The New ‘Nancy Drew’ Trailer Will Give You Major ‘Riverdale’ Vibes
Teen suspense is a hallmark of The CW's Riverdale, and soon Archie, Jughead, and company will have a new friend to continue the drama after their show's credits roll. Teen detective Nancy Drew is joining the network with her own series this fall, but this won't exactly be like the mysteries you grew up reading. The new Nancy Drew trailer takes its cue from the dark and mysterious Riverdale, so get ready for a fresh and modern take on your favorite young literary detective.
In case you missed it, Nancy Drew is slated to premiere on The CW in a post-Riverdale slot this fall, debuting on Wednesday, Oct. 9. Unlike Netflix's Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, the new TV adaptation isn't officially linked to the popular teen drama, but Riverdale has already made an impact on the Nancy Drew story anyway. As longtime fans of the Nancy Drew book series will recall, the young sleuth grew up in the town of River Heights, but according to TV Guide, the show's creative team was concerned that the name was too similar to Riverdale, so they changed it. High school graduate Nancy (Kennedy McMann) now lives in the apparently haunted town of Horseshoe Harbor.
A change of location isn't the only new detail about 2019 Nancy. The new series will see Nancy working at a local diner, The Claw, while taking a year off before going to college. When one of the town's most prominent residents is discovered dead outside the restaurant, Nancy and some other young townies become suspects in the case. The show will feature Nancy's attempts to solve the crime as she finds herself investigating the situation with ex-con Nick (Tunji Kasim), the TV counterpart of Nancy's longtime boyfriend Ned. Fans can also expect appearances from book series staples like Bess (Maddison Jaizani) and George (Leah Lewis).
On top of references to the original character's most famous mysteries, the trailer reveals that Horseshoe Harbor is supposedly haunted by a ghost named Lucy Sable, who some believe worked from beyond the grave to kill the victim of the current crime. "The truth is, we all have secrets," Nancy says in a voiceover as footage plays of her exploring a spooky house and spending time with Nick. "Everyone's a suspect."
During the show's Comic-Con International presentation in San Diego on July 18, executive producer Stephanie Savage explained:
[We] started from the idea of everything that we loved about Nancy Drew, that she was brave and smart and fearless and stood up for herself, but there was also something else to Nancy Drew. She also had a darkness in her, so when we first sat down, [we asked ourselves], "Why is Nancy following these people into these dark alleys? And getting hit over the head with a candlestick and tied to a chair?"
While Riverdale has incorporated entire storylines from the Archie Comics, Nancy Drew's nods to the titular sleuth's past will likely remain within character appearances and sly mentions of older mysteries. TV Guide implies that fans shouldn't count on complete recreations of classic Nancy Drew stories, and seeing as the trailer focuses on this murder and its ghostly connections, multiple mysteries might not be in the plans for Season 1.
Fans know that the original Nancy would be more than capable of tackling several mysteries over the course of a season, but count me in for a more thorough breakdown of this new Horseshoe Harbor crime. Season 1 of Nancy Drew premieres on Wednesday, Oct. 9, at 9 p.m. ET on The CW.
