Nancy Drew Return Date, Episode Guide, Cast, and Details
The CW has cooked up a small screen serial revival of the Nancy Drew franchise. Here's everything you need to know...
Nancy Drew has premiered on The CW!
The latest TV series version, which stars newcomer Kennedy McMann, is the culmination of years of attempts to revive the venerable literary franchise focused on the eponymous young female detective, which launched back in 1930. The creation of publisher Edward Stratemeyer, the books have passed through the hands of myriad writers and has seen several adaptations.
The CW series is run by a sizable team of writers/executive producers consisting of Noga Landau, Melinda Hsu Taylor, Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, joined by co-executive producer Lis Rowinski.
Nancy Drew Return Date
Nancy Drew concluded on Wednesday, April 15 with episode 18, “The Clue in the Captain’s Painting.” Due to the coronavirus outbreak, season 1 was forced to cut things short. But the story will resume in Nancy Drew season 2.
Nancy Drew CW Episode Guide
The latest news on Nancy Drew reveals that even more small-screen sleuthing is set, with The CW’s backorder for nine more episodes! Justified by a cited 114% jump in Live +7 Nielsen numbers, the series – along with fellow newcomer Batwoman – is now set for a full frame, giving the first season of Nancy Drew a total of 22 episodes.
Click on the blue links below to read our full review of each episode.
Nancy Drew Episode 1: Pilot
“Nancy Drew (Kennedy McMann) is a brilliant teenage detective whose sense of self had come from solving mysteries in her hometown of Horseshoe Bay, Maine – until her mother’s untimely death derails Nancy’s college plans.
Devastated by her mother’s passing, Nancy swears off crime-solving while crossing off the days until she can re-apply to college. But when a socialite is murdered, Nancy finds herself a prime suspect in the crime, along with a group of other teens present at the scene: Nancy’s nemesis from high school, George Fan (Leah Lewis); a rich girl with a mysterious past, Bess Marvin (Maddison Jaizani); Nancy’s secret boyfriend, Ned “Nick” Nickerson (Tunji Kasim); and amiable burnout Ace (Alex Saxon).
The five of them must team up to clear their own names – encountering emotional entanglements and even more mysteries along the way. Nancy’s reawakening brings her into conflict with her widowed father, Carson Drew (Scott Wolf), who is dating Detective Karen Hart (Alvina August).
And, when a supernatural presence begins to haunt Nancy’s investigation, she discovers that the current crime has an astonishing connection to the long unsolved murder of a local girl. Whether the ghost is here to help, or hinder Nancy remains to be seen, but one thing’s for sure: Nancy’s going to have to unravel the clues from both the living and the dead to solve the crimes.”
Original airdate: 10/9/19
Read our full review of the Nancy Drew “Pilot” here.
Nancy Drew Episode 2: The Secret of the Old Morgue
“When Nancy (Kennedy McMann) learns that Tiffany Hudson’s corpse is being moved out of Horseshoe Bay for a private autopsy, she puts her investigation into Lucy Sable’s dress on hold to pull off one of her most risky missions yet. Meanwhile, Bess (Maddison Jaizani) and Ace (Alex Saxon) enlist the help of a stranger (guest star Katie Findlay) in an attempt to help Nancy. Lastly, the town gathers to participate in the annual bucket ritual done on the last night of the Summer Festival.”
Original airdate: 10/16/19
Read our full review of “The Secret of the Old Morgue” here.
Nancy Drew Episode 3: The Curse of the Dark Storm
“A nor’easter hits Horseshoe Bay and Ace warns everyone that the storm has been known to blow restless spirits ashore; Nancy confronts Nick about the secrets he’s been keeping.“
Original airdate: 10/23/19
Read our full review of “The Curse of the Dark Storm” here.
Nancy Drew Episode 4: The Haunted Ring
“As the funeral for Tiffany Hudson nears, her confused spirit seemingly haunts Horseshoe Bay; Nancy invites Bess to stay with her, allowing Nancy to figure out what Bess is hiding; Nick struggles with what he learned about Tiffany.“
Original airdate: 10/30/19
Nancy Drew Episode 5: The Case of the Wayward Spirit
“When Nancy realizes that George is possessed by Tiffany’s spirit, she must act quickly to rid her friend of the ghostly passenger before it’s too late; a mysterious stranger wanders in to The Claw and asks the gang to cater a charity gala.“
Original airdate: 11/6/19
Read our full review of “The Case of the Wayward Spirit” here.
Nancy Drew Episode 6: The Mystery of Blackwood Lodge
“While trying to uncover the truth about a long-buried history between Lucy Sable and Ryan Hudson, Nancy finds herself in the curious position of having to strike a deal with Horseshoe Bay’s newest and most.“
Original airdate: 11/13/19
Read our full review of “The Mystery of Blackwood Lodge” here.
Nancy Drew Episode 7: The Tale of the Fallen Sea Queen
“The gang resolves to find a way to speak with the only eyewitness to Lucy and Tiffany’s murders — Lucy herself; Nancy is faced with a truth that seems to validate her greatest fear.“
Original airdate: 11/20/19
Read our full review of “The Tale of the Fallen Sea Queen” here.
