The CW television series Nancy Drew returns tonight (May 31) for its fourth and final season, and the new season looks to offer mystery, scares, and romance all in one package. Audiences who have seen the show seem to love it, and the Season 4 opener “The Dilemma of the Lover’s Curse” offers a fantastic jumping-on point if you’re wanting to get into the world of the show.
In anticipation of the Season 4 premiere, we spoke with the actress who brings us “Nancy Drew,” Kennedy McMann, to discuss many aspects from the new season, from curses to romance, new characters, new mysteries, cliffhangers, and everything in between. You can read our interview below.
KSITETV’S CRAIG BYRNE: How odd is it to be talking about Nancy Drew months after you wrapped?
KENNEDY McMANN: It is odd in a lot of ways. I’ve always joked that I retain every teeny tiny, little piece of information of everything that’s happened in all four seasons,.I could tell you what everybody wore in every episode, and the name of every episode, and exactly what happened, but I feel like the second we wrapped series on our last day of filming, it all just fell out of my head. I feel like I just released everything. So I’ve had to kind of go back and look at old scripts and like, o”h, right, this is what happened. Got it. Back in action now!” But it’s really nice – it kind of helps me in my goodbye process, I think, to talk about it after I’ve processed the ending of the whole thing.
What can you tell us about the season premiere, specifically?
In terms of the premiere episode, we’re really kicking things off in pure Nancy Drew style. There’s great comedy in this first episode, and it also sets us up for the emotional tone of the season. It really sets things in motion really quickly for Nancy and Ace and their situation, quite strongly from the get-go. And then, we also get introduced to what will become a season-long mystery that will leave the Drew Crew down many different twists and turns.
How hard is it for her to not tell Ace how she really feels?
I think it’s terribly hard for her, as much as she didn’t even really make the decision, but just knew that in her mind, the best way for her to move forward was to make sure that he never found out about the decision that she made. For him to never find out about the curse… that’s the kindest thing that she could do for him; to leave him totally in the dark and believing that there was never a chance for them to come together.
I think even though she’s passionate in her reason why, she’s also desperately alone in this information, and she’s really hurting and really heartbroken, living with this whole reality that she experienced that nobody else saw, that nobody else felt, and I think there is some internal desire for him to find out and for her to have a companion.I think she’s going to do everything that she can to keep him as safe from all of the emotional anguish that she’s experienced, as much as she can.
Does it sting that the very first thing we see this season is a Lover’s Vigil event in Horseshoe Bay?
Oh, it definitely stings. It stings big time. It’s just really rubbing it in Nancy’s face right from the get-go, that she’s really stuck. I mean, we’ve seen her on all four seasons, she’s always been open to the pursuit of love, and interested in love, and to be in a relationship. We’ve seen her try and fail to be a great girlfriend or et cetera. I think it’s a really painful intersection of everything that’s going on in her life to sit and prep for a Lovers’ Vigil.
Can you talk about Nancy’s new detective agency, and as somebody who’s been with the character for so many years, how cool was it to finally see that in action?
First of all, it’s been so cool. It feels really good. I have the Nancy Drew Investigations sign in my garage.
A really exciting new chapter for Nancy this whole season is that she’s grown up a lot, and experienced so much pain, and grown so much from that, and also feels the weight of doing the right thing so significantly on her shoulders right now. So, to have some sort of structure in her life, like the beginning of this official Nancy Drew Investigations agency, it’s something that really allows her to get some agency in her own life, and feel like she’s in the driver’s seat as much as she can be. I think it really lights her aflame in excitement.
What can you say about Tristan?
We meet Tristan [Henrique Zaga] in the first episode. He is the Claws Lobster guy. When we first meet him, he’s a classic, young, hot Horseshoe Bay bachelor… which there are many of, as we’ve seen throughout the seasons. I think he’ll take an unexpected seat at the table throughout this coming season.
Can you talk about the trouble that Ace gets in the season premiere?
Something that we discover in the first episode is that Nancy has really struggled with this missing bodies case that we get introduced to at the end of season 3. She’s thrown everything she can at trying to figure that out, and essentially just hung her hat up a little bit. But, something does happen with Ace that very certainly pushes her and her motivation forward to solving this mystery in order to protect him.
