Though I’m not as familiar with Nancy Drew as many are, this take on the beloved, classic heroine is one that seems genuinely intriguing and captivating, even though the pilot episode had some rough spots.

Nancy Drew season 1, episode 1 is an introduction to this new take on the well-known character that seems, well, less than such. We had the chance to watch the Nancy Drew series premiere early and are here to tell you to definitely tune in to the episode on October 9 at 9 p.m. ET, following Riverdale.

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Before I get into the details of the episode, personally, I think this series is perfectly suited for those who follow the books and those who don’t. There are, very clearly, Easter Eggs (like Nancy’s bulletin board toward the beginning of the episode) that give the series’ fans a callout, with mentions of cases from the books that Nancy has already completed. In short, this show is for everyone.

Read the synopsis for the first episode here:

“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 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).

Nancy and company

The Nancy Drew series premiere has a lot to introduce; from Nancy to the person who is murdered, there’s a lot to learn in the episode. While I can’t really give much insight on their backstories, I can say that the series has several kinks to work out between this episode and the rest of the season.

For instance, Nancy seems very emotionally stunted. Although she’s just 18, she’s almost too childish to be a leading character. Her relationship with her father is at the very apex of it—the worst example of how immature Nancy behave—even though there’s obviously much to explore of the dynamic between the Drew family. It’s clearly the cost of losing her mother, but it’s something that just doesn’t work.

On the other side, despite what I said above, it’s also very clear that Nancy is very mature for her age and has experienced a lot of trauma that others haven’t. That’s part of the issue with her character in this episode: There’s no consistency to her. Nancy comes across as very aggressive for no reason, which is disastrous for a new series (especially with the main character). Her grief needs to be shown another way, as to not alienate the fans and make Nancy completely unlikable.

As for her group of friends, the three that are worth mentioning at this moment are Nick, Bess, and George (who is more of a frenemy, really). Ned Nickerson, Nancy’s new (casual) beau, is not a local to Horseshoe Bay. He moved to town recently and him and Nancy have an established spark, though the depths of their newfound feelings are yet to be discovered and explored.

Bess, also not a local, moved to town from New York. Though it’s unclear why, Bess has her own story to tell, and I’m hopeful to see some flashbacks about how her life has progressed to where she’s at currently. Of all of the characters, aside from Nancy, Bess seems like she’s going to be my favorite. And it’s clear from the episode’s ending that this girl has a little bit of dark side to her.

Meanwhile, George Fan is the manager of the diner where Nancy and Bess work. A classmate of Nancy’s from high school, it’s clear that these ladies have a lot of tense history needing to be fleshed out before their relationship can transform into what will surely be a beautiful friendship. George is aggressive and frank, whereas Bess comes across as sweeter and a little more sincere.

Other parties to the story introduced are Ace, a dishwasher at the diner that wants to be part of the mystery, Nancy’s father Carson Drew, an attorney who is coping with loss and finding love again, and the Sheriff who reminds me a little too much of Veronica Mars‘ Don Lamb. There’s also a female detective, Karen Hart, who was Nancy’s mother’s best friend and is looking out for the Drew family in her absence.

Outside of real world limitations

The writers and producers of Nancy Drew made an excellent judgment call by not shying away from the supernatural on the series. The first episode has several instances of this alone, as we are acquainted with the mystery of Dead Lucy (Lucy Sable), Horseshoe Bay’s most infamous Sea Queen that disappeared the night after receiving her crown.

Unlike other mystery shows on TV (past or present), like The CW’s Riverdale — which can only tease supernatural elements without leaning into them — Pretty Little Liars, or Veronica Mars, Nancy Drew is open to numerous opportunities to cross the realm between real world and supernatural and include elements of both in the mystery. While it should keep the stories fresh and exciting, the writers also need to not take advantage of this to drag any mysteries on too long.

There’s a supernatural element involved in the newest murder in Horseshoe Bay that drags Nancy back into her investigative ways, but definitely the most interesting mystery to me is Dead Lucy. A mystery that is 19 years old and hasn’t been solved; however, Nancy receives a clue about it at the end of the episode, which should create some delicious drama. The lore of Horseshoe Bay alone could be what will keep me lured in for the season, probably.

In the era of peak TV, why should you watch the ‘Nancy Drew’ series premiere?

Honestly, what I love about TV like this is the vast history to gain from. With the ‘Nancy Drew’ books, there are several mysteries the writers could adapt for a 13-episode season (or maybe two for a 22-episode season), and they’ve opened up their world to be able to tell many original stories, too. By changing just enough from the book series, it’s become a fresh idea.

This is a new universe to play in, while many reboots and revivals have the same rules, similar stories, and don’t take the time to spice things up. This world will be fun to play around in, theorize, and with a supernatural addition, it might be more about Nancy’s intuition at times than her skills, which will be a unique departure. In the Nancy Drew series premiere, we already see Nancy use her intuition to solve a case, and she’s only a 13-year-old at that point.

That said, the writers seem to think that everything they’ll do will be rooted in the real world, so despite having ghosts (and who knows what else), the bad things in Horseshoe Bay won’t all fall back on Dead Lucy, regardless of how often the locals try to say it’s her fault.

Nancy Drew is so on brand for The CW at this point, and I can’t wait to see this story progress. The mysteries alone will suck you in, but I’m sure the characters will be developing just as fast to keep you watching. The show will also have weekly mysteries to solve, too!

The Nancy Drew series premiere airs Wednesday, October 9 at 9 p.m. ET. Be sure to watch the trailer above and tune in on Wednesday!