The CW's Nancy Drew Isn't for Young Fans of the Famous Detective

Anyone who has seen the trailer for The CW's take on the iconic character of Nancy Drew knows that the new series isn't really geared for children, especially ones with a low-tolerance for ghost stories. However, the mature content of the show goes beyond the paranormal entities hanging out in Nancy's (Kennedy McMann) attic.

To put it as the internet likes to say it: Nancy Drew is about a Nancy who f---s. It's revealed early in the premiere that the 19-year-old sleuth is not only dealing with the loss of her mother, but she is no stranger to engaging in casual sex to do it. While there's no judgment of using that as a coping mechanism in the year of our lord 2019, it does clash with the previous sanitized versions of Nancy. The executive producers explained to journalists at the Television Critics Association summer press tour on Sunday that there's a simple explanation for that: The series wasn't made for younger fans.

"The show is not necessarily designed for 12-year-olds. We're making the show for The CW and that audience," Stephanie Savage said. "The little ones know that this show isn't for them and they are going to have to wait until they are older. The kids today are very comfortable understanding that there are multiple iterations. You can read the book. You can watch a DVD. You can watch a movie. There's going to be different actors playing the characters, and what they love is the world of the story and the core character of Nancy Drew and the traits that she embodies of being smart, brave, and curious, and wanting to set the world right by figuring out what went wrong."

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Savage's creative partner, Josh Schwartz, also addressed Nancy's uncharacteristic cynicism exhibited in the show's first episode and how that sets up the journey for this iteration of the famous character.

"It's less of a story about Nancy being washed up as opposed to she suffered a personal tragedy and has lost her way," he said. "This series, the first season especially, is about her re-embracing that part of herself and finding herself and being reunited with the Nancy Drew we all want her to be."

Dealing with the darkness is going to cause Nancy to go through a period of growth, which requires some experimentation so Nancy can figure out what actually works to help heal her spiritual wounds.

"She's navigating this extreme loss. She's extremely lonely. She's trying to figure out a way to deal with her feelings and throwing things against the wall," series star Kennedy McMann said. "That's very normal and very relatable. [Sex] is just one way how to fulfill these voids."

Nancy Drew premieres Wednesday, Oct. 9 at 9/8c on The CW.

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