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.

Finally! Quite nearly three decades after this show appeared, it's BACK! This series starred Shaun Cassidy, Pamela Sue Martin/Janet Louise Johnson, and Parker Stevenson, and was shown on ABC from January 1977 to to January 1979. The Hardys alternated with Nancy Drew once a week in the first season. By 1978 the Nancy Drew series was failing. In a last ditch attempt to save the series, ABC combined the Hardys and Nancy for a few episodes. This didn't work and Ms. Drew was canceled in the fall of '78. The Hardys followed this fate early in 1979. Thus season two is the only FULL season out there.

If you enjoy Hart to Hart, Magnum PI, or even Murder She Wrote, this classic DVD set is for you -- and they'll even throw in a poster of Shaun!

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 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

I loved the show as a child. I purchased season one as soon as it came out on DVD. I want to know when seasons two and three will be out on DVD. I can't wait to purchase them. This show hasn't been available on any of our TV stations for years and years.If your interested in mysteries then this is the show for you. This show is safe for your children to watch with you. You'll love the way they dressed. They always seemed to be getting into some sort of trouble. It's a family show that still interests me today. Some of the episodes even started out a little on the scary side. I look at it as an early version of the X-files but they always had logical reasons for everything by the end. I can't say it any simpler. The show is fun. Give it a try.