The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries

I just finished watching "The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries" Season One DVD set. I must admit that I had a great time with the series. Sure, this stuff is pretty simplistic, but it's fun. The show is really pretty tame and the mysteries aren't very involved. It would probably be a good watch for the whole family.

Highlights of the first season include - Richard Kiel in The Mystery of the Haunted House, Shaun Cassidy singing in a couple of the later Hardy Boys episodes, Jamie Lee Curtis and Robert Englund in The Mystery of the Fallen Angels, and the way a couple of the episodes, particularly The Mystery of the Whispering Walls and The Disappearing Floor, were put together. Good stuff!

I'm probably a little more biased in favor of "The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries" than some would be. In 1977, I was 13 and fit perfectly into the shows demographic. Back then, I thought this stuff was better than sliced bread. Ahh, the memories.

I love reading "The Hardy Boys" books and I really enjoy the series, not so much of "Nancy Drew" though but then again, I never liked reading Nancy Drew in the first place. The series is very much like the books with similar plots. My favourite episode is the 2-part "The Last Kiss of Summer" as it was very touching. I enjoy Shaun Cassidy's music and it was great that he belted out some songs in the show as well. Many celebrity stars guested in the show like Melanie Griffith, Marj Dusay, Jamie Lee Curtis, Robert Englund, Stuart Whitman, June Lockhart, Terry Kiser, Lorne Greene and Ricky Nelson. The plots in this show is very similar to other shows during this era like "The Six Million Dollar Man", "Bionic Woman", "Starsky & Hutch", "Charlie's Angels" and "Rockford Files" I'd recommend this show to anyone who likes the shows I mentioned.

I have really enjoyed reliving my early and mid teen years through this wonderful show.I had forgotten what a crush that I had/have on Parker Stevenson!! I'm so glad that it has been released on DVD and hope that the other two seasons won't be far behind. It's great for teens to have a chance to watch some of the great programs that we grew up with, especially with the shows that they have to watch today. If you haven't bought the first season DVD yet, I strongly recommend it. If you have kids they will love it, if not and you grew up in the 70's it's great to watch and go back just for a while. Not that we're old by any means, we just had good taste !!! Also, it couldn't hurt to let Universal know how much you would like to see the other seasons. Lisa

It is difficult to introduce the concepts of mystery and investigation to a youngster through television today. Most current detective shows offer up unnecessarily gruesome storylines to paint a bleak portrait of the lives of cops chasing criminals. That is where 'The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries' proves to be so different- as do other detective shows of that era, like 'Murder, She Wrote', - except that THB/NDM was tailored to appeal to teenaged audiences. Every episode presents an intriguing, yet innocent mystery that is solved by the respective young detective (or 'part-time investigator') using logical deduction and the occassional gut feeling. The sequence of investigation depicted is exactly as described in the books, thus making it the perfect show for Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys fans. The actors play the eternally-beloved title characters well, and there are only a few fairly negligible departures from the original storylines that in my opinion, only increase the viewers' enjoyment. There is also a certain quality to the writing of the dialogues that can induce a wave of nostalgia in anyone familiar with the books. Every episode in the entire series focuses mainly on the case at hand, and never dwells too long on the characters' personal lives. Their eccentricities and quirks come out while they work, therefore making them all the more real and relatable.

I remember seeing this on TV in the early 90`s. This is a great show. In the beginning they where just hobby detectives, but in the last season they worked full time as detectives. I love the stories, the clothes and hair, and most of all the title theme. This show should be made into a complete dvd collection! One of the best shows of the 70`s! I give this 9 out of 10!