The following are my opinion and do not reflect the opinion of any organization or person.

There may be spoilers.

The new The Hardy Boys show on Hulu finds the brothers, Joe and Frank, in the middle of a conspiracy over their mother’s death.

The acting is well done. The costumes look as if they came out of the 1980s. The lighting is not frightening but also has a mysterious vibe to it. There are times when everything is well lit and others where you feel lost in the dark; however, sometimes it is almost too dark and you can’t see what is happening.

You always feel like the characters could be killed or harmed. There aren’t many moments where it feels like everyone is safe–the show is constantly suspenseful. There are happy, safe moments but when the action happens you worry about each person. Also, the action has a tendency to arrive unexpectedly. For instance, in one scene, Joe is buying a candy bar, and he is grabbed by a thief. You never know when the action will strike.

At times the soundtrack is too loud. In the first episode, the music is playing louder than the speaking, so there was about five minutes where I couldn’t hear what was happening. 

I like how each of the side characters feel suspicious. Frank and Joe say that their group of friends are trustworthy, yet you can see hints of how each could betray them. For example, Chet is worried about his family’s farm, which is failing, and he becomes jealous of all the time his girlfriend, Callie, and Frank are spending together. There are many clues that anyone at anytime could be a traitor, or they could make a selfish mistake that puts everything at risk.

The Hardy Boys provides enough twists, suspense, and action to keep you guessing but not so much that it’d traumatize younger audiences. They also do a good job of not frustrating you with their twists and cliffhangers. When one question is answered there is another question to replace it. The show feels like it is always moving forward. It doesn’t feel like they are trying to pad for time or draw out conclusions to keep your interest. 4.9/5

Have you seen The Hardy Boys? What do you think about it? Do you like the books better? Have you read any of the books? Reply in the comments below.

Until the next wormhole…thanks for reading.