Here you will find character profiles of all BSC members, as portrayed in the new Netflix TV series. This post will be continuously updated as more characters are introduced into the show in future seasons.
Kristy Thomas (played by Emmy® Award Winner Sophie Grace*)
*Outstanding Younger Performer in Pre-School/Children's/Family Viewing Program, 2021
Kristin Amada “Kristy” Thomas is always filled with great ideas (including the creation of the Baby-Sitters Club). she is outgoing, active, bossy, and fairly talkative, which can get her into a lot of trouble since she often speaks with no filter (which has REALLY shown in the new series). She is described in the book as the shortest girl in her grade, and she always dresses and behaves like a tomboy (jeans and shirts, almost never skirts or dresses unless she is asked to). In the new Netflix series, she appoints herself as the president of the BSC since the club is her idea and she like to keep everything under control. She always sits in the director’s chair and wears cap or visor to club meetings. In season 1, one of her closest charges is Karen Brewer, Watson’s daughter who eventually becomes her stepsister, and the two grow closer because of that.
Kristy’s father, as mentioned in the first episode of the Netflix series and the first novel, had left the Thomas family when her younger brother David Michael was born, which may explain her bossiness as a way to hide her insecurity. Her mother, Elizabeth, has recently engaged to Watson Brewer, a billionaire and a fellow divorced parent that Kristy is still adjusting to. Other members in her family include older brothers Charlie and Sam, as well as a collie named Louie.
In Claudia and the Phantom Caller, Book #2 of the original series, Kristy is described as having “long brown hair, which she doesn’t do much with yet, and big brown eyes, which will look great with makeup in a couple of years. She’s small for her age. She looks more like a ten-year-old” (15). Sophie Grace’s portrayal of Kristy in the new TV series captures the looks and the essence of Kristy Thomas - a confident, independent leader who always have ideas of her own. Early critics of the new adaptation complains that this version of Kristy is too bossy, but I can confirm that she is like this in the original book, and is more likely to cause trouble when she was first introduced in 1986 (read the last two chapters of the first book, then watch the final scene in the first episode, and you will know exactly what I mean!).
Sophie received an (Daytime) Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Performer in Pre-School/Children's/Family Viewing Program in 2021! Alicia Silverstone, who plays Kristy's mother Elizabeth in the new Netflix series, was nominated for Outstanding Limited Performance in a Children's Program.
Claudia Kishi (played by Momona Tamada)
Claudia (full name “Claudia Lynn” in the book series) Kishi is a Japanese descent (third generation immigrant) who is best friends with Kristy and Mary Anne since their childhood. She is the character that breaks out of the Asian stereotypes, she has a STRONG talent in art and fashion sense (especially the ever-changing earrings), and is always willing to step outside of the box and tries out different styles. However, her performance in other subjects, particularly spelling and math, is usually subpar, especially compared to her intelligent older sister Janine. In the new Netflix series, she is appointed as the vice president of the BSC since the club meetings are always conducted in her bedroom, where all the clients can reach the club members via her personal landline. In season 1, one of her charges is Jamie Newton (though her babysitting experience was only in one quick shot, we need to see more Claudia’s babysitting jobs in season 2!), a four-year old, energetic child who just welcomed a new baby sister, Lucy, to his family.
Claudia connects really well with her (maternal) grandmother Mimi because she appears to be the only one in the family that truly understands her. Her parents, John and Kimiko, which we don’t really see in the book nor in the new series, seems to be the standard parents that always have for highest expectation for their children. As mentioned above, Claudia’s sister Janine is the exact polar opposite of her, she always uses big, sophisticated words in day to day conversations to demonstrate that she is more intelligent than her peers, which has caused the tension between the sisters to develop even further.
In Kristy’s Great Idea, Book #1 of the original series, Claudia is described as having “silky jet-black hair, dark eyes, and creamy skin without so much as a trace of a pimple” (27). The early books seem to frame Stacey and Claudia as the more mature pair of the group (compared to Kristy and Mary Anne) in their actions and appearances. Ironically, in the new series, Momona Tamada is the shortest of the group (while Kristy is portrayed as the shortest in the books), but that doesn’t affect her ability to portray Claudia as a unique, artistic icon that everyone can look up to. In the 1980s, it is rare to see representations of Asian American females on screens or in literature, and the creation of the Kishi family breaks out from that tradition. There is a short documentary on Netflix released a week after the BSC season 1 called The Claudia Kishi Club, and it is all about the appreciation of Claudia as a strong woman in the BSC and in the portrayal of Asian-American community, as well as how she and her family fight against the racial challenges that has been posed to them by the community they are living in.
