the cw’s newest series, tom swift, a nancy drew spin-off, is less than a week away. Nancy attracted fans who had already met Tom in Season 2 when he visited Horseshoe Bay, Maine to help out on one of the famed detective’s cases. but who is tom swift, anyway? Like Nancy, the character has a rich history that began in children’s books. Here’s what you need to know before Tom Swift premieres.
Tom Swift is the star of several book series dating back to 1910
Young mystery readers have probably heard of Stratemeyer Syndicate’s famous series of books, Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. Before that, there was Tom Swift, which was first published in 1910. The junior science fiction franchise consists of six separate book series, with more than 100 books in all. These series star different iterations of a brilliant inventor and businessman named Tom Swift.
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The books have changed over time, but they generally describe Tom’s newest inventions and how they help solve a mystery or discover something new. In addition, Tom usually has to defend himself against various villains who want to steal the inventions for evil purposes.
tom swift has inspired young inventors around the world. The books are still continuing today with the sixth series, Tom Swift Inventors Academy, which just released its eighth entry in March.
tom swift appeared in ‘nancy draw’ season 2 episode 15
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nancy drew season 2 episode 15, “the heavenly visitor”, which served as the backdoor pilot for the tom swift spin-off show. When an asteroid came perilously close to Horseshoe Bay, eerie signs began to hit the town, including dead birds and malfunctioning electronics. Nancy Drew (Kennedy Mcmann) and his friends tried to stop the asteroid with a ritual, but they summoned Tom Swift (Tian Richards) instead.
tom and his assistant ai, barclay, revealed that they were looking for the meteorite, which had not passed horseshoe bay in 90 years. the inventor wanted to find a rare element inside the rock that he needed to build a spaceship for his father. The group managed to find the meteorite and save the city, allowing Tom to go on his next adventure.
the cw’s ‘tom swift’ series will continue the inventor’s story
As Deadline notes, The CW’s Tom Swift will follow Tom as he investigates “a sci-fi conspiracy and unexplained phenomena” after his father mysteriously disappears. Tom wants to find out the truth about the disappearance, but that means putting his rich lifestyle at risk. he will face an “illuminati-scale group that is hell-bent on preventing him” from discovering his secrets.
here’s cw’s full synopsis for the series:
“at home, tom’s relationship with his mother lorraine (april parker) becomes conflicted when she urges him to take his father’s place in the elite of black society. But unbeknownst to Tom, his mother’s request for him is driven by his own deep secrets. Plus, the mysterious and dangerous rowan (Albert Mwangi) crosses Tom’s path with ulterior motives and undeniable mutual chemistry. As Tom navigates this emotionally charged dynamic, his quests will require his genius and flair for innovation guided by romance, friendship and the unsolved mysteries of the universe.”
this iteration of tom is a black gay billionaire
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the cw’s version of tom is very new in the sense that he is a gay black man instead of straight and white as written in the books. The Nancy Draw episode explored Tom’s sexuality a bit, as he expressed his fear of his father’s disapproval of him. however, at the end of the episode, he came clean to his father by posting a picture of him kissing nick (tunji kasim).
The upcoming spin-off will no doubt take a closer look at Tom’s identity. And for Tian Richards, that’s incredibly important.
“I just want it to help our culture understand that we can be all things: queer doesn’t look one way, being a black man doesn’t look one way, and being both doesn’t look one way So we’re putting a different face on it and showing that there can be so many different versions,” Richards told Entertainment Weekly. “to see me, this 20-something black queer man walk into that and be just as cool and see the world represented and reflected how it is now? for my younger self to see that, I mean, come on, I get goosebumps just thinking about it!”
tom swift opens on Tuesday, May 31 at 9 p.m. on the cw stay tuned to the showbiz cheat sheet for more updates.
Related: ‘Tom Swift’ Cast: Meet the Stars of the ‘Nancy Drew’ Spin-Off