# Tom Swift (TV series)

Tom Swift is an American mystery drama television series based on the book series of the same name developed by Melinda Hsu Taylor, Noga Landau and Cameron Johnson. Starring Tian Richards, it is a spin-off of Nancy Drew. The series premiered on May 31, 2022 on The CW, with the series finale airing on August 2, 2022. In June 2022, it was canceled after one season.

## Cast and characters
### Main

* Tian Richards as Tom Swift, a young, billionaire inventor
* Ashleigh Murray as Zenzi Fullerton, Tom's cousin and best friend
* Marquise Vilsón as Isaac Vega, Tom's bodyguard
* Albert Mwangi as Rowan, a Congressman's security detail
* April Parker Jones as Lorraine Swift, Tom's mother

### Recurring

* LeVar Burton as voice of Barclay, an artificial intelligence
* Brittany Ishibashi as Claire Cormier
* Ward Horton as Congressman Nathan Eskol, a friend of the Swift family
* Donovin Miller as Lino, Tom's adoptive brother
* Christopher B. Duncan as Barton Swift, Tom's father
* Hayward Leach as Justin Chase
* Elizabeth Cappuccino as Susannah Robb

## Episodes

| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
| 1 | "...And the Liftoff to Saturn" | Anton Cropper | Melinda Hsu Taylor & Noga Landau & Cameron Johnson | May 31, 2022 (2022-05-31) | 0.44 |
| 2 | "...And the 4b Curl" | Michael Allowitz | Cameron Johnson | June 7, 2022 (2022-06-07) | 0.34 |
| 3 | "...And Nine Inches of Danger" | Jeff Byrd | Brad Marques & Fola Goke-Pariola | June 14, 2022 (2022-06-14) | 0.29 |
| 4 | "...And The Chocolate Cowboys" | Clara Aranovich | Teresa Huang & Sydney Baloue | June 21, 2022 (2022-06-21) | 0.37 |
| 5 | "...And The Crashed Cotillion" | Ruben Garcia | Michael Poisson & Brittany Northcross | June 28, 2022 (2022-06-28) | 0.34 |
| 6 | "...And The Benefits of Bondage" | Bille Woodruff | Erika Harrison & Eric Anthony Glover | July 5, 2022 (2022-07-05) | 0.30 |
| 7 | "...And The Book of Isaac" | Ruba Nadda | Teleplay by : Melinda Hsu Taylor Story by : Elliott Feliciano & Kahlil Maskati | July 12, 2022 (2022-07-12) | 0.25 |
| 8 | "...And His Two Men and a Baby" | J. Miller Tobin | Teresa Huang & Bradley Marques | July 19, 2022 (2022-07-19) | 0.28 |
| 9 | "...And the Night to Remember" | Andi Behring | Erika Harrison | July 26, 2022 (2022-07-26) | 0.28 |
| 10 | "...And the Cost of Forgiveness" | Rose Troche | Cameron Johnson & Michael Poisson | August 2, 2022 (2022-08-02) | 0.24 |

## Production
### Development

On October 28, 2020, it was announced that The CW was developing a spin-off from their Nancy Drew series titled Tom Swift. The series is based on the book series of the same name and is created and executive produced by Melinda Hsu Taylor, Noga Landau, and Cameron Johnson. The show is set in the "Drew-niverse". On February 8, 2021, it was announced that Ruben Garcia will be directing the pilot episode. On August 30, 2021, The CW had given the production a straight-to-series order and it was expected to debut during the 2021–22 television season. Josh Schwartz, Stephanie Savage, and Lis Rowinski were also added as executive producers.
Lead actor Richards said of the adaptation, "The original Tom Swift was great for his time and what he represented. At the time, that was the face of young boys, All-American kids full of possibilities. But in 2021, that can look so different. It can look like someone like me—a Black guy who is chocolate, who is queer, who is all those things that we're told aren't the normal or the status quo." He added, "We're going to dive into so many sectors of identity. We're going to talk about Blackness—and a different kind of Blackness than we're used to seeing, which is the Black elite, the 1 percent, the billionaires. We're also going to talk about a queer boy's journey into becoming a queer man. Not only self-acceptance, but acceptance as a whole, having the community and people around you."
The series started filming in Atlanta in late-January 2022, which was completed between late April-early May. It premiered on The CW on May 31, 2022. On June 30, 2022, the series was canceled after one season due to low viewership, although it was allowed to have the rest of the episodes for the season aired on The CW. The series finale aired on August 2, 2022.

### Casting

On January 26, 2021, Tian Richards was cast in the title role of Tom Swift. On May 11, 2021, LeVar Burton joined the main cast to voice an artificial intelligence named Barclay. Richards and Burton both appear as their respective characters in the May 2021 Nancy Drew episode "The Celestial Visitor". In February 2022, Ashleigh Murray, Marquise Vilsón, April Parker Jones, and Albert Mwangi joined the cast in starring roles. On March 8, 2022, Ward Horton was cast in a recurring role.

## Reception
### Critical response

Caroline Framke, writing for Variety, said "When the show leans into this more personal conflict, thus allowing Richards to deepen his performance and character, it works. Outside its flawed hero, though, “Tom Swift” suffers from a surprising lack of imagination given all the ostensibly impressive innovation at the heart of the Swift empire" but said the series should be given a chance to recover from a "shaky launch".
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 60% approval rating with an average rating of 8/10, based on 5 critic reviews.

### Ratings

Viewership and ratings per episode of Tom Swift :
| No. | Title | Air date | Rating (18–49) | Viewers (millions) |
| 1 | "...And the Liftoff to Saturn" | May 31, 2022 | 0.1 | 0.44 |
| 2 | "...And the 4b Curl" | June 7, 2022 | 0.1 | 0.34 |
| 3 | "...And Nine Inches of Danger" | June 14, 2022 | 0.1 | 0.29 |
| 4 | "...And the Chocolate Cowboys" | June 21, 2022 | 0.0 | 0.37 |
| 5 | "...And the Crashed Cotillion" | June 28, 2022 | 0.1 | 0.34 |
| 6 | "..And the Benefits of Bondage" | July 5, 2022 | 0.0 | 0.30 |
| 7 | "...And the Book of Isaac" | July 12, 2022 | 0.0 | 0.25 |
| 8 | "...And His Two Men and a Baby" | July 19, 2022 | 0.0 | 0.28 |
| 9 | "...And the Night to Remember" | July 26, 2022 | 0.1 | 0.28 |
| 10 | "...And the Cost of Forgiveness" | August 2, 2022 | 0.0 | 0.24 |