The Hardy Boys' biggest mystery is: Who is the intended audience?

Paste Magazine

"Just because a series stars children doesn’t make it a children’s series," says Amy Amatangelo. "Hulu is quick to call its new adaptation of The Hardy Boys a kids TV show aimed at ages 10-plus. But the opening moments feature an elaborate, violent shoot out and a boat explosion that kills everyone who wasn’t shot to death. Parent opinions may vary on whether that is something they want their 10-year-old to watch." Amatangelo adds: "Ideally the show would have hit that The Baby-Sitters Club sweet spot which, by simultaneously being forward thinking and nostalgic, delightfully appealed to both pre-teens and the adults who grew up loving the books. That’s a difficult tone to get right, and unfortunately The Hardy Boys isn’t quite up to the task. The real mystery remains: Who was the intended audience for The Hardy Boys?"

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• The Hardy Boys can be enjoyable if you can suspend your disbelief and don't mind the slow pace
• The show's easy charm and low-stakes, mostly bloodless mystery helps it hurdle some questionable plot decisions