Netflix to reboot The Baby-Sitters Club

Ann M. Martin's bestselling books join the reboot frenzy with a new series produced by Walden Media and Michael De Luca Productions.
March 1, 2019

Kristy, Mary Anne, Claudia, Stacey and Dawn, from popular ’80s book series The Baby-Sitters Club, are heading to Netflix in a 10-episode, straight-to-series live-action adaptation.

The dramedy will be a contemporary take on the beloved book series from author Ann M. Martin, but will see the main characters/best friends all return to their familiar small-town setting of Stoneybrook, Connecticut for a new round of babysitting adventures. The series will target families, though the premiere date hasn’t been set yet.

Writer/producer Rachel Shukert (GLOW) has been tapped to showrun, and the SVOD service is partnering with LA-based film producer/distributor Walden Media (The Chronicles of Narnia, A Dog’s Purpose) and Michael De Luca Productions (The Social Network) to produce the reboot.

De Luca, his company’s production exec Lucy Kitada, and the series’ director Lucia Aniello (Broad City) will executive produce, while Martin and Walden Media’s Naia Cucukov will serve as producers. The project marks Walden’s first foray into scripted television content.

Since it was originally published in 1986, more than 200 books have been licensed in 20-plus territories, and more than 180 million copies have sold worldwide. The IP’s first television adaptation came in 1990 as a one-season run on HBO, which Nickelodeon and Disney Channel later picked up in syndication. In 1995, Beacon Pictures produced a feature film version starring Rachael Leigh Cook, Larisa Oleynik and Schuyler Fisk.

Reboots continue to be hot commodities for broadcasters and streamers. Netflix most recently launched a new version of the popular PBS kids game show from the ’90s, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?, and previously produced four seasons of Fuller House (with a fifth season on its way) and two seasons of a Magic School Bus reboot from 9 Story and Scholastic Entertainment, among others.

Nickelodeon, meanwhile, just announced a reboot of sketch comedy series All That, while The Jim Henson Company and Fremantle are developing a reimagined version of ’80s anthology series The Storyteller.

About The Author
Jeremy is the Features Editor of Kidscreen specializing in the content production, broadcasting and distribution aspects of the global children's entertainment industry. Contact Jeremy at jdickson@brunico.com.

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