Nancy Drew is a fictional teenage detective who first starred in her own mystery book series in 1930. Though she was created around 90 years ago, she remains a beloved character and has been getting new screen adaptions as recently as this year.
Because of this, we thought we’d journey through every Nancy Drew movie and TV series to have ever been created.
From the 1938 film adaption in which Nancy solved mysteries alongside her boyfriend Ted — Ned in the books — to the modern retelling just now airing on The CW, here is every major Nancy Drew screen adaption to date.
Nancy Drew… Detective (1938)
The first Nancy Drew film adaption came in 1938, after Warner Bros. bought the right to the book series just a year prior. Warner Bros. planned to make a whole series of B-films based on the female detective and began with a movie that was loosely based on the tenth Nancy Drew book, The Password to Larkspur Lane.
Nancy Drew… Detective, starring Bonita Granville, had Nancy and Ted Nickerson solving the abduction of a woman who had promised to donate to Nancy’s school.
Nancy Drew… Reporter (1939)
The next Nancy Drew film to be released by Warner Bros. debuted a year later in 1939. Granville once again portrayed the titular detective, but this time, Nancy sets out to win the local newspaper’s reporting contest. Through this, she also attempts to clear a young woman’s name of murder charges after she uncovers evidence of an alternate killer.
Like the first Nancy Drew film, this one was also in black and white and ran for around an hour, clocking in at 68 minutes.
Nancy Drew… Trouble Shooter (1939)
Bonita Granville was back at it in Nancy Drew… Trouble Shooter, which released in the summer of ’39. This time, the comedy-mystery had Nancy and her boyfriend working to clear a close friend’s murder accusations in a rural town.
The leads’ chemistry continued to build and the exciting climax, which contained an airplane-flying scene, also gained lots of attnetion. This helped set up the excitement of Granville’s final Nancy Drew performance.
Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase (1939)
The final film of the original Warner Bros. Nancy Drew series had Nancy and Ned helping two old women save their inherited mansion after a murder puts their ownership at risk.
The film borrows a title from the second Nancy Drew book, though the storyline was changed substantially. As mentioned, Nancy’s boyfriend is a guy named Ted in this set of films whereas in the books, her boyfriend is known as Ned. Additionally, Nancy’s friends George and Bess don’t appear in this adaption at all, as the romance took center stage.
The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries (1977)
Nancy’s next screen adaption came a handful of decades later in the form of a TV series that aired on ABC.
The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries were based on both book series for which it was named and had its leads alternate every episode. While one week’s show would focus on Nancy, the next would be about the Hardys, and eventually their stories would cross into each other. However, Nancy (who was this time portrayed by Pamela Sue Martin) was eventually dropped from the series completely in Season 3.
The show ended in 1979 after airing three seasons, the last of which was canceled midway.
Nancy Drew (1995)
Nancy got her own updated show in the mid-‘90s. In this rendition, Nancy has grown up to become a 21-year-old criminology student who moves to New York City with her best friends. Ned is once again the central boyfriend, though he made rare appearances as he was busy doing charity work in Africa.
Tracy Ryan played Nancy and even guest-starred in the rebooted Hardy Boys series that was airing at the same time. Unfortunately, both Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys were canceled in the middle of their first and only seasons because of low ratings.
Nancy Drew (2002)
ABC aired a modern Nancy Drew film as part of The Wonderful World of Walt Disney in 2002. This adaption had Nancy heading to college with her friends Bess and George and getting deep into an investigation after the school’s biggest football player goes into a coma.
Maggie Lawson played Nancy this time around, though both Christine Lakin and Rachel McAdams had auditioned for the role. ABC hoped to keep Lawson and turn this reboot into a series, ordering six additional scripts, though the network ultimately decided to pass on them.
Nancy Drew (2007)
Nancy’s next reboot came as a theatrical film starring Emma Roberts in 2007. In this rendition, Nancy and her dad move to a California home where the death of a movie star is yet to be solved. Though Nancy has to deal with various attacks because of her involvement in the case, she is also forced to deal with the ups and downs of high school life.
The film received mixed reviews with many praising Roberts’ bubbly and cheerful persona, but criticizing the oversimplified plot and side characters.
Nancy Drew And The Hidden Staircase (2019)
2019 gave fans not one but two Nancy Drew adaptions. The first of these came in March as a teen comedy film starring Sophia Lillis as the titular detective. Released into theaters by Warner Bros. Pictures, this film (like the one from 1939 that shares a title) was loosely based on the novel of the same name. In this rendition, however, Ted/Ned does not exist, but Nancy’s friends George and Bess do. The gang attempts to figure out what “ghost” is haunting an older woman’s home.
The film received mixed reviews, though Lillis’ casting was praised.
Nancy Drew (2019)
The most recent Nancy Drew adaption is a mystery drama series that began airing on The CW on October 9, 2019. It all starts with an 18-year-old Nancy and her friends attempting to figure out who murdered a local businessman’s wife after they’re all looped in as suspects.
Kennedy McMann plays the titular character, while Pamela Sue Martin, who played Nancy in the 1977 TV series, guest stars in the pilot as a medium named Harriet Grosset.
This reboot brings back all the best characters from the original including George, Bess, and Ned. We’re looking forward to all the episodes to come.
