The time it was about The Babysitters Club {2}

I got an email from Netflix in March with an announcement of The Babysitters Club series + an offer of a screener.  I basically screamed and tried to respond in a professional manner while still making it clear just how excited I was.

I received approval for three episodes on the same day and eagerly went home to watch them. Of course I loved it and when the series dropped in full, I settled in to binge the other episodes.

Before we get to my top 5 reasons to watch, let’s check out the synopsis:

Title: The Babysitters Club
Season: One
Episodes: 10
Release Date: July 3, 2020
Platform: Netflix

Synopsis: THE BABY-SITTERS CLUB is based on the best-selling book series, that follows the friendship and adventures of Kristy Thomas, Mary-Anne Spier, Claudia Kishi, Stacey McGill, and Dawn Schafer as the middle-schoolers start their babysitting business in the town of Stoneybrook, Connecticut. Ann M. Martin, the beloved series author and producer on the new series, was the first to conceive the idea of these inspiring young girls with different backgrounds, personalities and opinions that were brought together by a business venture they conceived and bonded through the friendships they forged. The adaptation of the contemporary dramedy that continues to champion friendship, female empowerment and entrepreneurship was led by Rachel Shukert (Glow) as showrunner and Lucia Aniello (Broad City) as executive producer and director.

Cast: Sophie Grace, Malia Baker, Momona Tamada, Shay Rudolph, Xochitl Gomez, Alicia Silverstone, Mark Feuerstein, and Marc Evan Jackson

Top 5 Reasons to watch The Babysitters Club

• the characters — it was so great to see Kristy, Mary Anne, Claudia, Stacey, and Dawn on screen. I was extra excited to see Mallory and Jessi towards the end.
• the casting — these girls are absolutely perfect in their roles.
• the nostalgia — not only do they use book titles for episodes and the book font for the credits, I couldn’t help but laugh at the phone being “iconic” {I had a phone just like it when I was younger}
• the update — there’s obviously a technology update {all of the girls have iphones and there’s a social media/you tube aspect}, but a big update was making Dawn a Latina and adding some extra representation
• the reality — I loved that they kept Stacey and her diabetes and also included things like holding protests and rights for trans kids

This series was so much fun. And as an added bonus, I was able to see a screener of The Claudia Kishi Club, which is a short, heartfelt documentary about Asian American creatives paying tribute to the character.  It was a definite must-watch.

Huge thanks to Netflix for providing the screener episodes and the Claudia documentary.  And click here to see my previous post with the trailer, cast photos, and quote from Ann M. Martin.

Have you watched The Babysitters Club or do you plan to? Who is your favorite babysitter?