Nancy Drew, the new television show based on the beloved mystery heroine, debuted on the CW on October 9. The 2019 show focuses on teenage Nancy, whose life is derailed when her mother unexpectedly dies. The plot thickens when Nancy becomes the prime suspect in a murder investigation. To top it off, the ghost of a local girl whose death was never solved begins haunting her.

Kennedy McMann stars as the titular character, alongside co-stars Maddison Jaizani as Bess Marvin, Nancy’s best friend, Alex Saxon as her coworker Ace, Leah Lewis as high school nemesis George Fan, and Tunji Kasim as Ned Nickerson, Nancy’s boyfriend. 90s television icon Scott Wolf plays Carson Drew, Nancy’s grieving father who grows apart from his daughter. Pamela Sue Martin, who played Nancy Drew in the hit Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries television show of the 1970s, portrays Harriet Grossen, a medium who helps Nancy solve murders by looking to the otherworld. The pilot was spearheaded by a team of showrunner veterans, including writers/producers Melinda Hsu Taylor (Lost, Vampire Diaries), Josh Schwartz (Chuck), and Stephanie Savage (Gossip Girl).

The show’s dark, supernatural tone and use of 90s icons takes a few cues from CW’s immensely popular mystery series Riverdale, which is based off the Archie Comics. A multitude of fans and parents have complained that a favorite character for little girls is now an angsty, dark teenager whose storylines include violence and sex.

“We’re making the show for The CW and that audience,” said Savage. “I have nieces that are 7 and 5 and goddaughters that are in high school and college who… read the books and watched the ’70s series together. And the little ones know that this show isn’t for them, and they’re going to have to wait till they’re older.” Savage and the creative team insist that despite being a more mature iteration of a chaste character, Nancy remains the same crime solving hero all the same.

McMann grew up with Nancy Drew, reading her books and playing computer games based on her adventures. “I was pretty well versed [in Nancy Drew lore],” said McMann. “When [the role] came about I was, like, ‘Ah, ah, I’ve been doing this my whole life. I’m ready to go.’” McMann said that she doesn’t mind portraying a more risque version of Nancy. “I think there is just a little more risk now. It’s something where now I feel like it’s so much less taboo to be showing women, how they actually are, and how they actually want to live their lives and pursue things.”

The CW show is Nancy Drew’s third appearance on television after a supporting role on the Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries in the 1970s and her own show in 1995. A plethora of films based on the books have been released, including Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase earlier this year.