We meet a new police chief, Lovett, in this episode. What can you tell us about her?
We have another new police chief this season ,in true Nancy Drew fashion, and I think unlike prior police chiefs who have all been either an adversary or an ally to Nancy in a variety of ways, she definitely has an interesting relationship and dynamic established with Lovett in the premiere.
I think Lovett’s greatest adversary is yet to be discovered, and I think that will be surprising and exciting this season.
What would you say is the theme of Nancy Drew Season 4?
I would say a theme is roots and history. I’ve always considered Horseshoe Bay itself to be a character in the show, and I’ve always loved that. That’s one of my favorite kinds of storytelling. This season is really about digging underneath this town and seeing what its roots are, and therefore, what the roots of all of its inhabitants are.
Did you get to do the visual effect sequence with the giant spider?
No, I didn’t get to work with athegiant spider. My first time actually seeing it was in the trailer. When we did ADR for that scene, they just had, like, a clip art spider, just to use to mark. But, our set designs team and on-set special effects department did such an incredible job, breaking off pieces and swinging the chandelier like you could really picture it. And knowing how good our visual effects are, I was certain it would be very successful and very cool, and it does look very cool.
How hard is it to work opposite big special effects?
There are definitely a lot this year. We’ve always had some, but it has kind of ramped up. It has its own challenges, but I think you just get used to it. At first, early in Season 1, I really struggled with that, because all I’ve ever known as an actor was reacting to things that are really happening, or another person that’s really in front of you, but I think with practice, and with trust, and also, the people around you buying into it as much as they can, you get used to it.
Will we get to see Pamela Sue Martin again before the show is over?
I would love to say yes, but unfortunately, we will not. She was so absolutely lovely. I had the best experience meeting her in the pilot, and I wish we could have had her back. I think she’s just really enjoying her life, far away from the madness of Hollywood, so I can’t blame her.
What is something that you will always hold special about having been one of the actresses to play Nancy Drew?
I think that legacy that she’s left and continues to leave… being a part of that is pretty unexplainable. I mean, she’s such an integral character in women in media. She really pushed forth, this wave of yourg women who live their own lives, who were capable and brave. To be anywhere near that id just really gratifying. There’s not one aspec tI’ll hold dear; I’ll hold all of that dear. It’s really very cool.
Are you allowed to say if the show has an actual conclusion, or is there a cliffhanger?
We knew that this was going to be our final season, which is such a gift to everybody… the writers and all the cast, and especially the audience. So. there is a conclusion at the end of this series. Nothing too cliffhanger-y. I think it does button things up really nicely.
Is there any chance that Nancy will find Chunky Velez before the end?
Isn’t that the question? Don’t sleep on Chunky, because he will come around a number of times. It’s not the end of him.
Is there hope that Nancy and Ace could eventually reunite romantically?
There’s always hope.
Do you have something you’d like to specifically say to the fans who will be reading this?
Yeah, absolutely. A massive thank you for the incredible support. Our fans have made this show what it is. They are so passionate, meticulous, they pay such close attention, and really let their imagination run wild. It’s so exciting and inspiring as an actor to work on a show that fans really respond to, and are so committed to, and I’ve just been shown so much love and support and I could never be more grateful for that. The best fans in the world.
Is The Good Lawyer still in play?
The Good Lawyer is definitely still in play. Obviously, things are at a bit of a standstill, and everyone’s holding their cards pretty close to their chests with the writers’ strike, biut when at some point, when that comes to some, hopefully positive conclusion, then we will figure out our fate with The Good Lawyer. I would love to do that show, so hopes are high.
How did you feel when you heard Leah Lewis also got a lawyer show [Matlock] this year?
I’m really, really thrilled. It does make me laugh and make me happy that we kind of get to be playing in the same world, even on two different sets.
If years from now somebody says “would you like to play Nancy Drew again,” would you do it?
Probably, yes. I think it would have to be a couple years, but I probably would.
Check out a trailer for tonight’s Nancy Drew season premiere below.
