I have always been into pop culture. I love books, movies, TV shows … if it's meant to entertain humans, I'm into it. I especially love when my favorite books are turned into movies or TV shows, even if I don't love the way it ends up being adapted. Example: I am a huge Harry Potter fan, but the Goblet of Fire film adaptation? That thing is just bad.
So when I saw the teaser trailer for Netflix's new original series based on The Baby-Sitters Club books by Ann M. Martin, I was equal parts anxious and excited. Of course, all of my fears began to melt away as soon as I clicked play: It looked good. Like, better than good. It looked perfect.
I got even more excited when the full trailer debuted, and I half-yelled for my 11-year-old to watch it with me. He was immediately hooked and started planning his own BSC. Yes! A convert — and all before we ever even saw an episode.
We watched the show together this weekend, and you guys: I stand by my words. It's perfect. I started crying from the opening credits of the first episode, Kristy's Great Idea, because Netflix uses the handwriting of each girl to introduce the episode, and this genius little idea just moved me. I don't know about you guys, but the handwriting was iconic back in the day. I still can't get over how Stacey McGill makes her S's!
Happily, I pretty much didn't stop crying the entire way through.
I know some people don't like TV or movie adaptations of books ever, but like I said: I'm a fan. I'm especially a fan if you want to take one of my favorite book series ever and turn it into something magical I can consume with my eyes and heart all over again. (PS: If someone at Netflix would give The Black Stallion book series the same treatment, I would be forever in your debt.)
Before I ever watched an episode, the cast alone had me hopeful. While there have obviously been some demographic shifts (I assume to make the show more reflective of 2020), those shifts didn't bother me at all. In fact, they were perfect — Xochitl Gomez as Dawn seriously rocked my world.
The show is ideal for kids and adults living in 2020, so basically everyone. The episodes are short — under 30 minutes — and yet they manage to address and expand upon complex issues like transgender identity, bullying, disability, chronic health conditions, and social justice. Dawn even explains social stratification and class differences to Claudia and a group of kids at camp with such ease that I barely registered how revolutionary the moment was.
The show also brilliantly tackles what it's like to be a tween and teenager growing up right now — the big stuff and the little stuff. I think the thing a lot of adults forget is that it's all equally important, and the show really reminds you of that. Everything matters, and that's a great thing to keep in mind for those of us who are raising kids this age right now.
I also highly, highly recommend that those of you with sons invite those boys to watch the show with you. My 11-year-old is as rough and tumble as they get, but he's also sensitive and sweet, and he is super into politics. He was excited to watch the show just because he thought Claudia looked like the coolest person ever (isn't that always the case?! Momona Tamada, he loves you), and he was so happily engaged in every single moment. It was a blast to share something from my childhood with him in this way, especially as I don't think The Baby-Sitters Club would have been on the list of things I'd have considered sharing with him otherwise (and I share a lot).
That's not to say that he doesn't see a wide variety of shows and movies, because he does — we don't put a lot of emphasis on gender norms and expectations in our home. But until this show, the BSC had lain dormant in my mind for so long that it just wasn't anywhere near the top of the list. Now I've ordered the first book for him, and he's looking forward to amassing his own BSC book collection (thanks, eBay).
I also love that Netflix cast girls who are actually the age of the characters. I can't tell you how frustrating it is to watch movies and TV shows where 38-year-olds are playing 22-year-olds and 22-year-olds are playing 12-year-olds, but it is. It's super refreshing that the girls playing seventh graders are actually the same age as their characters — anyone who knows kids this age immediately feels like these girls are the real deal.
The show also assuages another fear almost immediately: The concept of the books absolutely translates to 2020. I don't know why I thought the idea of four girls getting together to babysit kids might be too antiquated for kids these days, but nothing about the show feels outdated or weird. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if local babysitters clubs are springing up in towns and cities right now (or will be after the health crisis is over).
The adults in the show are also exceptional. It's truly something to have lived through '90s movies filled with clunky adults who were never wrong and to see adults portrayed as adorably human in pop culture now. The parents of the girls are flawed and fantastic, and they are shown working through their own struggles right alongside their kids. More than once, my son turned to me and said, "It's you and me! It's you and me!" while Dawn and her mom went to witch circles or chatted together, and it was a really funny and fun moment each time.
Basically, if you loved the books as a child, or you even just liked them a little bit, there's absolutely no reason not to start the show. If you have no idea what The Baby-Sitters Club even is, definitely start the show. It's incredibly bingeable, and you'll even go to bed that night with a warm, fuzzy feeling in your heart. And these days, that's not an easy thing to go come by … which is probably the most compelling reason of all to watch it in the first place.
