Hulu's The Hardy Boys modernizes the classic mystery books while maintaining its family-friendly image.
The Hardy Boys have been no stranger to the small screen throughout the years as the two detective brothers have had two different series adaptations of their classic mystery books. Their first being, "The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries" which debuted on ABC all the way back in 1977, then came "The Hardy Boys" years later in 1995, a Canadian-American series, but both of these shows only ran for a combined number of four seasons.
Fast forward to 2020, it had been over two decades since we last saw this iconic duo on-screen, but popular streaming service Hulu has stepped in to give us a more modernized version of Frank and Joe Hardy, but you may be wondering, does it have the potential to outlive its predecessors? Step aside boys, I'm on the case!
The Positive
Following the events of a life-changing tragedy in their family, detective Fenton Hardy finds himself making the sudden decision to move himself and his two boys, Frank and Joe, to the small town of Bridgeport, where he has arranged for the three of them to stay for the summer.
Shortly after their arrival, the two brothers make a shocking discovery about the recent death in their family and find themselves in the midst of a dangerous investigation as they plan to uncover the truth behind the mysterious incident.
Season one of this new series serves as an origin story for Frank and Joe, allowing a new generation to familiarize themselves with the slightly modernized versions of the characters, as the show focuses on their very personal connection to their first investigation.
While I have yet to read any of The Hardy Boys books for myself, I'm thankful to have a basic knowledge of the characters through my recent fascination with their friend and fellow sleuth, Nancy Drew, which had allowed me to pick up on a few changes that the series made from the source material, starting with the most noticeable, the age gap between Frank and Joe.
According to my research, the two brothers are usually about a year apart in the book series, Frank and Joe are most commonly at the ages of eighteen and seventeen, but in terms of the show, they are now at the ages of sixteen and twelve, creating a four-year gap between them.
I thought this change worked as an opportunity for the writers to explore different levels of maturity between Frank and Joe, and bring in a bit of extra conflict. While the two are on the same page more often than not throughout the season, we do see the contrasting ways in which they react to certain experiences during their first investigation.
The Hardy Boys debut novel titled, "The Tower Treasure", was published under the pseudonym, "Franklin W. Dixon", and would hit shelves in the spring of 1927, the series was an instant success with a group of predominantly male young readers but would go on to gain a large fanbase of both male, and female readers of all different ages for years to come.
But in order to appeal to a new generation of potential fans, there were a few adjustments to be made before bringing these characters back to the small screen. For example, this meant bringing in more diversity, and allowing females to play a larger role than they originally did in the books; these are welcomed changes that help to modernize characters and stories that were created so long ago and allow the show to better fit within today's culture.
But what I admired the most about this show, was the fact that its creators chose not to ditch the wholesome, family-friendly nature of the original book series, and decided to embrace it instead, allowing us to have something that just about anyone could enjoy; The Hardy Boy's TV-PG rating makes the series safe for a younger audience, but impressively, the show is still an interesting watch if you are a grown person who happens to be on the hunt for a good, clean mystery that won't contain any unnecessary adult themes.
It's become increasingly more difficult to find a family-friendly show to watch these days, as more often than not, our choices seem to go from one extreme to another. Children's shows have become mind-numbing, while most shows created for adults contain violence, strong language, and other explicit themes. And speaking as a grown woman myself, who doesn't particularly enjoy all of those things in entertainment, it was beyond refreshing to watch a show with a solid story that was clean, and yet not insulting to my intelligence.
I also really enjoyed the casting of both Frank and Joe. Canadian actors Rohan Campbell and Alexander Elliot played the two brothers this time around and were able to portray a realistic sibling dynamic between the characters with moments that just about anyone with a brother or sister could most definitely relate to.
When tragedy strikes in their family, the two of them are forced to move somewhere new and leave behind everything that's familiar to them. Frank and Joe are devastated by their loss and frustrated leaving their town behind, both actors were able to convey a wide variety of emotions in very convincing performances, each one of them feeling very natural and real.
The Negative
While I did find The Hardy Boy's first investigation to be interesting, it's worth mentioning that this first season was a very slow-burning one. The mystery gradually unfolds throughout each of the thirteen episodes, allowing us to get a small piece to the puzzle each time but the show generally runs at a slower pace, and if you're someone who doesn't have the patience for that, this show may not be for you.
Personally, I didn't mind the slower pace too terribly much, but I do believe the show could have benefitted from the episodes being a tad bit shorter. Considering that each episode was around forty minutes long, there were a few forgettable scenes that didn't seem necessary, and cutting off those extra ten minutes, I believe could have helped the show's pacing a bit, and potentially it could have allowed the episodes to feel a bit more eventful.
Conclusion
I've been quite vocal when it comes to my strong dislike of The CW's Nancy Drew series and how I feel the show taints the image of a beloved character with distasteful writing, but Hulu's adaptation of The Hardy Boys thankfully goes in a much different direction and delivered in their attempt to revive the two detective brothers in a way that stays true to the wholesome nature of the original book series.
Of course, having limited knowledge of the characters I can't say how well the show stuck to the personality of each character but keeping it family-friendly is a definite win in my opinion, and the show had me excited to read some of their original stories in order to have a better understanding and knowledge of the characters should we get a second season, and I've certainly got my fingers crossed for that!
How many of you guys have seen the new Hardy Boys? Please let me know what your thoughts were on the first season of the series by leaving me a comment below, and don't forget to follow me over on Twitter @RR_Everything, where I talk about all of the shows and movies that I watch and also provide updates on future reviews!
