NYCC 2019: Nancy Drew is a detective mystery that will have real ghosts
The teenage detective Nancy Drew will not only be solving mysteries with her friends, but she’ll also be dealing with real ghosts.
The Nancy Drew books have been around since the 1930s, so it’s no wonder that most girls are familiar with the teenage sleuth. Drew has become a favorite over the decades because of her ability to put together clues and solve the mystery, even if she’s just a teenager. With this nostalgic fandom in mind, The CW will be bringing the TV series to their channel, and Culturess had the pleasure of speaking with the cast and producers at New York Comic-Con to learn more.
Though the mysteries will be similar, the Nancy Drew TV series differs from the books for the better in a lot of ways. For one, Drew on the show is nineteen and a recent high school graduate, which means she has more flexibility than a teenager. And that’s handy because she has a boyfriend named Ned “Nick” Nickerson, and things can get as hot and heavy as they can with their PG-13 rating because Nancy isn’t a child anymore. Consider all the other stuff Drew can do without parental consent, and you’ll get the picture of how much easier it is for her to be a little older than in the books.
The moment we enter into Drew’s life will be after her mother has passed. And that brings along another difference, which is that Drew’s life and relationships will be far more complicated. It won’t all be merry. In fact, Nancy and her father Carson Drew (Scott Wolf) will have their ups and downs because of the death. Drew even went as far as giving up on a life of sleuthing after her mother died. But that doesn’t last long because Drew and her friends are roped into a murder they didn’t commit.
Watch the Nancy Drew trailer here:
Unfortunately, Drew being older also means that she can be charged for crimes as an adult. So, her future depends on this case being solved. And unlike in the books, it’s going to take teamwork to solve the case. Executive producer Josh Schwartz made it a point to mention that Nancy will not be a lone wolf for the TV series. And that goes for her personal life, as well as for her detective work. Drew and her friends will be working together to get to the bottom of things.
Another difference is that there will be consequences to Drew’s usual exploratory habits. Drew was always going down dark alleys, stealing things, and breaking into places, but this version of her is living in the real world. According to the producers, Drew’s trespassing, breaking and entering, and all the other forms of lawbreaking she does in the name of doing good aren’t going to be taken lightly. In fact, the Nancy Drew that we are going to be seeing is one that is living in a world filled with consequences, mistakes, and drama.
The actress Kennedy McMann said of her role as Nancy Drew:
"“But we are seeing her now as a person who is real and makes real mistakes, and her actions have consequences in her personal relationships, you know. Where we are used to a Nancy Drew where everything is tied up in a nice neat little bow at the end. And nobody gets hurt. And everybody’s fine. And everybody understands, and it’s great. And that’s not real life. And it’s not real life for Nancy in our version. She’s willing to put it all on the line in order to solve a case or get justice. And that means losing friendships or letting people down and then having to deal with the emotional toll of that.”"
Even Drew’s friends are realistic and complicated, and everyone in the cast has skeletons in their closet. That even includes Carson Drew. George Fan (Leah Lewis) is more antagonistic than she is a friend because she loathes Drew, but for the sake of solving mysteries, these two will band together and do what they have to. But in truth, Fan is dealing with an alcoholic mother in addition to being a manager at their local seafood dive, The Claw.
Even Bess Marvin (Maddison Jaizani), who is the queen of joy, has the dark secret of being a kleptomaniac and living in a van, though she comes from a wealthy family. And if you can imagine it, Nickerson has a past criminal charge that not even Nancy is aware of.
So far, Nancy Drew is panning out to be Riverdale with ghosts, and you would be surprised at how well that works. Though real ghosts never made it into the Nancy Drew books or PC games, this series will take a swing at bringing a supernatural element to the world of teenage detective work. What’s more, we won’t find out at the end that the real culprit was someone wearing a costume like in Scooby-Doo. The brilliant idea came from executive producer Noga Landau, and these are legitimate paranormal entities that will complicate the story as Drew trudges through solving the case.
After watching the first episode of the Nancy Drew series, I can attest to the greatness the creators have forged together in this supernatural detective series. The show has a ton of mysteries and mini-puzzles to work with, and it’s spooky. And we have something more to look forward to in the future: Schwartz says they will have no problem writing in Hardy Boys cameos should they be able to get over the legal hurdles.
I only have one suggestion for fans that will be tuning in when the Nancy Drew show premieres: Don’t watch it with the lights off.
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