Have you heard of Carmen Sandiego? It’s a brand-new Netflix original series about a young thieving woman who travels around the globe stealing from other thieves. Actually, it’s not completely new seeing as how this is a reboot from past Carmen Sandiego related shows.
Personally, when I first found out about this new upcoming animation, I was excited! I watched the short, almost two-minute trailer, and I was hooked. The show seemed mysterious, action-packed and overall intriguing. Who was this Carmen Sandiego? What was V.I.L.E exactly? And what is Carmen’s story?
Being born in the late ’90s I didn’t grow up watching the many shows or playing the video games, so I had no prior knowledge of the story in general, but knowing that it was a reboot made me curious to dig a little deeper so that I could understand what the show was being based on and where it came from.
For those of you born in the early 1990s you might remember a game show called “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?” This show was pretty popular during its time, having two other Carmen Sandiego related shows follow in the ’90s as well. “Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego?” a game show released in 1996 and an animated series on Fox, which called “Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego?” with famously known actor, Rita Moreno, voicing Carmen. While these shows are interesting, what you might not know is that Carmen’s first appearance was actually in a video game developed by Broderbund Software in 1985.
It was both an educational and strategic game that taught kids about different historical and geographical facts. This video game turned game show turned animation had its last run in 2015 and was thought to be lost to time.
Now in 2019, Netflix picked up this old classic and decided to revive the show as a fun and exciting animation that has a much more in-depth storyline than it ever did before. Carmen Sandiego has been a mystery for the ages.
This new version has a few familiar voices such as, Gina Rodriguez, known for acting in Jane the Virgin, who plays the main character Carmen and Finn Wolfhard, actor from another beloved Netflix original, Stranger Things, now voices Player in this new show.
A slight spoiler for those who have yet to see the show, but in the past Carmen Sandiego was known as the villain who steals priceless historical artifacts and expensive jewels; however in this new adaptation, she is shown as the hero who steals to give to others. We are given a different perspective on her.
The 1994 series had been the first-time attempt to bring out her character so that the audience could learn more about who Carmen is and with this new story arc, I believe it truly does the job. We slowly learn a bit of her origin to find that she was an orphan who was picked up by V.I.L.E, a school that trains thieves. That is where Carmen gets her great thieving skills from.
When she finally leaves and learns more about what is going on she comes to the conclusion that the she wants to be the hero and decides to steal back everything that V.I.L.E had been stealing from the rest of the world, which is why she is being chased by them in the first place.
Funny enough, the good guys, especially Chase Devineaux (a very stubborn detective who fails to listen to his assistant, Julia, when she is clearly right about almost everything), are also attempting to find Carmen. Essentially, Carmen is gaining the attention of both the good and bad guys yet neither can capture her or her friends, Ivy and Zac, who assist her on her missions.
Even with this action-driven story, they still find room to add in historical/geographical facts here and there making it both entertaining and educational for people of any age. I would recommend if you think you would enjoy watching an amazing female character such as Carmen get away with taking previously stolen priceless artifacts only to put them back where they belong.
She has a certain wit and charm about her that makes you wish you could be more like her. She’s such an interesting character, plus wouldn’t it be cool to travel around the world and learn new things every day just like her?
The flashy red fedora and coat make it look so much cooler. Not to mention, she’s also got a nice backstory unfolding, too. She is also a powerful female role-model for young Latinas who wish to have good representation in the shows they watch.
As of now, season 1 is up on Netflix with nine episodes each around 20 minutes long, and a confirmed season 2. Though there is yet to be a release date for the second season, Netflix ordered at least 20 episodes to be aired in the show which we can expect likely towards the end of 2019.
There are also some rumors of a live-action film starring Gina Rodriguez, so we will have to wait and see about that!
