Surfside Girls

TV Series Review

Summer is the time to ditch learning, catch some waves and seek out adventure. Or, at least, this is what 13-year-old Sam believes. She has looked forward to summer, and the possibility of some sort of magical, imaginative adventure, all year long in her small town of Surfside, California. 

One day when she’s out surfing, Sam gets pulled under the water by a mysterious force and lands in a dry, underwater cavern where she finds an ancient doubloon. Compelled by the mystery, Sam wants to understand what’s happening but she’s too scared to stay as a faint voice calls her name. So, she leaps back into the ocean.

When she gets back to the mainland, she shows her best friend, Jade, the mysterious treasure–which has begun to occasionally spin of its own accord. But Jade is dubious of the dubloon and its apparently magical powers. Sam has always been a bit… strange. Sam’s active imagination always seems to have her looking out for mysteries. But Jade doesn’t really like mysteries. In fact, according to science-loving Jade, everything has a place and a logical explanation. 

Or does it? 

Jade doesn’t understand how Sam’s coin randomly spins and makes the room feel as if it’s coming alive, and she also can’t explain away the fact that Sam’s coin isn’t a souvenir from the gift shop. It’s real gold with a skull on the front. Total pirate vibes. 

So Jade consents to go with Sam to a historically preserved location called Danger Point, and there the girls stumble upon a secret that can only be accessed by a strong belief in the supernatural. 

Nothing Is As It Seems 

Apple TV+ takes young viewers on a mysterious, TV-G-rated adventure in Surfside Girls. This series is based on the graphic novels by Kim Dwinell, and it’s like Nancy Drew colliding with two best friends and the sunny beaches of California. 

From the first episode, it’s clear that while Sam and Jade are opposites, they’re best friends who learn to value their differences and to apologize when they’re wrong. Both girls also have a strong family presence that’s refreshing for any show on television. 

Sam’s parents own a burger and milkshake shop where both Sam and her young brother, Petey, regularly pitch in. They evidently love their children and they discipline them when they break rules. Jade is being raised by a single, hard-working mom and has a ditzy older sister who is very kind and silly. 

This familial dynamic lays the foundation for the show, letting viewers know that wandering around the town of Surfside, California, is totally safe–even when that wandering takes the girls into a cavern, introduces them to a young ghost named Santi and sets them on the adventure of a lifetime. 

If you’re looking for a show for your kiddos, you’ll have to navigate some mysterious and even supernatural happenings. But it is, so far, void of any sexual content, foul language or questionable outfits.