Freddie Prinze Jr. Almost Had a Role on the CW’s ‘Nancy Drew’
The CW’s Nancy Drew has been captivating audiences with its thrills and chills, but the show almost ended up looking a little different. Did you know that Nancy’s father, lawyer Carson Drew, was almost played by Freddie Prinze Jr?
The CW’s ‘Nancy Drew’
Nancy Drew premiered in 2019 and is based on the hugely popular book series of the same name. It’s the third Nancy Drew TV show, after 1977’s The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries and 1995’s Nancy Drew.
This latest iteration follows Nancy after she takes a gap year before college and deals with the death of her mother. While working at a restaurant, Nancy gets drawn into the murder of a local socialite and works to solve the case, find the truth behind a decades-old local legend, and battle supernatural forces.
Nancy’s father, a criminal defense attorney who is trying to figure out how to connect with Nancy after the death of her mother, is played by Scott Wolf. Fans love the actor’s work on the show, but did you know the role almost went to a very different star?
Why Freddie Prinze Jr. was dropped from ‘Nancy Drew’
’90s teen heartthrob Freddie Prinze Jr. was set to play the teen sleuth’s dad in the CW show but ended up getting recast while the show was still in production. According to the Hollywood Reporter:
“Sources say producers wanted to go in a different direction, and the split was amicable. Recastings are increasingly common this time of year as networks review audience testing and refine casts based on those results and newly available talent whose pilots did not go to series.”
It seems like this was just a case of chemistry between actors not working or a potential disagreement over storylines, so there most likely isn’t any animosity between Prinze Jr. and the creators of the show — or Wolf.
What can fans expect from season 4 of ‘Nancy Drew?’
Nancy Drew was picked up for a fourth season, and fans can’t wait to see what happens next. The season three finale left viewers on a cliffhanger: will Nancy and love interest Ace finally get together, or will they be thwarted by a curse placed on the couple?
Executive producer Noga Landau shared:
“Season four is going to be a season of intense yearning for both of them [Nancy and Ace]. It’s only ramping it up even more, for sure. For me, this show is always about the simmering love and yearning — for multiple characters, but especially for Nancy and now for Nancy and Ace together.”
US Weekly
Landau also revealed that season four will also see the sleuth return to her mystery-solving roots: “Putting Nancy back in a graveyard with her beanie and her flashlight, and the beginning of a new mystery that should feel a little bit more like the mysteries that we tackled in season one and season two — for a bit of a palate cleanser.”
Fans of the show can expect to see their favorite characters return for the upcoming show, including Nancy (Kennedy McMann), Ace (Alex Saxon), George (Leah Lewis), Bess (Maddison Jaizani), and Ned (Tunji Kasim).
There is no official word yet on when exactly we can expect season four to premiere, but Nancy Drew has been given a midseason release date. This means it will most likely come out in January of 2023. Fans can’t wait to see what the teen detective gets into next!
