The Baby-Sitters Club - General Discussion

[Lady Calypso]

Netflix has ordered a 10 episode season for the dramedy based off of the series of books

Quote

Described as a “contemporary, family-friendly adaptation,” Netflix’s live-action series will follow the friendship and babysitting adventures of five best friends — Kristy Thomas, Mary Anne Spier, Claudia Kishi, Stacey McGill and Dawn Schafer — in Stoneybrook, Connecticut.

[allonsyalice]

I am so WILDLY HERE FOR THIS! i think it needs to stay set in the 90s, but I await with bated breath!

[Annber03]

I'm looking forward to this, too :D. 

[littlewonder]

I am so excited for this.  Im 35 and grew up on these books.  And if anyone is re-reading the books, I highly recommend the podcast Baby-Sitters Club Club.

[methodwriter85]

I'm going to bet serious money that one of the girls (probably Kristy) will be a lesbian, and Stacey or Dawn will be raceflipped to Latina. Going by what Netflix puts out in the teen genre, having two blond unrelated teen females on a show is a total no-go. (Honestly though, I kind of hope that Stacey's the lesbian- making Kristy the lesbian is too easy.)

No mention of Jessi or Mallory- I wonder if they're dropped to supporting or they're just going to keep them out of the show because it's going to be harder to cast 11 as opposed to them probably casting 15/16-year olds to play 13 like they did in the movie.

Edited May 28, 2019 by methodwriter85

[Lady Calypso]

8 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

No mention of Jessi or Mallory- I wonder if they're dropped to supporting or they're just going to keep them out of the show because it's going to be harder to cast 11 as opposed to them probably casting 15/16-year olds to play 13 like they did in the movie.

They could be supporting characters at first (especially if they start off as the ones being baby-sat) and, if the series gets picked up for additional seasons, they'll be upgraded. 

It's been ages since I've picked up my series of books so it looks like I'll be starting to do that this summer. I assume they may up the ages on the cast to make them 13-15, instead of younger, especially if it takes place in the modern day.

Honestly, I hope they allow the show to take place in the 80s/90s. I think this show would just work better if it didn't involve cell phones and other modern technology. I know they say it'll be a contemporary take, but I'm hoping it's not literally taking place in 2019. It makes it too easy if everyone can be reached via cell phones and Facetime. 

[paulvdb]

‘The Baby-Sitters Club’: Momona Tamada, Shay Rudolph, Xochitl Gomez, Malia Baker And Sophie Grace Set For Netflix Adaptation Of YA Book Series

[Annber03]

That looks really cute :). 

[Spencer Hastings]

It’s so funny looking at this as an adult because the actresses seem so YOUNG.  They’re probably the same age as the sitters give or take but it’s so strange because reading these books and watching the first show/movie, the girls seemed so mature and old. 

Claudia looks spot on perfect!  Dawn’s one character trait other than being an obnoxious vegetarian from California was her “looooong blonde hair,” which I found obnoxious. Making her Hispanic was a good choice.  I’m really excited for this. 

Side note: I love that the actress who plays Mary Anne is biracial.  I always identified most with MA, but was a black girl so I had to be a Jessi by default at recess.   It’s a little thing but this made my day. 

Edited March 12, 2020 by Spencer Hastings

[andromeda331]

I like the changes too. It makes sense. I can't wait to see the show.

[KaveDweller]

I am really excited about this. The poster shows an old-school clear phone, so maybe it is set back in the 80s/90s? That would be fun.

But also, Alicia Silverstone as Elizabeth Thomas-Brewer? I feel old.

[shoregirl]

  I feel like Netflix target audience for this is tween/early teen but its going to be women in their 30's and 40's who read the books as kids that are actually going to watch whether they have kids or not 😂. I know I am.

[Annber03]

1 minute ago, shoregirl said:

  I feel like Netflix target audience for this is tween/early teen but its going to be women in their 30's and 40's who read the books as kids that are actually going to watch whether they have kids or not 😂. I know I am.

*Raises hand* 30s, no kids, will definitely want to watch this :D. 

[andromeda331]

So will I. 30s and no kids either. I can't wait to watch it. I wonder how close to the books is it going to be. Is it going to start with the four girls like in the books or with five? 

I still can't see Alicia Silverstone as Elizabeth. She seems like she'd be more perfect for Dawn's mom or Stacey's. 

