The CW Renews ‘Kung Fu’ For Season 2 & ‘Stargirl’ For Season 3
The USA’s fluffiest network, The CW, is once again living up to its fluffy reputation when it comes to renewals, as it hands a 2nd Season to new series ‘Kung Fu‘, and a 3rd Season to ‘Stargirl‘ before Season 2 even airs.
“We are beyond proud to continue to share the stories of Nicky Shen and Courtney Whitmore, two strong, powerful young women at the centre of this new generation of hit shows for The CW,” commented network CEO Mark Pedowitz. “While each boasts remarkable talent on both sides of the camera, Kung Fu and DC’s Stargirl have not only treated fans to some visually stunning action and high-flying heroics, but they also both strike very powerful emotional chords as they delve into the family dynamics and personal relationships at their core, and we are so excited to see what happens next.”
Kung Fu follows young Chinese-American woman Nicky Shen (Olivia Liang – ‘Legacies’, Grey’s Anatomy’), who, after having a quarter-life crisis causes, drops out of college and go on a life-changing journey to an isolated monastery in China. But when she returns to San Francisco, she finds her hometown is overrun with crime and corruption and her own parents (Tzi Ma – ‘Wu Assassins’, ‘Veep’, and Kheng Hua Tan – ‘Marco Polo’, ‘Crazy Rich Asians’) are at the mercy of a powerful Triad.
Inspired by the original series created by Ed Spielman, ‘Kung Fu’ is from Warner Bros Television in association with Quinn’s House and Berlanti Productions, with writer/executive producer Christina M. Kim (‘Blindspot’, ‘Lost’) and executive producers Martin Gero (‘Blindspot’), Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter (‘Arrowverse’, ‘Riverdale’).
‘Stargirl’ follows high school sophomore Courtney Whitmore (Brec Bassinger – ‘School of Rock’) who inspires an unlikely group of young heroes to stop the villains of the past. The series reimagines Stargirl and the very first superhero team, the Justice Society of America, in a fun, exciting and unpredictable series.
Geoff Johns (‘Arrow’, ‘Batwoman’, ‘The Flash’, ‘Titans’) serves as showrunner and executive produces the series with Melissa Carter (‘Queen Sugar’), who serves as co-showrunner, as well as Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter. ‘Stargirl’ is produced by Berlanti Productions and Mad Ghost Productions in association with Warner Bros Television.
The renewal of ‘Kung Fu’ comes as no great surprise, given the series has been doing extremely well in the ratings, with the premiere episode drawing in the highest viewing figures for a Wednesday debuting drama since ‘The 100’ in 2014. The early renewal for ‘Stargirl’ is possibly a little more surprising, but then, the first season was the network’s most-watched Summer debut in six years, so is also not that shocking.
‘Stargirl‘ airs on Amazon Prime UK, whilst ‘Kung Fu‘ has yet to land a broadcaster this side of the Atlantic. We’ll let you know when we hear more, but if you want to keep track of these shows you can add them via our Never Miss system, and you’ll be notified when it gets a UK premiere date.
