The CW's “Nancy Drew” has placed a unique twist on the classic sleuth, taking a curious girl solving mysteries and putting her into a town of ghosts. Nancy Drew originated as a mystery series in 1930 from Edward Stratemeyer who found success in a series about a polite, curious, and intelligent girl that always seemed to solve the mystery even when the police couldn't. Nancy was often seen working alongside a pair of brothers called The Hardy Boys who were Nancy's most popular cohorts with a TV series in the 1970s weaving between the boys and Nancy.
"Nancy Drew" was a sought after pilot that was rejected by other networks before the CW put their own spin on the sleuth by taking a "Riverdale" style drama and mixing in ghosts. The show was one of the new series that was picked up by the network at the same time as "Batwoman" and the short-lived series "Katy Keene." “The Hardy Boys” also saw new life in a revival by Hulu which is set in the 1980s and finds the brothers investigating corruption, lies, and a secret society.
“Nancy Drew” stars Kennedy McMann as Nancy, Maddison Jaizani as Bess, Leah Lewis as George, Tunji Kasim as Nick, Alex Saxon as Ace, Riley Smith as Ryan Hudson, and Scott Wolf as Carson Drew.
Nancy Drew meets the Bobbsey Twins
Gil and Amanda Bobbsey are a set of twins introduced in the first episode of the second season of “Nancy Drew." The character of Nancy is the most popular and well-known, but the Bobbsey twins actually go back further. The original twins featured two sets of fraternal twins and first came out in 1904.
As with the other characters in the Nancy world, the twins are given an updated version that fits the tone of the show. Gil and Amanda stole a mirror from the Hudson's in order to make a deal with Nancy and her friends in exchange for money. Praneet Akilla and Aadila Dosani play the updated characters. In an interview with the Calgary Herald, Akilla shared that when he was growing up he read a book or two of “The Bobbsey Twins” and spoke about how the twins would at times be featured in a Nancy Drew video game he would play.
The actor shared that he was over the moon when he learned that he would be playing Gil Bobbsey.
In an interview with The Homestretch, Adaila Dosani shared that her mother was the one more excited because she was a major “Nancy Drew” fan. When asked about their interpretation of the characters, Dosani described the roles as being a win for representation and spoke about how playing these characters has been so incredibly wonderful and important. Praneet Akilla shared in the same interview that this version of the Bobbsey Twins is darker same as the rest of the show. The actor continued that the twins grew up on the wrong side of town with a sordid past they will eventually have to come to terms with.
Akilla went onto share about how this version of Nancy Drew deals with more psychological and supernatural elements while keeping a focus on self-identity and relationships. The actor continued about how different filming was with COVID protocols now in place by both CBS and CW, sharing how they get checked in the mornings and try to keep masks on as much as possible. Dosani added that once she got into the rhythm of everything and really trust it, filming was smooth sailing.
Tom Swift set for 'Nancy Drew'
Ruben Garcia has come on board to direct an episode of “Nancy Drew” that is intended to be a planted spin-off featuring the character of Tom Swift. The episode won't be the first backdoor pilot that the CW has eyed as the network has two failed attempts with "Supernatural," a potential prequel for "The 100" remaining in flux, a futuristic spin-off from "Arrow" officially axed, and a Painkiller spin-off from "Black Lightning" in the works.
The character originated before Nancy Drew with the first book being published in 1910 and explored themes of science and invention. Tian Richards has been cast as the titular character and will be introduced in the fifteenth episode of the second season of “Nancy Drew.” Tom Swift is described by the CW as being a billionaire inventor that will crash one of Nancy's investigations. The tease by the network went onto state that the two will have an interesting contrast of opinions as Nancy views the case as being supernatural while Tom views the case as being cosmically paranormal.
The backdoor pilot was reported by Deadline as being one of the strongest early contenders for the CW. The show comes from the co-creator team of Melinda Hsu Taylor and Noga Landau working alongside Cameron Johnson.
Deadline reported that the planted pilot will find Tom Swift thrown into a world of sci-fi conspiracy and unexplained phenomena following his dad's disappearance. Tom leaves behind his wealthy lifestyle to hit the road in search of answers while trying to stay a step ahead of what has been described as an Illuminati-scale group who wish to prevent him from finding out the truth. Tom will be required to bring to the table his genius and flair for innovation which has been teased by the CW as being guided by love, romance, friendships, and the mysteries of the universe.
Next on 'Nancy Drew'
Next week's episode is called “The Drowned Woman” and The CW has released several sneak peeks. SpoilerTV offers a first look at the episode with several photos featuring a range of emotional interactions for the characters.
The first few episodes of the season have focused on the Drew Crew's fight against the Agleaca who gave them seven days before she came to collect their lives. With the emotional episodes, it's nice to see photos of George with her sisters in a sweet selfie moment and a teary hug between Nancy and Carson while still showing several investigative moments between the Drew Crew. The description for the episode teases that tensions will be high between Nancy and her friends as their fight against the Agleaca continues. The episode also finds Bess making a mistake that could prove costly for all of them while George has a sweet moment with her sisters.
A description for the sixth episode called “The Riddle of the Broken Doll” has been released by the CW.
The description is vague will little spoilers, but teases that Nancy Drew and her friends now face a new battle while Nick is unsettled by George's behavior and Carson makes Nancy an offer that can't be refused. While the episode doesn't give away too many details, it does make it clear that Nancy and her friends do find a way to survive the Agleaca.
