We used storytelling as a device to deepen understanding. For example, the parents aren’t all heterosexual and white. I view this as a mindful organic shift two decades forward as opposed to reimagining the series.ĭiversity and inclusivity extend beyond the five core girls. Dawn is written as a quintessential California girl (typically white and blond), yet she is portrayed by a Latina who is outspoken about social justice.
On Netflix, Mary Anne is biracial her white father is a bit tentative as he tries to figure out the best way to raise a daughter of color. In the books, Claudia was Asian American, and Jessi Ramsey was an important Black character who appeared later in the series.
#THE BABYSITTER CLUB SERIES#
We expanded the inclusion that Ann started as we wanted the series to be reflective of the world that kids live in today. Rachel: The books were inclusive for the time. Mary Ellen Holden: How did diversity and inclusion inform this series? When Ann came to the set, we were all awestruck, I burst into tears when she gave me a signed copy of the book with a very personal inscription. It is an exciting project at this time as I come at it from a parents’ perspective. I binged the books when I was about eight years old which was the precursor to binge-watching. Mary Ellen Holden: What was it about The Baby-Sitters Club that excited you? Martin and wanted her to be happy with the adaptation and spirit of the series. This was a very natural progression from being an author digging into characters. I feel lucky as it’s so rare to have powerful people listening to you as a woman. It was also incredible to work with Geena Davis.
#THE BABYSITTER CLUB HOW TO#
GLOW was a gift as there is no substitute for three years of hands-on experience learning how to solve a puzzle. In both cases, I was working with complicated characters who are good people at heart. This is like The Baby-Sitters Club, where girls, who appear to be quite different from each other on the surface, share important goals as they build the Club. Rachel Shukert: GLOW is about women trying to do something important together. Rachel Shukert Introducing Rachel Shukert Mary Ellen Holden: Please tell us how your experience as an author and onset producer for GLOW prepared you for this role? At the heart of The Baby-Sitters Club, we find middle school girls leading the way to a better world.
I had the pleasure of interviewing the series showrunner and executive producer Rachel Shukert and the actors portraying members of The Baby-Sitters Club to get an inside look at how the programming stays true to its original messaging, including female empowerment and entrepreneurialism while concurrently highlighting societal realities including, single-parent households, living with impairments, bullying, and belonging.
The show follows the relationships and experiences of a group of girlfriends as they navigate middle school, and the challenges inherent in starting their babysitting business. The 10-episode series releases at a time when demand for babysitting is high, and it will be a welcome addition to families across the country who hunger for normalized lives. Martin’s beloved young adult book series The Baby-Sitters Club on Netflix. See Jane Spotlight The Baby-Sitters Club, Coming to Netflix Fresh, inspiring, and inclusive storytelling and casting – proving once again that representation mattersĪs temperatures rise, so does the anticipation for the launch of the contemporary adaptation of Ann M.