Stacey McGill (played by Shay Rudolph)
Stacey (full name “Anastasia Elizabeth” in the book series) McGill is an elegant fashionista from New York City, and my favourite character from both the novel and the TV series! She was desperate of needing new friends when she first came to Stoneybrook and found Claudia Kishi as her new best friend. Similar to Claudia, she has an excellent taste in clothing, and knows EVERYTHING there is to know about modern fashion trends. Although her style is not as wild as Claudia’s, she often tries out different combinations of skirts and blouses. She excels in math (and in the Netflix series, also social media building and economic strategies), which makes her the perfect treasurer of the BSC from day one. In season 1, one of her closest charges is Charlotte Johansson, who is smart for her age and always treats Stacey like her own big sister (probably due to the fact that they are both only child in their families). Charlotte has two mothers (in the newest adaptation only) : Ms. Johansson teaches Art in Stoneybrook Middle School, and Dr. Peggy Johansson works in Stoneybrook hospital as endocrinologist.
Stacey’s former best friend Laine Cummings, as mentioned in the third episode of the Netflix series and the third novel, became distant from her ever since Stacey was diagnosed for type-1 diabetes the year before she moves to Stoneybrook from NYC. She has to wear insulin pump every day to monitor her blood sugar level. She was hesitant to tell the truth to her new friends at first, until everyone in BSC has accepted her for her difference. Her parents, Edward and Maureen, are very protective of her ever since her diagnosis.
In Kristy’s Great Idea, Book #1 of the original series, Stacey is described as “very pretty, tall and quite thin with huge blue eyes framed by dark lashes, and fluffy blonde hair that looked as if it had been styled recently” (34). Just like Sophie’s portrayal of Kristy in the new series, Shay Rudolph also captures the physique of Stacey really well (except for the permed hair, which I can see as a dated 80s fashion style). I believe she is the oldest actress out of the BSC members (she is 15 this year while the other cast members are turning 14) and she is the one that is acting more mature and calm, cool, and collected than others. Even when she is boy-crazy, she does know how to use her charm to her advantage (even though sometimes that can backfire as awkwardness). As I mentioned before, Stacey is my favourite character, and Shay is easily my favourite actress in the series. I do hope she would take on other projects as a major role in the future when she’s not in active BSC duty.
Mary Anne Spier (played by Malia Baker)
Mary Anne Spier is shy but kind, quiet but organized, and is the character that I can relate to the most (don’t judge)! She has lived in Stoneybrook for all her life with Kristy Thomas as her best friend (and later, also Dawn Schafer). Sometimes opposite attract, and this pair of BFFs prove exactly that! Earlier in the series, she always keeps her hair in braids and has a conservative fashion sense (usually sweaters and kitten overalls). And after her first solo story “Mary Anne Saves the Day”, where she has proven her independence in front of her father and herself, she starts to try out different hair styles and fashion styles. She has the neatest handwriting out of all members of the BSC, and she is highly organized of her everyday life, which is why she self-volunteers as the secretary of the BSC, a position that is not always in the spotlight but is certainly highly resourceful. In season 1, one of her closest charges is Bailey Delvecchio, a young transgender girl (played by Kai Shappley, an actual transgender!) heavily supported by her parents, but sometimes not able to speak for herself in public.
Mary Anne’s mother Alma died when she was young, as mentioned in the first episode of the Netflix series and the first novel. This tragedy has made her lawyer father Richard becoming overprotective of her, including controlling her bedtime, limiting her free time, and keeping her room exactly like how his late wife had decorated. As Richard becomes more open to Mary Anne’s decisions after seeing her ability to stand up for herself and others, he has displayed his vulnerable side and struggle as a single parent. He and Dawn’s mother Sharon Porter were high school sweethearts, and the two later decide to rekindle their relationship after Sharon returning to Stoneybrook.
