Netflix brings back The Baby-Sitters Club
David Farnor | On 01, Mar 2019
The Baby-Sitters Club is getting back together for a new TV series on Netflix.
Ann M. Martin’s beloved and best-selling book series is a timely story of female friendship, entrepreneurialism and empowerment. The series has over 200 books licensed in over 20 territories with more than 180 million copies sold to date.
Now, Kristy Thomas, Mary Anne Spier, Claudia Kishi, Stacey McGill, and Dawn Schafer are reuniting for a new drama, based on the books. A contemporary live action original series, it will follow the friendship and babysitting adventures of five best friends in Stoneybrook, Connecticut.
The family-friendly adaptation comes from Walden Media and Michael De Luca, who will executive produce. De Luca Productions’ Lucy Kitada will also serve as an executive producer. Rachel Shukert (GLOW) will serve as showrunner and Lucia Aniello (Broad City) will serve as director and executive producer. Ann M. Martin and Walden Media’s Naia Cucukov will produce.
“I’m amazed that there are so many passionate fans of The Baby-Sitters Club after all these years, and I’m honored to continue to hear from readers – now grown, who have become writers, editors, teachers, librarians, filmmakers – who say that they see a reflection of themselves in the characters of Kristy and her friends. So I’m very excited about the forthcoming series on Netflix, which I hope will inspire a new generation of readers and leaders everywhere,” says Martin.
“The themes of The Baby-Sitters Club still resonate 30 years after the original book series was released and there has never been a more opportune time to tell an aspirational story about empowering young female entrepreneurs,” comments Melissa Cobb, vice president of Kids & Family at Netflix. “Together with Ann M. Martin and the team at Walden Media, our ambition is to contemporize the storylines and adventures of this iconic group of girlfriends to reflect modern-day issues.”