...and I'm trying NOT to binge-watch so I can make this last as long as possible. I've read all the rewritten blue spines & a good chunk of the original texts, along with many of the Casefiles & the current "Adventures" series; I loved the Disney serial & the 1990s Nelvana adaptation, and I'm a huge fan of the 1970s series.
I LOVE THIS NEW ADAPTATION.
This series is also done by Nelvana, and like the 1990s show, the writing is sharp, the mystery engrossing, and the casting is awesome. Frank & Joe act like real brothers; the Hardys, like a real family. The current eps feel like an origin story - how did two normal kids get into solving mysteries? In all the other TV adaptations, the Hardys' mother Laura is written out, or ignored, or mentioned only in passing; in the books, she's a non-entity, there just to bake cookies & occasionally worry over her boys. Here, she's an integral part of the Mystery, with her death kicking off the plot, as the brothers get pulled deeper & deeper into the whys.
There's also a lot of sly references to the books - ep 1 has Frank & Joe recreating the iconic cover of "Secret of the Old Mill" as they eavesdrop on their dad - with a mix of tech and styles that make the new series feel timeless. The Brothers ride bikes that look straight out of the 1950s, they play video games that look like first generation 1990s Nintendo, the local grocery doubles as an old-fashioned malt-shop, Fenton wears a by-gods trenchcoat & fedora right out of the 1940s pulp era, they use modern smartphones, the cars look torn from the 1970s, etc. Even better, they've brought back the diversity of cast/culture of the original texts, updated to 2010's standards.
In other words, this is a true "whole-family" show: aimed at the middle-schoolish & YA readers of the various book series, with plenty to engross & capture older fans of the Brothers. I hope this series sticks around!
I LOVE THIS NEW ADAPTATION.
This series is also done by Nelvana, and like the 1990s show, the writing is sharp, the mystery engrossing, and the casting is awesome. Frank & Joe act like real brothers; the Hardys, like a real family. The current eps feel like an origin story - how did two normal kids get into solving mysteries? In all the other TV adaptations, the Hardys' mother Laura is written out, or ignored, or mentioned only in passing; in the books, she's a non-entity, there just to bake cookies & occasionally worry over her boys. Here, she's an integral part of the Mystery, with her death kicking off the plot, as the brothers get pulled deeper & deeper into the whys.
There's also a lot of sly references to the books - ep 1 has Frank & Joe recreating the iconic cover of "Secret of the Old Mill" as they eavesdrop on their dad - with a mix of tech and styles that make the new series feel timeless. The Brothers ride bikes that look straight out of the 1950s, they play video games that look like first generation 1990s Nintendo, the local grocery doubles as an old-fashioned malt-shop, Fenton wears a by-gods trenchcoat & fedora right out of the 1940s pulp era, they use modern smartphones, the cars look torn from the 1970s, etc. Even better, they've brought back the diversity of cast/culture of the original texts, updated to 2010's standards.
In other words, this is a true "whole-family" show: aimed at the middle-schoolish & YA readers of the various book series, with plenty to engross & capture older fans of the Brothers. I hope this series sticks around!