 

[Spencer Hastings]

27 minutes ago, andromeda331 said:

So will I. 30s and no kids either. I can't wait to watch it. I wonder how close to the books is it going to be. Is it going to start with the four girls like in the books or with five? 

I still can't see Alicia Silverstone as Elizabeth. She seems like she'd be more perfect for Dawn's mom or Stacey's. 

 

According to IMDb, Dawn is in less episodes than the other girls so I’m thinking they’ll follow the books pretty closely!  

Alicia Silverstone would’ve been perfect as Maureen McGill.  

[andromeda331]

1 hour ago, Spencer Hastings said:

According to IMDb, Dawn is in less episodes than the other girls so I’m thinking they’ll follow the books pretty closely!  

Alicia Silverstone would’ve been perfect as Maureen McGill.  

That's great!

Yes, she would have been a perfect Maureen. 

[andromeda331]

1 hour ago, Spencer Hastings said:

According to IMDb, Dawn is in less episodes than the other girls so I’m thinking they’ll follow the books pretty closely!  

Alicia Silverstone would’ve been perfect as Maureen McGill.  

It looks like your very right. They have Michelle Patterson in one episode she was from the Babysitters Agency book 3, they also have Janet who was also part of it and tricked Kristy into hiring her to ruin the BSC rep by not showing up to her job it looks like they turned Liz Lewis into Lexie. Scott, Alex, and Toby are also in one episode so Sea City? Trevor Sandbourne is in two episodes, who Claudia had a crush on.  A couple campers listed not sure if that's when they all go to camp or something else.

[KaveDweller]

10 hours ago, andromeda331 said:

It looks like your very right. They have Michelle Patterson in one episode she was from the Babysitters Agency book 3, they also have Janet who was also part of it and tricked Kristy into hiring her to ruin the BSC rep by not showing up to her job it looks like they turned Liz Lewis into Lexie. Scott, Alex, and Toby are also in one episode so Sea City? Trevor Sandbourne is in two episodes, who Claudia had a crush on.  A couple campers listed not sure if that's when they all go to camp or something else.

It looks like they have Logan too. The actor looks so young though.

I see several Pikes listed on IMDB, but no Mallory. If they are doing Sea City, they would really need all the Pikes. And if they are following the books it seems like she'd maybe get a bigger role in a potential season 2. But sometimes IMDB misses people.

[starri]

I think I'm most impressed with the dedication to Claudia's outfit.

[MBJ]

does anyone know when this airs?

[methodwriter85]

Quote

Dawn’s one character trait other than being an obnoxious vegetarian from California was her “looooong blonde hair,” which I found obnoxious. Making her Hispanic was a good choice.  I’m really excited for this. 

Side note: I love that the actress who plays Mary Anne is biracial.  I always identified most with MA, but was a black girl so I had to be a Jessi by default at recess.   It’s a little thing but this made my day. 

I called it! I knew they were totally going to raceflip at least one of the white characters because one Asian girl (and a latter black girl addition) isn't diverse enough by Netflix teen drama standards. Surprised they did it to both Dawn and Mary Anne, but cool.

I'm guessing at least one is going to be gay, but I'd love it if they went against stereotypes and had either Claudia or Stacey as the gay girl instead of just making it Kristy. I kind of hope it isn't Mary Anne because I loved Logan. (Then again, they could just genderflip Logan.)

Although maybe they'll back off on all of that kind of stuff given that these characters are indeed supposed to be in 7th grade, although they might have aged them up. (The book series did let them age to 8th grade.)

Quote

I think I'm most impressed with the dedication to Claudia's outfit.

It's awesome. It's totally spot-on. Probably better than what they did in the '95 movie.

They were also pretty spot-on for Mary Anne and Kristy's outfits, but then again neither of them were THAT tied to the 1986 aesthetic that Stacey was. I keep picturing Stacey with her perm and stirrup pants and big fluffy sweaters that made her NYC sophisticated. LOL.

Edited April 2, 2020 by methodwriter85

[starri]

7 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

I kind of hope it isn't Mary Anne because I loved Logan. (Then again, they could just genderflip Logan.)

Mary Anne was Logan's beard anyway.

Actually, given that Claudia has a landline, is this contemporary or set in the 80s?  Because there's no way Kristy wouldn't have had Jeanine code the BSC an app if it was present day.