Nancy Drew Episode 8: The Path of Shadows
“Nancy and the Drew Crew discover that the car wreck that left one of their own at death’s door was no accident. While simultaneously hoping to solve the crime, the crew investigates the physical evidence of sabotage to the car and take a supernatural detour into the metaphysical world.”
Original airdate: 12/4/19
Nancy Drew Episode 9: The Hidden Staircase
“Nancy and the Drew Crew desperately search for George’s missing sister, Ted whose kidnapping eerily mirrors the investigation that started Nancy’s sleuthing career. Meanwhile, while revisiting the trauma of her past, as a means to solving the present-day mystery, Nancy finally reconnects with her father just as an escalation in the Lucy Sable investigation threatens to separate them forever.“
Original airdate: 12/4/19
Read our full review of “The Hidden Staircase” here.
Nancy Drew Episode 10: The Mark of the Poisoner’s Pearl
“After discovering a connection between the poison that killed Tiffany Hudson and a Horseshoe Bay cold case, Nancy and her friends risk their lives to bring a serial killer to justice.”
Original airdate: 1/15/20
Read our full review of “The Mark of the Poisoner’s Pearl” here.
Nancy Drew Episode 11: The Phantom of Bonny Scot
“When Nancy’s (Kennedy McMann) quest to clear Carson’s (Scott Wolf) name clashes with Owen’s (guest star Miles G. Villanueva, “The Resident”) pursuit of justice for the victims of the Bonny Scot, she’ll have to decide just how far she’s willing to go to get her dad out of jail.”
Original airdate: 1/22/20
Read our full review of “The Phantom of Bonny Scot” here.
Nancy Drew Episode 12: The Lady of Larkspur Lane
“While Nancy (Kennedy McMann) and the Drew Crew follow up on the latest Lucy Sable lead, they also work to uncover who tried to kill Ryan (Riley Smith), leading them to a startling revelation.“
Original airdate: 1/29/20
Nancy Drew Episode 13: The Whisper Box
“When Nancy finds herself stuck in an alternate reality, the Drew Crew desperately searches for a way to bring her back.”
Original airdate: 2/5/20
Read our full review of “The Whisper Box” here.
Nancy Drew Episode 14: The Sign of the Uninvited Guest
“Nancy and the Drew Crew follow the latest Lucy Sable murder lead, while simultaneously working to uncover the attempted murder of someone in their community. When both investigations lead back to the same person, Nancy and Nick confront the suspect with their findings.”
Original airdate: 2/26/20
Nancy Drew Episode 15: The Terror of Horseshoe Bay
“With time running out before Carson’s evidentiary hearing, Nancy turns to supernatural sources in a last-ditch effort to find clues to exonerate her father.”
Original airdate: 3/4/20
Read our review of “The Terror of Horseshoe Bay” here.
Nancy Drew Episode 16: The Haunting of Nancy Drew
“While using a combination of forensic clues, skilled observation and relentless questioning of those who knew Lucy at the end of her life, Nancy unravels what happened the night Lucy died. While her detective work succeeds in some ways, it also reveals a devastating truth.”
Original airdate: 3/11/20
Nancy Drew Episode 17: The Girl in the Locket
Nancy and her friends race against the clock to find a way to vanquish the Agleaca before she takes what is owed to her.
Original airdate: 4/8/20
Read our review of “The Girl in the Locket” here.
Nancy Drew Episode 18: The Clue in the Captain’s Painting
Nancy and her friends investigate a mysterious death, which also leads to new details regarding the Aglaeca curse.
Original airdate: 4/15/20
Read our review of “The Clue in the Captain’s Painting” here.
Nancy Drew CW Cast
Kennedy McMann stars as Nancy Drew. It’s quite a coup for her burgeoning career, since her only two existing credits consist of TV guest roles, respectively in episodes of Law & Order: SVU and Gone.
McMann is joined by Leah Lewis (Charmed), Maddison Jaizani (Into the Badlands), Tunji Kasim (Cold Feet) and Alex Saxon (The Fix).
Scott Wolf plays the role of Nancy’s father, Carson Drew, replacing the previously-cast Freddie Prinze Jr., reports THR. The character is described as “an attorney who has become estranged from his daughter after the death of his wife. His relationship with Nancy is thrown into disarray when the sleuth’s murder investigation reveals secrets from his past.”
The recasting with Wolf was the result of an amicable split between Prinze and the producers, who reportedly wanted to head in a different direction with the character. Yet, it maintains The CW’s stratagem of casting ‘90s era teen idols for parent roles, best exemplified by Riverdale’s parent cast of Molly Ringwald, Skeet Ulrich and the late Luke Perry.
Pamela Sue Martin, television’s original Nancy Drew, appears on The CW’s rebooted series in the role of Harriet Grosset, who’s described as “a small-town psychic who offers her talents to help Nancy investigate a murder — and ends up delivering an otherworldly clue that neither of them bargained for.” As the report observes, the name, Harriet Grosset, seems to be a kind of homage to the franchise’s literary history, referencing key contributing author Harriet Adams and first book series publishers Grosset & Dunlap. Should Martin’s character resonate in the pilot, then it’s possible that this could become a recurring role.
The series is a production of companies CBS Television Studios and Fake Empire.
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