Nancy Drew and Ace Hardy’s Relationship Timeline: From Best Friends to Star-Crossed Lovers to More

Credit: Colin Bentley/The CW

Nancy Drew and Ace Hardy's Relationship Timeline: From Best Friends to Star-Crossed Lovers to More

Nancy Drew (Kennedy McMann) and Ace Hardy's (Alex Saxon) romance has been on everyone's mind since the show debuted on The CW. Since the mystery drama premiered in 2019, fans have watched Nancy's friendship with Ace grow from a partnership to a seemingly unrequited love. Things took an unexpected turn in season 3, however, when Nancy and Ace were cursed from exploring a romance. (Nancy's relative tells her in the finale that Ace will die if they act upon their feelings for each another.) "They have a very unexpected journey ahead. I think it'll surprise a lot of people. It's not necessarily going to be a structure that anyone anticipates in terms of how they go about dealing with their new reality," McMann exclusively told Us Weekly in May 2023. "It results in a lot of emotional turmoil for the both of them." She added: "They both are super raw in their love for each other and their incredible pain surrounding this inability to be together. So, I think it makes them both a little irrational at times," she told Us. "It's really interesting to see them contend with this high intensity emotion that they're both experiencing and [how they] so deeply need each other. But at the same time, they are so at odds with each other in terms of how to go about dealing with it." The fan-favorite pair ultimately got together in the series 4 finale, which aired in August 2023. Scroll down to relive the relationship between Nancy and Ace:

Credit: Colin Bentley/The CW

Nancy Drew and Ace Hardy's Relationship Timeline: From Best Friends to Star-Crossed Lovers to More

Nancy Drew (Kennedy McMann) and Ace Hardy's (Alex Saxon) romance has been on everyone's mind since the show debuted on The CW. Since the mystery drama premiered in 2019, fans have watched Nancy's friendship with Ace grow from a partnership to a seemingly unrequited love. Things took an unexpected turn in season 3, however, when Nancy and Ace were cursed from exploring a romance. (Nancy's relative tells her in the finale that Ace will die if they act upon their feelings for each another.) "They have a very unexpected journey ahead. I think it'll surprise a lot of people. It's not necessarily going to be a structure that anyone anticipates in terms of how they go about dealing with their new reality," McMann exclusively told Us Weekly in May 2023. "It results in a lot of emotional turmoil for the both of them." She added: "They both are super raw in their love for each other and their incredible pain surrounding this inability to be together. So, I think it makes them both a little irrational at times," she told Us. "It's really interesting to see them contend with this high intensity emotion that they're both experiencing and [how they] so deeply need each other. But at the same time, they are so at odds with each other in terms of how to go about dealing with it." The fan-favorite pair ultimately got together in the series 4 finale, which aired in August 2023. Scroll down to relive the relationship between Nancy and Ace:

Credit: Robert Falconer/The CW

Forming a Strong Friendship

Season 1 introduced Nancy and Ace as coworkers at The Bayside Claw who become best friends while trying to solve the mystery of Dead Lucy's death and Tiffany Hudson's murder. The twosome hit a rough patch when Nancy found out that Ace was a spy for the police department but they work out their issues following his car accident.

Nancy's decision to call to the Aglaeca — which briefly doomed her friends — was also a point of contention between her and Ace. The dishwasher, however, was by Nancy's side as she dealt with Owen's shocking death.

Credit: Colin Bentley/The CW

Their Growing Connection

Ace continued to show his support for Nancy as her emotions seemed to take a dark turn due to her interactions with the Hudson family. Nancy and Ace also got visibly jealous over their individual flings with the Bobbsey twins.

In the season 2 finale, Nancy realized that her issues with her identity were influenced by the Wraith's control over her. She tried to defeat the parasite and ended up in a dream where she realized her romantic interest in Ace.

Credit: Colin Bentley/The CW

A Not-So Unrequited Love

After almost telling Ace about her feelings, Nancy took a step back amid his romance with Amanda. The detective, for her part, found herself developing a connection with Agent Park (John Harlan Kim) as Ace started to grow jealous of the duo.

Following his split from Amanda, Ace told Nancy about his ongoing interest in her. They seemingly acted on their bond in the season 3 finale before it was revealed to be a dreamscape from Temperance that only Nancy experienced. Nancy ultimately lied to Ace about not having feelings for him after her evil relative cursed her soulmate's life.

Credit: Colin Bentley/The CW

Fighting for Their Future

Season 4 picked up after Nancy rejected Ace to keep him safe from Temperance's curse. It didn't take long for Ace to find out what was really going on as the pair tried to break the death curse. Nancy almost died as a result of their attempts, leading Ace to break things off.  

Throughout the season, Nancy and Ace tried to move on from their epic love but were not successful. The series finale, however, revealed that Nancy and Ace broke the curse without knowing after he sacrificed his soul for her in an act of love. The show ended with Nancy and Ace making plans for their future together.