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Nancy Drew Gets Modernized As a Sexy Ghost Hunting Heroine For a New Audience

With a Riverdale feel, Nancy Drew is a teen drama in a supernatural world, modernized and relevant again for a young audience.

As a kid growing up in the 70s, I couldn’t get enough of The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries. I was a big fan of teen idol Shaun Cassidy who played Joe Hardy. But what most didn’t know was how hard I crushed on Pamela Sue Martin. When she left the role of Nancy after one season, I managed to get my hands on the issue of Playboy she appeared in. Mmm! I followed her to Dynasty where she played the original bad girl Fallon Carrington. I even saw her appear in a Skinemax movie called The Lady in Red. So very UN-Nancy Drew!

Apparently the character was originally conceived as a hellion, well, as much as teenage girl could be in the 1930s. But then in 1959, all the Nancy Drew novels were revised and sanitized for a more conservative America, removing anything that might be considered controversial or subversive. Original writer Mildred Benson would later complain, “they took the spice out!” And when Martin was first cast, the copyright owners demanded there be no hints of sex or drugs.

“Nancy Drew never cried or experienced an inordinate amount of pain,” Martin complained after she left the show. “Never a kissing scene or any sign that she would indulge in the opposite sex.”

Sure, there have been other incarnations of the high school sleuth since then, but they all adhered to the character’s squeaky-clean 1950s makeover. No one seemed to get this character’s potential as a smart, cool and, yes, sexy modern heroine.  But now the CW  is out with a new adaptation of Nancy drew and it’s actually good!

With a Riverdale feel,  Nancy Drew is a teen drama in a supernatural world. It was developed by Gossip Girl’s Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage along with The Magicians’ Noga Landau and contains elements of bothThink Serena van der Woodsen meets Veronica Mars.

Starring the delightful Kennedy McMann, the show modernizes the source material, making it relevant again for a young audience.

Oh, and the first episode has a guest appearance by Pamela Sue Martin. See? Something for us old guys, too.

Actress, Miscellaneous Crew
Biography: Kennedy McMann is an American actor and singer from Mesa, AZ. She was born on October 30th, 1996 in Holland, MI and completed her BFA in Acting from Carnegie Mellon University in 2018. Kennedy is known for her work on television in the show "Gone" opposite Chris Noth and Leven Rambin. See full bio >>
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About the author

J Davis

J is a former rock star, former DJ, comic book & political historian, and novelist who once read the ingredients on a chewing gum wrapper and unlocked the secrets of the universe.

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