[methodwriter85]

I think it's contemporary but with nostalgic touches, like Sex Education, Riverdale, Sabrina, and Euphoria. That seems like a thing with current dramas adding in anachronistic touches despite taking place in the present.

[paulvdb]

Premieres July 3

Teaser:

 

[starri]

I can see having so cognitive dissonance with the combo of smartphones and landlines.  But that's okay.

Super charming teaser.

[KaveDweller]

The New York Times has a good article about this series. It sounds like the show runner and at least one of the executive producers were pretty big fans of the books as kids.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/27/arts/television/the-baby-sitters-club-netflix.html

[Spencer Hastings]

I love the idea of Dawn’s dad living in California with his boyfriend.  Carol was annoying anyway. 

[Annber03]

It's great to hear the people involved are big fans, and I like how they're striking a balance between the old and the new.  I especially like the idea that this show will be a lighthearted thing-it'll be a nice change from all the more serious, darker stuff out there (I love a lot of those kinds of shows, too, but sometimes you just need something fun and simple). 

Each new article and interview related to this show has me more excited about it :). 

 

[methodwriter85]

Yeah, honestly, I hope it doesn't try to go for the darker tone of the Dawn spinoff series where she's back in California and her 8th grade class is moved to high school where one of her friends has an eating disorder and another gets an abusive older boyfriend that slaps her in public. It was clearly trying to go for a Degrassi Junior High vibe.

Edited May 28, 2020 by methodwriter85

[KaveDweller]

15 hours ago, Spencer Hastings said:

I love the idea of Dawn’s dad living in California with his boyfriend.  Carol was annoying anyway. 

I like the idea of it too. I didn't mind Carol, but Dawn was at her most annoying when she hated Carol. I know kids sometimes don't react well to divorced parents dating, but she had no issue with her mom dating Richard.

And when I think about it, a gay character is just about the only minority group not represented somehow in the books.

[methodwriter85]

On 5/28/2020 at 6:53 PM, KaveDweller said:

I like the idea of it too. I didn't mind Carol, but Dawn was at her most annoying when she hated Carol. I know kids sometimes don't react well to divorced parents dating, but she had no issue with her mom dating Richard.

And when I think about it, a gay character is just about the only minority group not represented somehow in the books.

I've read that Ann M. Martin is a lesbian so I'm guessing if she could have gotten away with it, she would have included it. (My money's on Janine. Kristy is too obvious.) The California Diaries spinoff was targeting an older audience and it did include a character named Ducky (who I'm positive was a reference to Pretty in Pink) who questioned his sexuality.

Edited May 30, 2020 by methodwriter85

[Scarlett45]

This looks good! I am excited. 

[allonsyalice]

On 5/28/2020 at 12:12 AM, KaveDweller said:

The New York Times has a good article about this series. It sounds like the show runner and at least one of the executive producers were pretty big fans of the books as kids.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/27/arts/television/the-baby-sitters-club-netflix.html

I'm reading this article and may I just say that 

Quote

“I was like a super fan,” Aniello said. “My main personality trait as a child was being obsessed with the Baby-Sitters Club. I’m absolutely a Kristy with a Stacey rising.” (That would be Stacey McGill, the sophisticated one.)

The director, Lucia Aniello, describing herself in BSC girls the way people use their star signs? Incredible and genius. I'm a Jessi with a Claudia rising.

[Spencer Hastings]

 

She looks SO young!  But I guess she’s only supposed to be 11. 😂

[shantown]

A nice change from having a 17-year old play an 11-year old I suppose!

Edited June 21, 2020 by shantown

[methodwriter85]

That girl looks like a dead ringer for Sadie Sink. 

[Spencer Hastings]

 

This looks like it will be adorable.  I see a lot of book call backs, even though this obviously isn’t geared towards old women in their 30s and 40s!

 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Spencer Hastings said:

 

This looks like it will be adorable.  I see a lot of book call backs, even though this obviously isn’t geared towards old women in their 30s and 40s!

 

It looks like they nailed it. I’m excited to watch a part of my childhood come to life and to get my 11 year old niece to watch. I think that is the first time they have shown Jessie. 

[andromeda331]

It looks great. I can't wait!

[starri]

4 hours ago, Spencer Hastings said:

This looks like it will be adorable.  I see a lot of book call backs, even though this obviously isn’t geared towards old women in their 30s and 40s!

