic relationship on the show, and one that went through a big evolution in Season 1: Luke Wilson’s Pat Dugan, and Amy Smart’s Barbara Whitmore. The step-parents have had plenty of issues to deal with as Courtney’s secret life as Stargirl — and Pat’s as the robot-suit driving S.T.R.I.P.E. — drove a wedge between them. But with Barbara now in on the secret and part of the team, will Pat and Barbara be smooching it up in Season 2?

“Well, COVID happened,” Smart said. “So, we had to be extra careful about being intimate in any way. In fact, we needed a rapid test right before a hug. That threw a real wrench in the romance department.”

Johns recalled the moment Smart was referencing, and added that producing the series during COVID definitely added to challenges, leading to changes in the action. For example, instead of including a hug, stopping production for COVID tests, and delaying shooting, “We played it a different way and the scene’s beautiful and it works.”

“Now we fist bump and you just try and put that same emotion into it. I think we did okay,” Wilson added, joking. “You have to do more work with your eyes though. Normally you’d close them and just get to lean in for a kiss. Now you just got to…”

“Smize,” interrupted star Yvette Monreal, laughing.

Hmm, sounds like we might need to add a fourth “S” to that list.

DC’s Stargirl returns for Season 2 on Tuesday, August 10 at 8/7c.

Where to watch DC's Stargirl