The Baby-Sitters Club novels from the mid-1980s documented a group of middle school girls on the cusp of their teenage years. They endured the summer months by babysitting for families in Stonybrook, Connecticut. But, it wasn’t just about their efforts to make some dough during summer recess, it was an iconic coming-of-age series full of characters just like us: bookworm Mary Anne Spier, tomboy Kristy Thomas and, as one Metro staffer gushed, the artistic, “uber fashionable Claudia Kishi!” (Emphasis needed.)
Now, a new Baby-Sitters Club TV show is in the works.
The novels, written mainly by Ann M. Martin and produced by Scholastic since 1986, sold 176 million copies, according to Forbes. Production came to a halt back in 2000 — but by 2010, after years of complaints from fans young and old, Scholastic re-released the first seven paperbacks with revamped covers and minor edits to fit the times (ex. replacing “VCR” with “recording device“).
The novels were first adapted for television in a solo 1990 series that aired on HBO. Then, they had their run on the big screen with a 1995 film.
Need a refresher? Watch a clip from the movie:
Since its 1995 film debut, The Baby-Sitters Club is coming back for modern-day television to teach us all how to be better people.
When asked what themes run through The Baby-Sitters Club books, Martin named “the friendship among the core girls” as one. “They’re all from different backgrounds and different home lives, but their friendship is ultimately very strong and pulls them together.” This bond, she told Forbes, is “timeless.”
What we know about The Baby-Sitters Club TV show
The family-friendly series, which is in the works from Walden Media and Michael De Luca Productions, will consist of half-hour episodes. De Luca is slated as executive producer and will be joined by Lucia Aniello and Rachel Shukert.
According to Hollywood Reporter, the revival show is packaged as a story of “female friendship, entrepreneurialism and empowerment,” and it will tackle topics such as “divorce, racism and belonging.”
All of the original characters will reportedly make the cut.
“As lifelong fans of The Baby-Sitters Club and its enduring messages of entrepreneurialism, empowerment, diversity and most importantly, female friendships, we couldn’t be more thrilled to work on this special project with Rachel and Lucia,” Naia Cucukov, Walden Media’s senior vice president of development and production, said in a statement.
Cuckov continued, “We feel incredibly honored that Ann M. Martin has allowed us the chance to introduce the BSC to a new generation of future thought leaders and influencers.”
‘The Baby-Sitters Club’ is making its way back to the small screen. pic.twitter.com/igDeuZL9TH
— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) May 23, 2018
This new TV show will definitely be one to look out for this year, and for fans who miss the wise-beyond-their-years pre-teens from the series, perhaps Martin will continue the BSC on paper.
In a 2014 interview with Elle.com, Martin said that, once she starting writing The Baby-Sitters Club prequel, “The Summer Before” (2010), people kept urging her to create a reunion book “with the characters grown up.”
When asked if she would, Martin responded, “Never say never.”
