Back in October 2014, Netflix announced a pact with AwesomenessTV to bring the popular 1950s comic strip Richie Rich to the streaming platform as a kids’ TV show. Now, as of February 20, 2015, ten episodes of this updated retelling are available on Netflix.
The original Richie Rich featured the titular character as the son of rich parents, but Netflix’s version finds Richie (played by Dark Skies’s Jake Brennan) as a self-made entrepreneur. The youngster became a trillionaire after selling the green technology he invented because he stashed away his dinner vegetables instead of eating them.
Now, Richie now drives a mini Lamborghini around the huge house he shares with his father (Kiff VandenHeuvel), sister Harper (Lauren Taylor), and friends Murray (Joshua Carlon), and Darcy (Jenna Ortega). There’s also Richie’s female robot assistant Irona (Brooke Wexler).
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“He still lives in a big mansion, and he’s surrounded by his family and his close friends,” said executive producer and AwesomenessTV founder Brian Robbins to USA Today. “The whole show is really about the wish fulfillment of an everyday kid with all the toys in the world.”
Robbins explained why he teamed with Netflix to bring the live-action Richie Rich series to life. “The fact that (Richie) is an iconic character that been around for generations and hasn’t been retold in a while is what appeals to us,” said Robbins. “In the crowded world we live in right now having a title with pre-awareness is a really great advantage.”
Robbins also noted how the show isn’t just appealing to kids. “I think it’s a show families can watch together. Certainly dads who grew up on the comic books or the (early ’80s) cartoons will probably get a kick out of watching with their own kids.”
Richie Rich isn’t the only children’s online programming with ties to pre-established brands. Netflix also boasts the titles All Hail King Julien (based on DreamWorks Animation’s Madagascar movies) and The Adventures of Puss in Boots (from the Shrek universe). Additionally, companies like Mattel, Outfit7, and Amazon are heavily investing in both original and branded kids’ entertainment.
You can watch the first ten episodes of Richie Rich on Netflix.