In Claudia and the Phantom Caller, Book #2 of the original series, Mary Anne is described as having “brown eyes and brown hair. Her father makes her wear her hair in braids… wear kind of little-girl clothes--kilts and plain blouses and stuff like that” (15). In the new Netflix series, Malia Baker’s portrayal of Mary Anne is mixed-race Black, with her late mother as a (possible) African American. It is 2020, it’s not the 1980s Stoneybrook anymore where Jessi Ramsey is the only racial outcast in town, and I’m glad that they choose Mary Anne, the one that would eventually find her own voice in the club, to represent diversity! Plus, as an added bonus, Mary Anne is only wearing glasses whenever she is reading in the original novel and earlier adaptations, and from what I heard, Malia is chosen to play Mary Anne for the new series because she wears glasses the whole time during auditions.
P.S.: Mary Anne from the covers of the book reprints doesn’t look like the person who would be getting into a conflict or becoming upset, and neither does Malia’s portrayal of the character, at least that was how I felt before watching episode 4…
Dawn Schafer (played by Xochitl Gomez in Season 1 and Kyndra Sanchez in Season 2)
Dawn (full name “Dawn Read” in the book series) Schafer is the last person to join the original BSC (before the first major shift in the club structure). She moves to Stoneybrook from sunny California with her mother in the middle of the schoolyear. She is outspoken, independent, and have a deep connection with plants and animal rights (and in the new series, supporting human rights by standing up for the minority), which also means both she and her mothers are vegetarians (probably vegan in today’s sense, Dawn mentions in episode 8 about vegan). Unlike the other members of the BSC, she is not given a title in the club right away, and it is only after her first babysitting job with the Barretts did she earn her place in the club as the alternate officer (filling in for any other positions if a club member is absent for a meeting), her position would become more necessarily later in the series as the dynamic of the club shifts from time to time. In season 1, her closest charges are the Barretts (Buddy, Suzi, and Marnie), the disorganized family with a recently divorced mother that focuses more on stabilizing a career for herself rather than taking care of her children.
Dawn’s comes to Stoneybrook with her mother, Sharon Porter, because of her mother’s desire of recuperating in her hometown after the divorce. Unlike the structure of the Spier family, Sharon is actually the disorganized parent that needs Dawn to take care of constantly. She gradually falls back to her normal routine when she reconnects with her high school sweetheart Richard Spier. Dawn’s father, Marc Schafer, has decided to stay back in California after the divorce, and, in the new Netflix series, is shown to be living with his boyfriend Gus (yep, he is homosexual). In the book series, Dawn also has a younger brother called Jeff, but he is written out of the new series probably because of his early departure from Stoneybrook back to California in book #15. Instead, the new series introduces Esme Porter (aka. “Morbidda Destiny”) as Dawn’s aunt (the book series also states Morbidda Destiny’s real last name is Porter, same as Sharon’s maiden name, but the connection between the two was never made clear).
In Mary Anne Saves the Day, Book #4 of the original series, Dawn is described as “tall girl with the blondest hair [Mary Anne] had ever seen. It was so pale it was almost white, and it hung, straight and silky, to her rear end” (30). Dawn’s character in the new Netflix series is probably the most interesting one when comparing to her description in the novel! In an interview with Xochitl Gomez (I forgot which one), she mentions the outrage from the fans of the original book series that Dawn would not be blonde in the new series before it is released. I think Xochitl’s Latin American background fuses well with the character in the 21st century that continuously demands more diversified racial representations on screen. Her portrayal of Dawn, while retaining the essence of her character in the original book series, offers a sense of Zen that is in line with the desire of her character of promoting world peace and unity. Plus, I’m glad Xochitl is selected to play Dawn because if the show casts a blonde to stay true to the source, I would have a harder time to tell her apart from Stacey (this proves to be more problematic in the 1995 movie version of the BSC)!
In October 2020, Xochitl was cast as America Chavez/Miss America in the upcoming MCU movie Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness! Kyndra Sanchez was cast as the new Dawn for BSC Season 2, which began filming in February 2021.
At the end of season 1, Mallory Pike (played by Vivian Watson) and Jessi Ramsey (played by Anais Lee) are also introduced as the junior members of the BSC. Their character profiles will be updated in this post with the review of season 2, where they would play more prominent roles in the BSC.