Or their gay brothers.

[Annber03]

Next week can't come fast enough :D. 

[Spencer Hastings]

The reviews are in and they are absolutely glowing.  I’m so happy for these actresses and for those of us who are long time fans of the books. 

Some of the articles give away plot points that differ from the books, I tried to highlight those for the unspoiled but may have missed some. Proceed with caution. 

AV Club: Netflix’s The Baby-Sitters Club is captivating family TV (Slight Spoilers)

Variety

Vulture: The Baby-Sitters Club Is a Welcome Surprise and Utter Delight (Slight Spoilers)

Rolling Stone: ‘The Baby-Sitters Club’ Is Retro Fun With A Modern Message (Slight Spoilers)

Vanity Fair: Netflix’s Baby-Sitters Club Series Is Near-Perfect Kids’ Television

Edited June 30, 2020 by Spencer Hastings

[andromeda331]

17 hours ago, Spencer Hastings said:

The reviews are in and they are absolutely glowing.  I’m so happy for these actresses and for those of us who are long time fans of the books. 

Some of the articles give away plot points that differ from the books, I tried to highlight those for the unspoiled but may have missed some. Proceed with caution. 

AV Club: Netflix’s The Baby-Sitters Club is captivating family TV (Slight Spoilers)

Variety

Vulture: The Baby-Sitters Club Is a Welcome Surprise and Utter Delight (Slight Spoilers)

Rolling Stone: ‘The Baby-Sitters Club’ Is Retro Fun With A Modern Message (Slight Spoilers)

Vanity Fair: Netflix’s Baby-Sitters Club Series Is Near-Perfect Kids’ Television

The series sounds really great. I can't wait until Friday.

[Guest]

Episode titles are out. I’m glad the super specials are going to be included. 
 

Kristy's Great Idea

Claudia and the Phantom Caller

The Truth About Stacey

Mary Anne Saves The Day

Dawn and the Impossible Three

Kristy's Big Day

Claudia and Mean Janine

Boy-Crazy Stacey 

Hello, Camp Mohawk! Pt 1 

Hello, Camp Mohawk! Pt 2

[KaveDweller]

38 minutes ago, Dani said:

Episode titles are out. I’m glad the super specials are going to be included. 
 

Me too, and I love that they are matching the books. If this is renewed they won't be able to keep that up for every book, but it is still nice as a way to start out.

But summer camp was the second super special and it was much later. I guess there was no budget for a Disney World episode? 

[starri]

On 7/1/2020 at 10:16 PM, KaveDweller said:

But summer camp was the second super special and it was much later. I guess there was no budget for a Disney World episode? 

There's no way Netflix would do cross-promotion for the Walt Disney Company.

Incredibly charming profiles of the five actresses, which revealed that most of them had moms who were obsessed with the show.  

[Annber03]

I love reading about how the girls studied up on the books and became familiar with these characters and this world :). And Shay talking about wanting to make sure Stacey's struggle with diabetes was portrayed well is a nice touch, too. They all seem so sweet and thoughtful :). 

Also, I really like the outfit Malia's wearing in her photo. 

[Spencer Hastings]

I’m on episode 3 and it’s so cute. Much better than I thought it would be.  The girls are more layered and their personalities feel like actual layered, emotional, teenaged girls. They’ve turned the intensity up on Kristy’s personality but it works. 

[starri]

Vulture had an oral history of the movie that they released to coincide with the launch of the show (Rachel Shukert, one of the show's EPs used to write for them), and they mentioned they had a really hard time casting Kristy (Rachel Leigh Cook and Larisa Oleynik both auditioned for Kristy as well as the roles they were cast in, and Oleynik also was considered as Stacey).  The show pretty much nailed it, though.

And I gotta take back something.  I couldn't really picture Alicia Silverstone as Elizabeth Brewer, because in my mind she was the perfect scatter-brained Sharon Spier.  Boy was I wrong.

[MBJ]

I really liked episode 1!

I can't believe how long we've been waiting for this show.  A year and a half, good lord!

I love Alicia Silverstone.

Edit:  Still watching.

The entrance of Kristy's brother in Episode 3 WAS SO DAMN FUNNY.

Claudia and Mary-Anne are adorable.  I love Claudia's wardrobe.  They're nailing that.

Edited July 3, 2020 by Ms Blue Jay