'Nancy Drew': Who Are the Modern-Day Versions of the Bobbsey Twins?

In Season 2 of Nancy Drew, viewers will see a host of new faces. Two characters that fans have already been introduced to are from Edward Stratemeyer’s literary world, The Bobbsey Twins. The Bobbsey Twins originated from a long-running novel series from 1904 about two sets of fraternal twins, Nan and Bert, and Flossie and Freddie, who solved mysteries together. The twins have been featured in over 100 children’s novels, until 1992. 

The twin-oriented series occasionally involved mysteries similar to Nancy Drew, and mainly the stories focused on the sibling’s young lives and their growing friendships. Like CW’s Nancy Drew updated the teen detective for a modern era, the Bobbsey Twins were also revised. The twin siblings are played by Gil Bobbsey (Praneet Akilla) and Amanda Bobbsey (Aadila Dosani), and they solve petty crimes in order to survive.

Praneet hails from Calgary, Canada, and only began acting in 2013. The up and coming actor pursued his passion for acting after studying to become a chemical engineer, and it sure has paid off. He has appeared in projects like Jewel Fools, Lux-Me, and The Deadline. In 2018, Praneet was featured on the CW’s superhero series Arrow, and his breakthrough role came in 2020 with Netflix’s October Faction as Phillip Mishra. 

In a recent interview with the Calgary Herald, Praneet talks about his familiarity with the Bobbsey Twins and finding out he landed a role on Nancy Drew. He says, “I wasn’t as familiar with them as I was Nancy Drew, but I certainly read a book or two here or there. I would play Nancy Drew video games on the old Windows 98 PCs, and they would factor into some of the games as well. So I was over the moon.”

Aadila, also from Calgary, has been performing since she was in diapers and also grew up playing sports. She played on the St. Michael's College Men's Rugby Team at the University of Toronto, and in 2006 was the only female member of the University of Toronto's championship rugby team. Aadila graduated with a degree but decided to pursue her acting. She has landed roles on shows like A Million Little Things, Unspeakable, and Beaver's Edge to name a few.  

She will also appear in the 2021 television movie Crossword Mysteries: Riddle Me Dead with Lacey Chabert. Some of her film credits include Double Booked and Adventures of a Pizza Guy. Aadila received an Alberta Media Production Industries Association nomination in 2014 for Best Performance by an Actress for her role as Jordan in Double Booked.

Nancy Drew started Season 2 with a new monster and fresh characters to help her fight it. Not only do the Bobbsey Twins drive the story in the premiere, but they also bring Nancy (Kennedy McMann) a clue that helps her fight the curse that’s following her and her friends. The Bobbsey Twins brings some fresh blood to Nancy’s already established crew as well as some much-needed street smarts that helps the teen detective break her curse and solve the town’s mysteries. 

Gil also adds a potential romantic relationship for Nancy, with many fans speculating that after her break-up with Nick (Tunji Kasim) and her partner Owen's (Miles Gaston Villanueva) death, Nancy will end up turning to him. It will be interesting to see what kind of relationship forms between the two outside the rest of the gang, as well as the dynamics between the Bobbsey Twins and everyone else as Season 2 progresses. 

Nancy Drew airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on the CW.