Written by a group of ghostwriters under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene, Nancy Drew is a series of books based on a strong female detective. These novels that started in the 1930s, are still being continued to date. The popularity of these books paved the way for its screen adaptations. In fact, over the past decades, there have been many film and TV adaptations of the protagonist, Nancy Drew. The most recent adaptation is CW’s 2019 mystery drama series titled Nancy Drew.

However, this particular series is not similar to Keene’s stories. In fact, for fans of the original novels, the TV show might come off as a huge contrast from the very beginning itself. Of course, this is not a new route for CW, as they took a similar approach with Riverdale, which is not very close to the original Archie comics. Regardless of all the differences, CW’s Nancy Drew might be an exciting journey. So, for anyone who is about to watch it or has watched it, this article will illustrate the key contrasts between the show and the original novels.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

The CW Renews Flash, Supergirl, Nancy Drew, Riverdale and 9 More

Very Different Key Characters

     The CW

CW’s Nancy Drew, played by Kennedy McMann, seems to be quite different from the original character. In the series, we see that Nancy can be super harsh and sometimes insensitive. This is especially highlighted through her complicated relationship with her father. However, Keene’s Nancy Drew is someone who is brave and independent but also super nice. In fact, Zoe, an eleven-year-old fan of the novels, states that:

Even though McMann’s Nancy Drew might have trouble making friends and being super polite, she still has the same amount of curiosity and strength original Nancy has.

“She’s always nice to everybody. She’s even polite to the criminal after she catches them and knocks them out … I mean slightly ridiculous, but it’s nice if you’re her friend.”

Similar to Nancy, her friends Bess and George are different from the original characters. In the novels, these two characters are cousins with Bess, being portrayed as more feminine, while George is portrayed as a tomboy, as suggested by the gender-neutral name. However, in the series, these two characters are not cousins, nor do they get along with each other well. Bess Marvin (Maddison Jaizani) is British and starts off as a fraudster. Her character is also a lesbian, a factor that is not addressed in the novels. However, she is still very much the feminine persona from the books. George (Leah Lewis), who is supposed to be Nancy’s best friend, starts the series as someone who dislikes Nancy. However, these bonds change as the story progresses, as these characters become closer, once they start to understand each other.

The character of Ned Nickerson (Tunji Cassim), who is supposed to be a brilliant student that plays football, is a former convict who was falsely accused and sentenced. He seems to have a rough relationship with Nancy at the very beginning of the series. However, they start dating and this leads to an unsuccessful relationship due to their inability to understand one another. Ned is able to connect with George following this, and they end up starting a relationship.

Supernatural Mysteries

     Paramount Global Distribution Group

The original novels focus on mysteries that are solely based on the real world. We see Nancy dealing with a lot of criminals, as the mysteries are based on crimes like theft, fraud, kidnapping and so on. In fact, one might even be able to draw a parallel between Nancy’s mysteries and the Scooby-Doo mysteries, which always focus on unmasking a bad person.

CW has taken a completely different approach with their series, as Nancy Drew focuses on supernatural mysteries. The first season follows a storyline where Nancy and many others are haunted by a ghost named Lucy Sable. This adds a very dark element to the series, and there are moments where the viewer might get goosebumps and chills, simply because the ghost tends to jump on the screen at the most unlikely moments. These mysteries are more like horror stories.

Nancy Drew Spin-Off Tom Swift Gets a Straight-To-Series Order on The CW

Nancy’s Complicated Family

The TV series starts off with a similar Drew family background. Both the original Nancy and McMann’s Nancy have lost their mothers and are living with their fathers, who are lawyers in both stories. In the novels, the passing away of Nancy’s mother makes her mature and independent. While the same can be said for McMann’s Nancy, the difference is that, in the series, the protagonist seems to be struggling with this loss. This is, obviously, a much more realistic approach for someone who has to deal with losing their mother.

However, the biggest shock comes as the story progresses. The show brings in a massive plot twist as we see that Nancy’s biological parents are not the Drews, but rather the ghost that has been haunting her, Lucy Sable, and the corrupt and rich Ryan Hudson (Riley Smith) who used to have an extramarital relationship with George.

It is quite obvious that this particular TV series is not made for children like the original Nancy Drew novels. Yet again, the show has its own tone and the many contrasts and twists have made it a unique story in itself. In fact, there is also a new Nancy Drew book called The Curse, which is a prequel to CW’s series.