LeVar Burton voices Tom Swift’s AI sidekick Barclay in Nancy Drew episode planted for possible spinoff

Levar Burton (left) image Michael Spain Smith. Tian Richards as Tom Swift (center) and Kennedy McMann as Nancy Drew (right) in Nancy Drew

MAY 20, 2021 - It seems guest hosting Jeopardy! isn’t the only television appearance Star Trek actor LeVar Burton has planned for this year. Last week, Burton debuted his latest television role, voicing an artificial intelligence named Barclay on The CW series Nancy Drew. Barclay appeared alongside literary character Tom Swift as part of a backdoor spinoff pilot for a proposed Tom Swift series from The CW and CBS Studios. Deadline brought us the details on Burton’s involvement with the project.

Introduced in the Nancy Drew season two episode “The Celestial Visitor”, Tom Swift and his AI companion Barclay are an attempt by The CW to test the potential for a new series based on the Swift character. Played by Tian Richards, Tom Swift is a Black, gay, billionaire genius inventor who leaves a life of comfort for one of conspiracy and the unexplained, following the disappearance of his father. The new show based on the classic Tom Swift book series would feature a modern take on the titular character’s trusty sidekick, Bud Barclay. Voiced by Burton and known simply as “Barclay” in the Nancy Drew episode, Burton’s character is an artificial intelligence designed by Swift at a young age, easily downloadable into different devices and remaining at his side throughout his life as a friend and mentor.

The proposed series, if picked up, would be produced by CBS Studios for the CW from NancyDrew co-creators Stephanie Savage and Josh Schwartz of Fake Empire Productions.