Do you love detective fiction? Do you love watching Veronica Mars and Riverdale? Did you grow up reading Nancy Drew books? If you answered yes to any (or all) these questions, then you’ll love the latest adaptation of the Nancy Drew books.
The new show is darker in tone than the literary detective is used to. It also comes with a quite a few changes from the book series, which make it feel fresh and relevant while staying true to Nancy’s intrepid spirit, as well as the books’ mood of mystery and suspense.
Check out some of the changes and make sure you watch the first episode this Saturday, 11 January, at 21:00 on M-Net channel 101.
1. The setting is contemporary, which is not so much a change as it is in keeping with the spirit of the books. Nancy always changed and moved with the times as the stories moved through the decades – all the way from its debut in 1930 to the current Nancy Drew Diaries.
2. The books are set in the fictional town of River Heights, which is said to be in the state of Illinois. In the show, the setting is moved to the state of Maine and based in the fictional town of Horseshoe Bay.
3. There’s a supernatural element to the show. Although the books had these too, they tended to be explained away once Nancy solved the case.
4. In the books, Nancy’s mother dies when she is still a child. In the show, her mother dies when Nancy is in high school.
5. Nancy’s friends George Fayne and Bess Marvin are not cousins like they are in the books.
6. They’re also not Nancy’s friends: Bess is new to town and George holds a high school grudge against Nancy – and is now her boss at the diner, The Claw, where all three girls work.
7. George’s last name has been amended to Fan, as the character in the show is Chinese-American and played by Chinese-American actress Leah Lewis, whom you’ll recognise from Station 19 and the rebooted Charmed.
8. Nancy has a great relationship with her father in the books, but in the show it’s on rocky ground.
9. The character of Hannah Gruen does not feature in the show, and there is a new main character in the form of Ace, who also works at The Claw.
10. Ned is still her boyfriend, but goes by Nick – an abbreviation of his last name Nickerson.
There are still many surprises in store, and the show is chock full of Easter eggs that die-hard fans of the books will be quick to spot. Catch it all in Nancy Drew season 1 every Saturday at 21:00, starting 11 January, on M-Net.