Nancy Drew Might Get Her Own TV Show, so Here Are Some Episode Ideas

The teen detective is going to the silver screen.

By Seija Rankin Oct 06, 2015 9:09 PMTags
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Move over Sherlock, there's a new detective on the silver screen. Or at least there might be.

Taking a cue from Benedict Cumberbatch and the success of his book-to-TV series, CBS is developing an onscreen version of Nancy Drew. For all of us who spent our youth daydreaming about brandishing a magnifying glass and fingerprint duster, this is pretty exciting news. It's still in the early stages and has yet to be greenlit, but we're keeping our hopes high for Nancy and the gang. 

Of course, since this is 2015 and everything needs a twist, the series won't be exactly like the books. According to the pitch, Nancy is now a 30-something detective living in New York City and working for the NYPD (because of course she is). But she still has those undeniable observational skills and a knack for commenting on all the idiosyncrasies of life. It's just that this time around her problems are more along the lines of (presumably) balancing a demanding career with a personal life and trying to make it home on the subway without going crazy. Oh, and there's certainly some hope for a nod to the Emma Roberts-fronted flick from 2007.

This news of Nancy's modernization may come as a disappointment to some preservationists among us, but just because she's a real detective now doesn't mean the show can't borrow from some of the teen detective's best mysteries. There are attics in the Big Apple, right? Here are a few ideas.

1. The Secret in the Old Attic. The idea of searching for unpublished manuscripts in the creepy attic of a rundown mansion is still completely relevant in today's New York City. Just tell Nancy to head straight to the Upper East Side and dig around in the first brownstone she sees. There's a good chance she'll find a whole bunch of buried secrets that nobody wants getting out.

2. The Secret of the Old ClockSnobbish nouveau-rich family? Check. Social-climbing heirs? Check. A dispute over the will of a deceased millionaire? All the checks. Throw in some doubt over whether the millionaire died of natural causes and you've got every episode of Law & Order ever.

3. The Clue of the Broken Locket. So maybe the NYPD wouldn't waste its time on a missing family heirloom (especially when the only clue is a broken necklace), but this case would be the perfect excuse to take the show out of NYC and into the spooky surroundings of rural Upstate. Stick Nancy on an abandoned lake in the middle of the night and we're sold. 

4. The Hidden Staircase. Every good crime drama needs a threat to the main character's family, and Staircase gives us just that. Nancy's father goes missing shortly after a mysterious man shows up at the house to warn that he's in danger. Goosebumps.

5. The Clue of the Tapping Heels. A retired Hollywood actress, a fancy house, a mysterious tapping sound that won't go away...that's Emmy material. 

6. The Mystery of the Tolling Bell. Detective Drew goes to the Hamptons! And she busts up a crime ring while she's trying to take a relaxing beach vacation!

7. The Mystery of the 99 StepsSo we haven't actually read this one, but we assume that the onscreen version would have something to do with Nancy's fifth-floor walk-up.

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