The Baby-Sitters Club is an American comedy-drama web television series on Netflix. It is an adaptation of American children fiction writer Ann M. Martin’s novels of the same name. People who have watched the show will realize that there is a massive difference in the setting, the storyline of the series, and the book. The novels are set in the 1980s, and the show is set in the modern world, some 40 years after the events of the book.
Netflix’s The Baby-Sitter’s Club has gone through a few creative changes to strike a chord with the audience in today’s time. So, here are the most visible differences between the novel series and the television show.
The Television Show is Set in the Modern World
Since the novels are set in the 1980s and the setting of the show is in 2020, there will be a massive difference in the visuals of the show. The style of talking and gadgets used in the 20th and 21st centuries will be completely different. For example, all the kids will now have a mobile phone instead of a wired landline. One classic example is that of the discussion which takes place in the group regarding a competing Baby-Sitters club. Whereas the novels showcase that the vice president of the Baby-Sitters Club has a landline, which also becomes the club’s number.
The books addressed a lot of severe issues, and the show has expanded them completely. The show deals with the topic of transgender acceptance. This particular topic is addressed in the episode titled “Mary Anne Saves the Day”. In the episode, Mary Anne is babysitting a girl named Bailey. In Bailey’s room, Mary Anne sees a cupboard full of boy clothes and realizes that a little girl is a transgender person. The makers did a fantastic job of portraying Bailey’s character with a set of supporting, loving parents and a babysitter who bonded irrespective of the kid’s identity.
Making new friends can be terrifying for kids in high school. So, when May Anne is outcast in school for telling her parents that her friends troubled her, she had to eat lunch all by herself in recess. The silver lining of this issue was that Mary Anne found a friend in Dawn, a fellow schoolmate who decided to sit with her and eat lunch. The two become best of friends, and Anne also goes on to become a member of the Baby-Sitters Club.
A Difference in the Story of the Book and the Show’s Season 1
The storyline of the books and television is mostly the same. But the overall story arc of the books is different as compared to the order of the episodes in season 1. This is quite evident after the first five episodes of the show. The 6th book in the novel series titled Kristy’s Big Day has been portrayed as the 8th episode in season 1. Another example is episode 9, titled ‘Hello, Camp Moosehead.’ This episode is the second book being portrayed on screen.
The Baby-Sitters Club television show also answers a few questions. The most evident example that can be highlighted is the question of why Dawn’s parents got divorced. The books only scrape through this topic. In the television show, it is revealed that Dawn’s parents got divorced because her dad conveyed that he was gay.
One of the most important things is that in the book, the club’s meeting starts at 5:30. In the show, viewers can see Mary Ann wanting to leave the meeting and go at 5:20. This is a clear indication that changes have been made in the show as compared to the book. One probable reason is that the episodes have a run time of 25-30 minutes, and the makers had to cover a lot of details from the books within this time frame.
John Martin is a Norton expert and has been working in the technology industry since 2002. As a technical expert, she has written technical blogs, manuals, white papers, and reviews for many websites such as norton.com/setup.
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