‘Nancy Drew’ Series On CBS Will Feature ‘Diverse’ Lead

A new Nancy Drew series is coming to CBS, and will star a non-white actress in the titular role.

‘Diverse’ Nancy Drew

CBS Entertainment president Glenn Geller discussed the network’s plans for the series about the iconic character during the Television Critics Association’s winter press tour Tuesday.

“She is diverse, that is the way she is written,” Geller told The Hollywood Reporter.  “[She will] not [be] Caucasian. I’d be open to any ethnicity.”

“We have a lot of new series in development, both series targeted to have full African-American or Latino casts but also many leads that are being developed [as diverse],” Geller elaborated during the TCA press conference. “We’re not casting color blind, we’re casting color conscious.”

While it’s not yet known what ethnicity Nancy Drew will be in the reboot, it has already been confirmed that the new series will feature the lead character in her 30s. No longer an amateur sleuth, Nancy now works as a detective for the NYPD. Using the observational skills she displayed in her younger years, she makes for a pivotal member of the force.

Dan Jinks is executive producing with Joan Rater and Tony Phelan.

Edward Stratemeyer created the Nancy Drew mystery series in the 1930s. Since then, the books have been ghostwritten by numerous authors and published under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene. The first Nancy Drew films came out in the 1930s starring Bonita Granville, while Scream Queens star Emma Roberts played her in the 2007 film. The books have also inspired numerous TV series.