The show stars Abby Bergman, Anna Cooke, Aston Droomer and Jamil Smyth-Secka as Ava Andrikides, Maudie Miller, Ezra Banks and Kyle Klimson, respectively.
The Inbestigators garnered critical acclaim, with praise for its humour and cast, though its characters drew mixed opinions.
The series is centred around Ezra Banks, a tech-savvy boy; Maudie Miller, a socially-awkward, intelligent aspiring private investigator; Ava Andrikides, an outgoing, dramatic girl; and Kyle Klimson, an athletic goof.
[6] Butler explained that she and Hope created the show as a reaction to the "world [they are] living in",[7] which she considered toxic and affected children's viewpoints.
In response, she decided to make a show about kids with "ethnic diversity and gender equity and respect and integrity and kindness" to encourage "something else" in children.
[4] Butler and Hope instructed the writers to keep the scripts clear and simple without dumbing them down, and to ensure that the children's dialogue was child-like: "Rather than writing what was funny or nostalgic for them, they had to get into the bones of a 10-year-old.
"[7] After the scripts were written, the team began to focus on the main cast; they sought talent and confidence.
After 715 auditions, newcomers Aston Droomer, Anna Cooke, Abby Bergman and Jamil Smyth-Secka were cast as Ezra Banks, Maudie Miller, Ava Andrikides and Kyle Klimson.
[13] Filming began on 19 July 2018 at Moorabbin Primary School in Melbourne, and the wrap date was pushed back to December.
[15] The creators originally wanted to create the detective-agency set at their Port Melbourne production office; realising that travel would be difficult, however, they built it in the staff car park.
[1][4] According to TV Tonight, instead of "nasty adult vices", the show's crimes are justified by desires to fit in or avoid loneliness.
[16] When caught, culprits apologise and learn a lesson or moral, which, according to Common Sense Media, are pertinent to tweens.
[29][30] The show has been listed as one of Netflix's best Australian, detective, educational, and children's series by Screen Rant, The Cinemaholic, Variety and Stuff respectively.
[5] He and Common Sense Media writer Mandie Caroll argued adults would enjoy The Inbestigators due to its comical aspects.
Caroll described their line deliveries as "often dripping with kid-friendly sarcasm and good-natured humour";[1] Keller assured that the show would be of lower quality with British or American actors.
[1][33] Despite this, Mumtaj Begum of The Star stated the show's writing and liveliness made such stereotypes less irritating.
The series, starring Abby Bergman as Ava Andrikides and Anna Cooke as Maudie Miller, recounts each episode in six steps: the crime, the red herrings, the culprit, the clues, the motive and the moral of the story.