Should "The Librarian" Really Be Made into a Series?

Within the film and television industry, adaptations and spin-offs of successful productions take place quite often. A few months ago, Turner Network Television (TNT) began airing the trailer for the series The Librarians – its latest addition to that expansive list.

 

 

The show will be a spin-off of the network’s franchise film series The Librarian, which comprised of The Librarian: Quest for the Spear, The Librarian: Return to King Solomon’s Mines and The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice. Throughout the productions, Noah Wyle starred as Flynn Carsen, a librarian with the Metropolitan Public Library. Instead of ensuring that books were being returned in a timely manner, he found himself tasked with protecting a number of historical artifacts that were more than what meets the eye. The three-film series began in 2004 and ended in 2008, but it won’t be long before fans will be able to see the Indiana Jones/National Treasure-like plot on their TV screens.

 

 

We are “The Librarians”

 

Evidently, TNT saw enough of a positive response to the film franchise to the extent that they ordered a 10-episode series of The Librarians, which is set to premiere on December 7. The main characters in the fantasy adventure show are Eve Baird (played by Rebecca Romijn), Jake Stone (played by Christian Kane), Cassandra (played by Lindy Booth) and Ezekiel Jones (played by John Kim).

 

Noah Wyle has carried all three “Librarian” films and look to do the same with the new TV series.

Notably, some of the stars from the films – inclusive of Wyle – will also be present in the series.

 

 

Different, Yet Similar

 

Dean Devlin, the production company owner who played a significant role in the film franchise, will serve as a producer in the upcoming series. Devlin is also noted for contributing to the success of another TNT original – Leverage – and it is with this that The Librarians bares similarities. Interestingly, Kane played a major role in that production as well.

 

 

Those who watched Leverage will know that as far as plots go, there is a vast difference between the two shows. Leverage was all about providing a level playing field for those who did not have the skills or resources to do so for themselves, while The Librarians will be focused on seeking out and protecting treasured historical items. Though the plot differs, however, there are a few details that remain the same.

 

 

Like Leverage, The Librarians will have a somewhat eccentric head – Jenkins (played by Jon Larroquette). The team also comprises of someone who it very skilled as “acquisitions”, and another to provide the “muscle”. With all that said, the major stakeholders of the production will be hoping that the similarity TV lovers will be talking about is longevity, as the former ran for a commendable five seasons.

 

 

Is a series really necessary?

 

Everyone is a fan of success, but it is oftentimes the case that this leads to making ill-advised decisions as a result. While the movie franchise was seemingly able to achieve the objectives set out for it, there is no evidence to show that a series following a similar mold will hit the same heights.

 

 

Looking at the hundreds of spin-offs (films as well as TV shows) that have been released over the years, in many instances individuals are left thinking that the producers should have been advised to leave well enough alone. Transporter: The Series is one show in particular that is beginning to raise a few flags, and while it cannot be said with any degree of certainty, The Librarians is seemingly moving in that direction as well. Fiction is a constant in the film and TV industry, but are viewers really interested in watching a show based on “a world where magic and reality collide”?

 

The cast (L-R): John Kim (Ezekiel Jones), Noah Wyle (Flynn Carsen), Rebecca Romijn (Eve Baird), Christian Kane (Jake Stone) and Lindy Booth (Cassandra).

 

The “Not Even Close” List

 

Over the years, there have been a number of TV series fashioned off films that failed to make any sort of (meaningful) impact on the industry. As things are now, there is every possibility that The Librarians will join the class with the following (not so illustrious) TV shows:

 

 

Blade – The Series (following the Blade movie franchise)

 

If for no other reason than Wesley Snipes (and there were other reasons), movie lovers were fans of the series of Blade movies. Snipes starred as the sword-slashing, vampire-killing, human/vampire hybrid who was all about (yea, you guessed it), killing vampires.

 

 

After a successful trilogy that ended in 2004, efforts were made to transform the film into a TV series to be aired on Spike. Despite a positive opening, the show was never able to come close to the standard of the movie, and it was eventually cancelled after a single season. In his defense, Kirk Jones did try, but can anyone other than Snipes really pull of the character?

 

The Blade TV series starring Kirk “Sticky Fingaz” Jones just didn’t fare well.

 

Ferris Bueller (following Ferris Bueller’s Day Off)

 

This one may be too old for many to remember, but it is almost a constant when looking at lists of shows that failed to compare. The 1986 film Ferris Bueller’s Day Off was a major success, and so someone decided that a TV series would also strike gold. Unfortunately, the show seemed bound to fail from the start, as John Hughes – director of the movie – played no role in the production, and went as far as to ask that his name by distanced from it. Clearly, the writing was on the wall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Should "The Librarian" Really Be Made into a Series?