The Hardy Boys Live-Action Series in the Works for YTV, Hulu

Edward Stratemeyer’s best-selling classic children’s books The Hardy Boys are being turned into a live-action series that will debut on YTV in Canada and Hulu in the U.S. in 2020.

The mystery-drama features the principal characters in their teen years. The serialized action-packed series stars an all-Canadian main cast, including James Tupper (Big Little Lies) as Hardy boys’ father Fenton Hardy, Rohan Campbell (Mech-X4) as Frank Hardy and Alexander Elliot (Detention Adventure) as Joe Hardy.

Corus Entertainment’s Nelvana, along with Lambur Productions, is working on 13 hour-long episodes. Production for the teen series continues to shoot in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area until January 2020.

The setup of the stories is: after the tragic death of their mother, Frank Hardy (16) and his brother Joe (12) are moved from the big city to their mother’s hometown of Bridgeport for the summer. Their father, Fenton, is convinced his wife Laura’s death was no accident and leaves the boys with their aunt as he chases down a lead. Frank and Joe set out to solve the mystery themselves only to find the secret runs deeper than they could have ever imagined.

“Given today’s trend of reimagining classic series, we realized what a hidden gem The Hardy Boys was within Nelvana’s vast catalog,” said Pam Westman, president of Nelvana. “YTV and Hulu are the perfect partners to help bring the series back to North American viewers, and we’re excited to be working with them as well as the talented team at Lambur Productions to bring a new take on this beloved coming-of-age story.”

“While we’re excited to bring a fresh new take on The Hardy Boys, we also wanted to evoke a sense of nostalgia. The series remains true to the quintessential Hardy Boys themes of brotherly love, friendship, and of course, mystery solving,” said Joan Lambur, executive producer and president at Lambur Productions. “We’re happy to partner with Nelvana and are thrilled with the brilliant performances from our talented cast and incredible creative team.”