WARNING: The following contains spoilers for The Hardy Boys Season 1, streaming now on Hulu.
Telling the story of two white boys in 2020 is a bold choice. As many shows try to focus on characters traditionally underrepresented in television, Hulu's The Hardy Boys brings two old-fashioned white male characters to life. Despite this clear shortcoming, however, the show makes some good progress at least in the realm of communication.
Where most shows would draw drama out of misunderstandings and subterfuge, The Hardy Boys makes a point of showcasing mature and responsible communication between many of its characters.
Biff and Jesse
Biff Hooper quickly becomes Joe Hardy's friend and co-conspirator. She seems to live for adventure, blindly running errands for injured strangers camped out on the beach and breaking into people's houses to chase clues. Yet she's also the daughter of local cop Jesse, a role that could easily put her at odds with both her mom and the law, especially given her penchant for exploration and the general tropes of children rebelling against their parents.
Instead, Biff and Jesse demonstrate what appears to be a really healthy relationship between parent and child. Biff insists on telling her mom when the group wants to engage in dangerous behavior and advocates consistently for bringing in authorities to reduce the risk of adventures. She is never depicted as a tattle-tale, but rather as a responsible character who isn't interested in keeping secrets that could put her in danger.
Chet and Callie
Relationship troubles can add drama to a show, but can also lead to awkward tension that is often difficult to watch. The Hardy Boys introduces a love triangle centered on Callie, who is already in a relationship with Chet but seems to be falling for Frank Hardy. All three are friends, however, and actively working together to solve the mystery underlying the town of Bridgeport. Fortunately, something that could have broken the group altogether and made for just another episode about teenage relationship drama actually showcased a mature way to handle the situation.
As Chet becomes aware that Callie is developing feelings for Frank, they sit down to talk about these changes. Chet tells Callie what he's noticed and gives her a chance to refute anything that he's misread. Instead of growing angry or demanding, Chet instead recognizes that he has no control over who Callie develops feelings for and that he can't tell her to stop feeling something. While the conversation ends with them breaking up, Chet's respect for Callie's changing emotions is remarkably mature for dramatic television.
While Chet is rightfully sad about the end of his relationship and confronts Frank about what has happened, he doesn't take his anger out on him. In fact, Chet almost immediately joins with Frank and the rest of the group to help search for the missing Joe and Biff. Chet shows admirable strength in how he processes what can be overwhelming for real-life people and absolutely heart-breaking for most TV show characters.
Aunt Trudy and the Hardy Boys
Aunt Trudy is left to take care of Frank and Joe Hardy after their father leaves town on a case, and it's clear that she's not used to caring for children. Despite her unfamiliarity with the role of parent, Aunt Trudy steps up in a very caring way, offering Frank relationship advice when he asks for it but never prying and giving the boys freedom to explore the town on their own.
Perhaps Aunt Trudy's most understanding moment is how she listens to Frank and Joe when she uncovers their conspiracy corkboard. Where other shows would have encouraged disbelief in what seems like a childish idea, Aunt Trudy asks for open communication and trusts the boys immediately, expressing only worry for what they've found themselves embroiled in.
The faith that adults and kids have in each other in The Hardy Boys is truly buoying and lets the drama of the show revolve around the story and not silly miscommunications. While The Hardy Boys could benefit from centering the stories around more diverse people, it at least tries to use the characters it has to demonstrate really responsible methods of communication and mature ways to handle dramatic situations.