Nancy Drew is a fictional teenage detective who first starred in her own mystery book series in 1930, and there have been a wealth of Nancy Drew movies and TV shows adapted from the classic novels. Though she was created almost a century ago, she remains a beloved character and has been getting new screen adaptions ever since 1938 and up to 2019. Just like other iconic novel sleuths like Sherlock Holmes, from the 1938 film adaptation in which Nancy solved mysteries alongside her boyfriend Ted — Ned in the books — to the modern retelling on The CW, Nancy Drew movies and shows come in extremely different forms.
When it comes to movie rights, the Nancy Drew IP belonged to Warner Bros. in the 1930s, a decade that saw the release of four popular films in the franchise released in incredibly quick succession. Following that, the Nancy Drew franchise remained dormant until it found a more suitable home for procedural investigative shows on television, which is where Nancy Drew thrives the most. However, 2019 saw the release of both a new easter-egg-filled Nancy Drew TV series and a movie, and like the best franchises, no two adaptations of the famous teenage detective are the same.
10 Nancy Drew And The Hidden Staircase (1939)
- Stream on Classix
Before she was a smart TV detective, Nancy Drew starred in original Warner Bros. movies. Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase arrived at the back end of 1939 and saw Nancy and Ned helping two old women save their inherited mansion after a murder puts their ownership at risk. The film is based on the second Nancy Drew book, though the storyline was changed substantially. Nancy’s friends George and Bess don’t appear in this adaption either, as the romance took center stage. That might have been the movie's biggest weakness, as the big appeal of the previous movies was the group solving the mystery.
9 Nancy Drew (2002)
- Not currently available to stream
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 Bess and George and getting deep into an investigation after the school’s biggest football player goes into a coma. Maggie Lawson played Nancy, though both Christine Lakin and Rachel McAdams had auditioned for the role (via People). ABC hoped to keep Lawson and turn this reboot into a series, ordering six additional scripts, though the network ultimately decided to on them.
8 Nancy Drew… Reporter (1939)
- Stream on Prime Video
The second of Warner Bros.' Nancy Drew movies debuted just one year after the original. Bonita 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 on 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. However, while still fun, the movie wasn't quite as exciting as its predecessor, especially as Warner Bros. opted to not adapt the second book in the series.
7 Nancy Drew (1995)
- Stream on Tubi
Nancy is a 21-year-old criminology student who lives in New York City with her best friends in the 1995 series. 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, while the refreshing big-city location and age jump were interesting to start with, the series could keep the momentum going. Both Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys were canceled in the middle of their first and only seasons because of low ratings.
6 Nancy Drew (2007)
- Rent on Apple TV
For the first time in decades, the franchise got a theatrical release with 2007's Nancy Drew starring Emma Roberts. In this adaptation, Nancy and her father 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. Though the movie received a mixed reception from critics, Roberts delivers the best portrayal of the character yet. The character's bubbly and cheerful persona is what makes Nancy Drew such a fun and easy-going movie.
5 Nancy Drew… Trouble Shooter (1939)
- Not currently available to stream
Nancy Drew… Trouble Shooter, which was released in the summer of '39, and 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 attention. This helped set up the excitement for Granville’s final Nancy Drew performance. Nancy Drew... Trouble Shooter was the best movie since the 1938 original, as not does it feel like the actors have fully disappeared into their characters, but the mystery was way more exciting than Nancy Drew... Reporter too.
4 Nancy Drew And The Hidden Staircase (2019)
- Rent on Apple TV
The newest of the Nancy Drew movies arrived in March 2019 as a teen comedy film starring Sophia Lillis as the titular detective. Released in theaters by Warner Bros., the movie (like the one from 1939 that shares a title) was loosely based on the novel of the same name. The gang attempts to figure out what 'ghost" is haunting an older woman’s home. Though the movie bombed at the box office, it had a lot of production value behind it, has a shockingly clever script, and Lillis is great as Nancy. It's unfortunate that its box office performance kept it from being the beginning of a long-running franchise.
3 The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries (1977-1979)
- Stream on Peacock
The first TV series adaptation of Nancy Drew was a crossover with The Hardy Boys, The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, which first aired in the 1970s on ABC. However, the series had a strange format, as the leads alternated with each episode and it wasn't until later in the series that the storylines of each lead crossed over. The show was wildly entertaining enough, especially when the Hardy Boys and Nancy did team up, and the series brought the detective into a new period setting. Unfortunately, Nancy was eventually totally dropped in favor of focusing exclusively on the Hardy Boys.
2 Nancy Drew… Detective (1938)
- Not currently available to stream.
The first Nancy Drew movie arrived in 1938 after Warner Bros. bought the rights to the series just a year prior. Warner Bros. planned to make a whole series of B-movies based on the female detective and began with a movie that was loosely based on the tenth Nancy Drew book, The to Larkspur Lane. Nancy Drew… Detective had Nancy solving the abduction of a woman who had promised to donate to Nancy’s school. Even though it didn't follow the book series' release order, Nancy Drew... Detective was a huge success. The movie is delightfully funny and refreshingly upbeat for a movie released during the popularity of noir films.
1 Nancy Drew (2019-Present)
- Stream on Max
The newest Nancy Drew adaption is a mystery drama series that began airing on The CW in 2019. It 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. The series has the typical The CW aesthetic, being a melodramatic teen series based on a well-known franchise, and it fits perfectly for Nancy Drew. With multiple seasons and a Nancy Drew series is the most successful yet.
