Review - Carmen Sandiego (2019-2021)

       Hey guys, Chuck here. In 1985, game company Broderbund released a game that combined clue-solving, geography, and world history. And, to this day, Carmen Sandiego remains one of the most prominent edutainment video game franchises, along with the likes of JumpStart and Reader Rabbit. However, Carmen Sandiego's popularity led to multiple television series, including a game show on PBS, an animated series on Fox Kids, and the latest animated series, which was produced for Netflix. 

         Running from January 2019 through January 2021, the Netflix animated series Carmen Sandiego, developed by Duane Capizzi, reimagines the iconic character for a new generation. The series features a very stellar cast, which includes the likes of Gina Rodriguez, Finn Wolfhard, Michael Hawley, Abby Trott, Paul Nakauchi, Dawnn Lewis, Charlet Chung, Liam O'Brien, Kari Wahlgren, Kimiko Glen, Dante Basco, and Rita Moreno. 

       The series acts as a mix of both an origin story and reimagining of the character of Carmen Sandiego, who in past interpretations was a lady thief who led the criminal syndicate known as V.I.L.E. (Villain's International League of Evil). In this iteration, however, she was rescued and raised by the faculty of V.I.L.E. and trained to join their ranks. However, when she learned that they are willing to kill anyone who gets in their way, Carmen, who went under the code name "Black Sheep" at the time, left V.I.L.E. Island, stole the hat and trenchcoat of a V.I.L.E. agent named Cookie Booker, and a hard drive containing details of V.I.L.E. heists around the world, and works with a white-hat hacker known primarily as Player, along with the Bostonian sibling duo of Zack and Ivy, to steal from V.I.L.E. and stop them from causing more harm to the world. 

        Also on Carmen's trail is Chase Devineaux and his partner Julia Argent, who start off as officers of Interpol, but are later recruited by the secret surveillance unit A.C.M.E. (Agency to Classify & Monitor Evildoers), in the belief that Carmen can also lead A.C.M.E. to bringing V.I.L.E. to light. And, what's hilarious is that, somehow, both V.I.L.E. and A.C.M.E. believe Carmen is in league with the other organization. And, of course, both sides are looking to either bring Carmen down or convince her to side with them. 

       Now, one thing that Duane Capizzi and his team did with this series was they cleverly combined elements from several past releases in the Carmen Sandiego franchise, such as having Chief be an African-American woman, as she was on the PBS game show, having the likes of Zack, Ivy, and Player from the Fox Kids cartoon, and the various V.I.L.E. agents from multiple Carmen Sandiego games, Chase Devineaux from Word Detective, and Julia Argent from Treasure of Knowledge. And, the V.I.L.E. faculty consists of the likes of Gunnar Maelstrom, Coach Brunt, Countess Cleo, and Dr. Saira Bellum, three of whom were featured in previous Carmen Sandiego television projects. Most of the other V.I.L.E. operatives are exclusive to this series, and they include the likes of Tigress, El Topo, Le Chevre, Mime Bomb, Dash Haber, Fly Trap, Top Kick, Paper Star, and Cookie Booker (voiced by Rita Moreno, who voiced Carmen back on the Fox Kids cartoon in the '90s). 

      One major change in this series when compared to past Carmen Sandiego titles is that, whereas past versions of Carmen were all portrayed as the antagonist of the franchise, lady thieves who steal for the thrill of the chase, the Netflix version of Carmen, while still a thief, is more of a noble antiheroine. And, yes. I, like many other viewers, did recognize how much of an impact that the Disney character Kim Possible had on this portrayal of Carmen. Much like Kim, Carmen relies on a mix of her gadgets, her gymnastics skills, and her hand-to-hand combat training to fend off the various V.I.L.E. agents, some of which were her classmates. And, I really gotta give major props to Gina Rodriguez for her take on Carmen. 

        Finn Wolfhard is the other key player in this series as, well, Player. And, unlike in the Fox Kids cartoon Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego?, where Player was a kid playing a game on his computer, this version of Player actually works with Carmen, providing her with support, intel, and even facts about the various cities and cultures that are featured in each episode. And, this is where I should talk about a recurring element of the series, where Player, and occasionally Carmen, talk about the cultures and histories of the cities they visit, as well as the various sights and landmarks of said cities. Now, the old Fox Kids cartoon Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego? did something similar, but it came off as distracting and kinda slowed the momentum of an episode. In this series, however, it feels more natural, and is pretty informative. For example, in a Season One episode that saw Carmen and co. in San Francisco, Player mentions the commonality of the fog blanketing the city, and references how the San Francisco fog is also known as Karl (that started as an internet gag, but has since been adopted as the name of the San Francisco fog). 

       The other members of Carmen's team are twin duo Zack and Ivy, who are both made Bostonian in this version, and both have red hair, which is nice. And, I will give props to Michael Hawley and Abby Trott as Zack and Ivy. Now, I actually ran into Abby Trott at a fan convention, and among the pictures she had on her autograph table was a pic of Zack and Ivy, and that was the one I had autographed, much to her delight, as most everyone else had picked Nezuko from the anime Demon Slayer as their preferred autograph. Lastly, there's Shadowsan, voiced by Paul Nakauchi. Shadowsan starts off as an instructor and member of the V.I.L.E. faculty, but he eventually turns on V.I.L.E. and joins Carmen's team, and he slowly reveals more about how he rescued her as an infant, and didn't want Carmen to join V.I.L.E. as he knew she could never choose to harm the innocent. 

        A.C.M.E. plays a pretty significant role in the series, and the Chief, voiced by Dawnn Lewis, is a key part of A.C.M.E. The character is also slightly modeled after the late Lynne Thigpen, who portrayed the Chief on the PBS game show Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?, and I appreciated that this was the direction that Duane Capizzi went with the Chief. Other A.C.M.E. agents include Chase Devineaux, voiced by Rafael Petardi, and Julia Argent, voiced by Charlet Chung. Another agent of A.C.M.E. featured as partner of both Devineaux and Argent is Zari, voiced by Sharon Muthu. 

       As one might expect from the Carmen Sandiego franchise, this series is a globetrotting adventure for Carmen and her team. Seeing places across Europe, Asia, South America, Africa, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, and the United States was really cool. And, of course, learning about the various cities and cultures tied to them is really fascinating. I think that kids can learn a thing of two about the world while having fun watching this series. 

         Overall, the Netflix version of Carmen Sandiego is a lot of fun. It's equally entertaining and informative, which keeps to the spirit of the franchise, while also evolving the concept for a new generation. I'm giving Carmen Sandiego a rating of 5/5. Currently, there are four seasons and an interactive special called To Steal or Not to Steal, where Carmen has to choose whether or not to pull jobs for V.I.L.E. to save Zack and Ivy from a grim fate as V.I.L.E. agents. And, in 2025, a new Carmen Sandiego video game is being released, and it will be in line with the Netflix series and will see Carman as the playable character for the first time in franchise history. 

        As for where Netflix can go next with Carmen? Well, they have been playing with the idea of a live-action project with Gina Rodriguez returning as Carmen. But, we'll see where that goes. 

       Anyway guys, this is Chuck signing off, and I'll see you guys next time.