The major success of franchises like “Harry Potter” lies partly in their ability to incite a childlike wonder across a wide span of ages. Applying a formula that combines adventure that genuinely excites with magic that isn’t overdone is a challenge, but TNT’s TV-movie-turned-series “The Librarians” merges the same whimsy of imaginative worlds with solid casting, high production value, and a sense of widely relatable, family-friendly fun.
Part fantasy, part science fiction, the first of the franchise’s installments hit small screens in 2004. The overall premise follows a group of four librarians—ranging in talents from military prowess to synesthesia and thievery—all part of a secret society located beneath the Metropolitan Public Library that’s been charged with preserving ancient artifacts like the sword Excalibur, King Arthur’s crown, and other antiquities.
After three films and 10 years, producer Dean Devlin has moved into the director’s chair for the series adaptation, “The Librarians.” Reprising their roles from the films are Noah Wyle, Bob Newhart, and Jane Curtin, and new to the cast are Rebecca Romijn (“X-Men”), Lindy Booth (“Dawn of the Dead”), Christian Kane (“Leverage”), and young Australian actor John Kim.
“[Casting] was a dream come true because I was dealing with a network who cared more about the quality of the work than the star-caliber name,” says Devlin about TNT. “We were really able to go after people who were infinitely right for the parts and infinitely talented, and that’s not always the case. It becomes a whole thing about who’s a bigger star, who has more Twitter followers, or whatever the flavor-of-the-day argument is. We didn’t get any of that from TNT; it was all about which actors would make these characters sing.”
Devlin says he was surprised by how many actors wanted to do the show. Often, he says, performers are hesitant to do genre programming for fear of being pigeonholed later, “but what I think ended up happening in our case is that the passion that people like John Rogers [executive producer] feel about this type of genre, which I share with him, becomes infectious. It attracted actors who are secret, closet tech geeks, and science fiction nerds as well. We ended up with a cast who would watch these types of shows as opposed to just wanting a job.”
After casting, the top priority for Devlin was ensuring the production budget would allow for a “worthy successor to the movies.” By moving everything in-house to his production company, Electric Entertainment, Devlin was able to raise the caliber of the show to where he and his team needed it to be. To illustrate the monetary differences, he says producers typically budget a minimum of $10,000–$15,000 per special effects scene. By doing special effects in-house, Electric was able to cut costs down to around $1,500 per scene with similar if not more successful results. Also working in the project’s favor was the established but unexpected fan base built by the films.
“The reason we wanted to do the very first movie was because [the network] was looking for something that would attract younger males, because that was the demographic that wasn’t growing at the time,” he explains. “And that’s kind of how we approached it—a young, male, action-adventure show. And then to all of our surprise, when we tested it, it tested equally well in all four quadrants—older, younger, male, female.”
Devlin says the first film’s 2004 holiday season premiere also boosted viewership as it became a tradition for TNT to play “The Librarian” during the holidays, creating a sense of nostalgia among its viewers (often families) that everyone could partake in. “We’re so specialized now in our entertainment,” Devlin says. “It’s nice to do a show where you’re really circling back to this idea of, ‘Couldn’t there be a show the whole family can watch together?’ ”
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