Everyone’s favorite babysitters are back! Yesterday, Netflix announced that Season 2 of The Baby-Sitters Club will premiere on October 11th.
The streamer also released first-look images, featuring Season 2 cast additions Kyndra Sanchez, Vivian Watson, and Anais Lee.
Sanchez is replacing Xochitl Gomez, who portrayed Dawn Schafer in Season 1, but who departed due to scheduling conflicts connected to her participation in Doctor Strange 2. Gomez will star opposite Benedict Cumberbatch in the role of teen superhero America Chavez.
Vivian Watson and Anais Lee will portray junior babysitters and best friends Mallory Pike and Jessi Ramsey.
Mallory and Jessi‘s characters were introduced in the Season 1 finale, but they will be fully welcomed into the Baby-Sitters Club in Season 2.
The Baby-Sitters Club is based on the best-selling book series by Ann M. Martin and follows the friendship and adventures of seven friends as they start their own babysitting business in Stoneybrook, Connecticut.
I read the series as a young teenager, and I still find these stories timely. The series teaches young girls about female empowerment, starting their own business, and the power of friendship. These teenagers are like many other middle school girls, and that’s why they’re relatable.
This photo intrigues me. All of the girls are great with kids, but Claudia tutored Kristy’s adopted learning-delayed toddler sister in the books. It helped her not feel so dumb among her genius family. This photo reminds me of that. I hope they cover it.
The series covers so many relatable issues, and so many teens struggle with feeling like they don’t measure up to an older sibling as Claudia does with Janine.
We’ve heard that the upcoming season will deal with peer pressure.
So many teenagers struggle with following a new friend and ignoring their old friends to try and be cool.
According to Series Creator and Executive Producer Rachel Shukert, in Season 2, the girls are a year older, so “we really get to see a maturation of the club, and of the girls,”
“There are two new members, they’re all a year older and have more experience running a business, deeper friendships, and are growing into a deeper understanding of themselves as people,” she continued.
“We also wanted to continue exploring themes that allow all young viewers to see themselves represented on screen while also dealing obliquely with many of the things we’ve all been through in the past year: loss, change, responsibility, and trying to find joy and meaning in unexpected places.”
“I’m so excited for everyone to be back in Stoneybrook and back in business!”
The Baby-Sitters Club is one of the few series I’ve seen that covers young romance realistically. Shy Mary Anne met Logan in Season 1, and they shared some sweet glances before sharing their first kiss at camp.
It was never rushed. In fact, many fans appreciated the slow pace since we didn’t want two 13-year-olds to rush into romance. It was not Mary Anne’s personality.
I am happy from these photos that Mary Anne and Logan are still dating.
While they had a few rough patches in the book, they really are cute. They understand each other.
Part of the upcoming season focuses on Mallory’s and Jessi’s place in the Baby-Sitters Club. Mallory has idolized these girls and has wanted to be part of the club forever. The rest of the club is older, so they always hope they are cool enough to hang with them.
They are each other’s lifeline, and there will be a lot to unpack in their characters and their relationships with the club members.
Season 2 will continue to delve into important themes. From the title list, we have themes about peer pressure, diabetes, stepfamilies, and death.
Unlike Season 1, Season 2’s episode list jumped around in order. They cover a greater range of titles that focused on important personal stories for each of the girls.
Season 2’s title list includes:
Episode 201: “Kristy and the Snobs”
Episode 202: “Claudia and the New Girl”
Episode 203: “Stacey’s Emergency”
Episode 204: “Jessi and the Superbrat”
Episode 205: “Mary Anne and the Great Romance”
Episode 206: “Dawn and the Wicked Stepsister”
Episode 207: “Claudia and the Sad Goodbye”
Episode 208: “Kristy and the Baby Parade”
It appears the series will be covering the infamous romance and wedding between Mary Anne’s dad and Dawn’s mom. I’m curious to see how the new Dawn, played by Kyndra Sanchez, will connect Mary Anne played by Malia Baker.
It’s such a pivotal storyline as we see how the girls adjust from going from best friends to full-time family members. Blended families are challenging for most teens, even when you thought it’s what you wanted.
Sophie Grace, Malia Baker, Momona Tamada, Shay Rudolph, Vivian Watson, Anais Lee, Alicia Silverstone, Mark Feuerstein, and Marc Evan Jackson are all returning to reprise their roles.
Are you ready to find out what adventures and issues the girls will deal with next?
What do you hope to see?
The Baby-Sitters Club premieres on Oct 11th on Netflix. Stay tuned to TV Fanatic for more news about the show.
Laura Nowak is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.