Almost 90 years after she was first introduced,Nancy Drewis getting a much-needed update.
But this isnt your grandmas heroine from the original book series.
The latest adaptation of the young detective begins post-high school when Nancy is in a kind of suspended animation.
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As a result, she swears off crime-solving while crossing off the days until she can re-apply to college.
The five of them must team up to clear their own names.
Its definitely a change from the books that shes not a virgin, adds executive producer Noga Landau.
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She has a boyfriend and her relationship with him is consensual and grown-up.
McMann loves how this is the first time that were seeing Nancy this complicated and this flawed.
She really doesnt ever make any mistakes and thats super unrelatable.
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In our version, we are watching her grow up and how messy that is navigating these relationships.
How does she deal with the loss of a parent?
How does she deal with her life falling apart and going on an entirely new track?
Robert Falconer/The CW
She makes a lot of mistakes.
She doesnt handle every situation perfectly.
Thats extremely relatable and well see our Nancy go through that.
Part of her arc is exploring why shes lost her path of solving mysteries.
Shes stopped solving mysteries because life gave her a mystery she couldnt solve her mothers illness.
But the new mystery that Nancy gets tangled up in will awaken her again, according to Schwartz.
Shes just as fearless and empathetic and commanding as she always has been, McMann says.
I wanted to keep that part strong, her empathy for people is what drives her.
Youll definitely see that carried over in our version.
She just happens to be more dimensionalized as well.
For the first time, Nancy will find herself dealing with real supernatural threats because the ghosts are real.
The ghosts on this show are very real and scary!
McMann says with a laugh.
I mean, she hangs her hat on logic and having tangible reasoning behind everything.
Thats always how she views the world, how she conducts her investigations.
So where did the idea come from to have real ghosts enter into the mystery equation?
Surprisingly enough, from the original books, according to Schwartz.
Plus, he promises that pretty early on you understand that the ghosts are real.
The idea is to say, why dont we for the first time just make it an actual ghost?
Thats part of the mystery for Nancy.
We wanted people to know what they were tuning into, Schwartz adds.
Were combining Nancy Drew and ghost stories with our show.
She gets hit over the head with candlesticks and tied to chairs.
That darkness was a part of who she was and what attracted young girls to those stories.
Taylor adds, Its an uphill journey of watching her become a believer of ghosts.
She doesnt focus on impressing the people around her.
Shes focusing on herself and thats a really wonderful and important thing to teach especially younger girls.
Were in a moment when were starting to see female characters with shades of complication, Landau adds.
Were ready for her, for this version of her, Savage says.
Nancy Drewairs Wednesdays on The CW.
