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Could Trixie Belden Clock In as TV’s Newest Detective?
Julia Campbell Tatham’s preteen sleuth has the potential to become a game changer for the television mystery genre
I have fond memories of first getting hooked on the Nancy Drew mystery books during the summer between my Fifth and Sixth Grade years. The appeal of a heroine who makes sense of head-scratching enigmas — along with young people taking initiative to hold corrupt people accountable — resonated greatly with me.
Since 2019, The CW has aired the latest TV incarnation of a live-action Nancy Drew series, starring Kennedy McMann (two earlier versions of Nancy Drew previously aired — one from 1977 to 1979 on ABC, and the other during the second half of 1995 in syndication). As with Riverdale — which premiered in 2017 and remixed the Archie Comics characters — The CW’s Nancy Drew has placed a Twenty-First Century spin on an anachronistic franchise.
Last March, The CW announced that Nancy Drew’s upcoming fourth season will be its final one. This is more a consequence of Nextar buying out the network and shifting away from scripted series…rather than any failure of the Nancy Drew remake itself to develop a core audience and new fanbase.
