In preparation for this piece, I watched a full episode of Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? and oh my god, it was EVERYTHING. I remember it so well. I wanted to be a gumshoe so badly. I’m still just as bad at geography now as I was then so I got an embarrassing amount of questions wrong while playing along. For nostalgia’s sake, take a 20-minute trip down memory lane with me. OK, fine, you’ll have just as much fun if you watch the first five.
I need an oral history of the making of this show in my life, STAT. Rest in peace, Lynne Thigpen. What a talent. I truly believed I was chasing after nefarious criminal mastermind Carmen and her evil gang of thieves through my television. Were there always this many black kids on the show? And Canadian references? I don’t really understand what the live action version of Carmen Sandiego that Gina Rodriguez will be producing and starring in will look like but I just got really effing excited.
Gina Rodriguez’s Carmen Sandiego movie for Netflix was announced yesterday and I can’t wrap my head around it yet because when I think of a live action Carmen Sandiego, I think of Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?, not to be confused with Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego?, the animated series voiced by Rita Moreno with the woefully subpar theme song. Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? was a game show based on a computer game. My assumption then is that this live action remake will take elements from the animated series which gave more of a full storyline every episode. But they’re also doing an animated series which Gina is voicing so I don’t get it. This sounds like a case for the gumshoes! Did I just nerd out too hard about Carmen Sandiego? Did I lose you?
All we know about Gina’s Carmen is that it will be, according to Deadline, “a standalone Carmen adventure that will embrace the beloved ‘90s property.” They also note that the movie does not have a writer or director yet. So, it sounds like a kids’ movie, which makes sense given the source material. I’m down with a new generation of gumshoes experiencing the joy of Carmen Sandiego. And I’m really down with Gina Rodriguez being the person to bring this joy back to life.
The thing is, we know Gina Rodriguez is busy. She’s about to tackle Someone Great, the rom-com I can’t wait for. She’s got the next (and maybe its last) season of Jane The Virgin. Busy is great, especially for someone as talented as Gina Rodriguez. I love that she’s producing her own sh-t but despite the promised 2019 premiere date, I hope these Carmen Sandiego projects don’t fall into production purgatory because I decided about five minutes into the Heinous Hockey Heist that I’m going to watch every episode/ movie/ whatever this is multiple times with my niece and nephews… or alone. No shame.
