Nancy Drew: All 4 seasons ranked from worst to best

4. Nancy Drew season 4

Yes, the final season of Nancy Drew is its worst and, no, it’s not because the series was cancelled at the tail end of production and the writers had to scramble to land a plane they thought they’d have more time in the air with. Though that is part of it considering season 4 wasn’t written with the mind that it would be the show’s last even with The CW having cancelled a large swathe of its line-up as it underwent a taxing regime change that has altered the face of the network irreparably.

No, the real crux of the issue is the amount of pans the season had on its burners. Season 4 starts simply enough. Nancy is still reeling from the curse that Temperance put on her and Ace that will kill him if they act on their feelings for one another. As she keeps her distance, and pines, she’s also trying to get her investigation agency off the ground and there are the empty graves in the cemetery to contend with as well.

The latter plot spirals into a season long arc about the town’s dark secrets which have come back to haunt it and its inhabitants which introduces new love interests for Nancy and Ace, a Big Bad who has the dual responsibility of being a metaphor for censorship and intolerance in America, and supernatural lore that twists and turns based on whatever the plot needs.

By the back half of the season, Nace’s curse becomes an after thought as the plot around the Sin Eater takes center stage. Then to the detriment of the season, and the series as a whole, the sin that Nancy erased involves the death of a Black boat captain named Alice whose entire reason for being in the story is to provide angst for Nace. It was the poorest writing decision made on this show, an unforgivable one to be frank.

The season ends in a rush but it does satisfy fans who were hoping to see Nancy and Ace reunite and rekindle their romance. However, as a season of television, it’s choppy for the most part and the characters develop in ways that don’t feel earned by the end considering their personal plots are sped through. Also, sorry to the Fanson shippers, the two didn’t get a reconciliation and had to contend with Nick and George ending up with minor characters introduced in this season and who were barely fleshed out. Bess did end up with Addy though their relationship wasn’t explored much in the season.

Highlights of season 4:

• Henrique Zaga and Ashleigh LaThrop’s performances as Tristan Glass and Alice Palermo. They were standout recurring actors in the season despite additional love interests being an issue that the season couldn’t over come.
• Season 4 episodes 6-8 were some of the best the series has ever had. Going back in time to the ’70s, channeling the ’80s with a mystical board game, and then to cap it all off with a body swap episode was a genius move. This string of season highs made the case for a season full of stand alones.
• While I cooled on Nace due to 4×12–the episode that revealed how Alice died–Kennedy McMann and Alex Saxon were outstanding in the season as they portrayed Nace in various stages of heartbreak and being hopelessly in love. They also convincingly connected with Zaga and LaThrop, in their respective romances, which made those relationships compelling as well.
• The ending scene which saw the cast having one more moment in The Claw where they left keepsakes in a memento-style countertop to mark their time at the diner. It was an emotional scene that included a voiceover of Nancy Drew saying that she got four soulmates in the one life that she’ll ever live and they are Ace, George, Nick, and Bess–her found family.
• The tiny beanie Nancy gives her dad for her coming baby sibling! It’s the absolute cutest.