After two decades with no new adventures, Carmen Sandiego will finally make her long-awaited return to the small screen for a brand-new Netflix series that will premiere tomorrow night
But while many are undoubtedly just happy to see the popular thief jump back into action, the producers of the reboot also believe Netflix's Carmen Sandiego is important for many other reasons.
"We felt like kids really would benefit from a reigniting of learning about and celebrating cultures around the world," producer Caroline Fraser told Variety, explaining why the reboot is significant for younger generations. "And we also felt like from an entertainment perspective, there were not many action adventure heroes that featured female hero leads, particularly a Latina heroine. Those two things together made it feel like it was the right time to bring it back to a new generation."
In essence, Fraser wants Carmen Sandiego to be more than just a fun adventure program—though, as the trailers showed, there's sure to be plenty of that throughout the series. Instead, she wants the show to educate younger audiences, much like previous iterations, and be a positive example of a Latina hero.
Carmen Sandiego is set to premiere on Netflix January 18 and will star Gina Rodriguez in the titular role.