TV Show Review - The Hardy Boys (Hulu Original)

I've been a fan of the Hardy Boys ever since I ready my first Hardy Boys novel in fourth grade. I've always wished for a really good live action adaption.

The Hardy Boys is a 2020-2022 2 season supernatural mystery drama on Hulu. It is rated TV-PG and is appropriate for most ages.

 

The Good

The Casting. For the most part this series was well cast. The contrived diversity doesn't fit the setting, but at least each of the actors is interesting enough it doesn't hurt the show like most shows.

The Story. The story is solid with several mini mysteries leading to one main mystery. It's very well told. The viewer is never lost because of the clear storytelling, nor is he bored because the story is sufficiently complex.

The Eighties. Setting this series in the 80s makes it a lot of fun and removes so many of the easy plot cheats such as tracking people with cell phones or hacking into an organization's computers to find the answers. The Hardys and their friends actually have to be detectives and do things the hard way.

The Bad

Change of Cast. Season Two sees Fenton Hardy and Biff's mother recast with poor actors. This made both characters less likable.

Aliens and Magic. I understand why they producers added aliens and magic into the mix, but it really wasn't necessary. The Hardy Boys have sufficient detective skills and a secret society that controls the town is sufficiently interesting.

 

Propaganda. For some reasons the producers threw in modern propaganda that is inconsistent with the books and inconsistent with the 80s. It was also inconsistent with the characters.

 

Overall

The Hardy Boys is a 2020-2022 2 season supernatural mystery drama on Hulu. It is rated TV-PG and is appropriate for most ages. For the most part this series was well cast. The contrived diversity doesn't fit the setting, but at least each of the actors is interesting enough it doesn't hurt the show like most shows. The story is solid with several mini mysteries leading to one main mystery. It's very well told. The viewer is never lost because of the clear storytelling, nor is he bored because the story is sufficiently complex. Setting this series in the 80s makes it a lot of fun and removes so many of the easy plot cheats such as tracking people with cell phones or hacking into an organization's computers to find the answers. The Hardys and their friends actually have to be detectives and do things the hard way. Season Two sees Fenton Hardy and Biff's mother recast with poor actors. This made both characters less likable. I understand why they producers added aliens and magic into the mix, but it really wasn't necessary. The Hardy Boys have sufficient detective skills and a secret society that controls the town is sufficiently interesting. For some reasons the producers threw in modern propaganda that is inconsistent with the books and inconsistent with the 80s. It was also inconsistent with the characters. I highly recommend this show and give it 4.5 out of 5 remotes.