Posted in: CW, TV | Tagged: Alex Saxon, bleeding cool, cable, CBS TV Studios, cw, drama, Fake Empire, freddie prinze jr, josh schwartz, kennedy mcmann, Larry Teng, leah lewis, Maddison Jaizani, Melinda Hsu Taylor, Mystery, nancy drew, pamela sue martin, stephanie savage, streaming, Supernatural, television, the vampire diaries, thriller, Tunji Kasim, tv

CW Prez Mark Pedowitz: 'Nancy Drew' Pilot "Will Have a Supernatural Twist to It"

Published Fri, 12 Apr 2019 09:35:44 -0500

by Ray Flook

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If one of television's original teen sleuths makes it from the pilot phase to series order, it will come with a little "other-worldly" assistance. Perhaps as a way of shaving off a bit of that Chilling Adventures of Sabrina vibe (a loose spinoff of CW's Riverdale, ironically enough), CW president Mark Pedowitz revealed to The Hollywood Reporter that their Nancy Drew adaptation will dabble in the "dark arts": "We're happy with Nancy Drew, which will have a supernatural twist to it"

Someone get Sam and Dean on the phone… stat! Though it would be funny if he just announced a Supernatural spinoff and no one realized it…

CW's Nancy Drew pilot stems from Josh Schwartz, Stephanie Savage's Fake Empire, and CBS TV Studios. Larry Teng (Supergirl) is set to direct, with Melinda Hsu Taylor (The Vampire Diaries) serving as executive producer/showrunner. The cast includes Kennedy McMann, Freddie Prinze Jr., Pamela Sue Martin, Tunji Kasim, Leah Lewis, Maddison Jaizani, and Alex Saxon – and here's a more detailed look at the series:

Written/executive produced by Noga Landau, Schwartz and Savage, the Untitled Nancy Drew Pilot centers on 18-year-old Nancy Drew (McMann) and is set in the summer after her high school graduation. She thought she'd be leaving her hometown for college, but when a family tragedy holds her back another year, she finds herself embroiled in a ghostly murder investigation — and along the way, uncovers secrets that run deeper than she ever imagined. When Nancy ends up a suspect in a murder, it rekindles her love for detective work, even though the clues lead her to believe that a long-dead local girl may be the killer.

● Prinze Jr. plays Nancy's dad, Carson Drew, a dynamic attorney who has become estranged from Nancy following the recent death of his beloved wife – but his attempts to reconnect with his daughter run aground when Nancy's murder investigation reveals unsettling secrets from Carson's own past.

● Kasim's Ned "Nick" Nickerson is Nancy's secret flame: a former high school athlete with a mysterious past, who should be on full scholarship to a top university. Instead, he's working as a car mechanic when he winds up a suspect in the murder along with Nancy — leading her to uncover a shocking motive from his past. But whether Nick's a victim of circumstance or something far more sinister remains to be seen.

● Lewis' George is a tough, tattooed girl from the wrong side of the tracks who felt personally wronged by Nancy in high school. George now finds herself a suspect in the killing along with her former nemesis, forcing her to team up with Nancy to track the culprit and clear their names… and it just may be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

● Jaizani's Bess is a refined young woman whose wealthy background sets her apart from Nancy – but when they both become suspects in the same murder, Bess proves to be a spirited ally in the search for the real killer, all the while doing whatever it takes to keep her own dark secrets hidden.

● Saxon's Ace is a charming dishwasher with a philosophical bent; his provocative insights on the murder investigation will lead Nancy to conclude that there's much more to this supposed burnout than meets the eye.

● Martin's Harriet Grosset is 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.

The Hollywood Reporter

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