Katy Wise

I was undecided about whether to leave a review at first but I’m just so disappointed that I want to warn other Nancy Drew fans. I, like many other 30 somethings, grew up on these books. They were one of the first series I ever read, and at the young ages of 8-10 when I completed the series, they were completely appropriate for a young girl, though interesting enough for someone older. While I was excited that the storyline was being picked up by CW, I truthfully had low expectations going into it, since all of the recent adaptations have fallen short. CW probably knew going into this that people weren’t going to like it, but with hopes to pull in a younger crowd. Like every CW show, there’s unnecessary sex scenes, especially in the first episode. The first episode is almost always more edgy, supposedly to get people hooked. If it were just that, I could just fast forward through them and roll my eyes. That wasn’t all though - they completely changed every main character. Nancy and her dad have a strained, distant relationship, which is completely different from the books, and at one point she even considers him as a murder suspect. In the books, he’s a distinguished, well dressed, classy lawyer. Now he’s a man who looks like her brother - and who hides huge secrets and relationships from her. Ned, her high school sweetheart is also suspected of murder and has a criminal record. Like every modern adaptation (think new Disney movies) they changed his skin color and then made him risqué. Bess? Another criminal record and totally different from the personality in the books. George? Also completely different, has a bad reputation from high school of getting involved with guys she shouldn’t and apparently doesn’t even get along with Nancy? Then let’s throw in ghosts. Actual ghosts, complete with scary sounds, implied vengeance and the look of skin that has been decaying for a couple decades. If you haven’t seen it, let me spare you and say that there were scenes that looked like an actual horror movie. I would compare it to the ring. Now, Nancy Drew has always bordered on paranormal, but that’s the key, is that it *bordered* on it and didn’t cross that border. There was always a natural explanation for, ‘hauntings,’ in the books. A way that a living person had made it appear as such, and it was revealed and exposed by Nancy, every time. Come on, CW. If you wanted a mystery series that wasn’t Nancy Drew, why didn’t you just name it something else. Or even had the main character be a daughter or granddaughter living in recent times?? This show just doesn’t work, and it’s not my Nancy. Signed, A severely disappointed sleuth