Rebecca Romijn
Christian Kane
Lindy Booth
John Kim
John Larroquette

Developed by:
John Rogers

2014-
Adventure, Fantasy
TNT
TV-14

It’s not easy to do cheesy well, but TNT’s “The Librarians” does a pretty good job of it. It looks like the creators learned from their preceding made-for-TV movie series trilogy. The first movie in that series was a bit too sluggish, but this spinoff show has enough zip to keep viewers engaged – as long as those viewers have a taste for this kind of thing.

Noah Wyle reprises his role as the Librarian. When someone asks him who he is, he unfailingly says, “I’m the Librarian.” That response works in a corny sort of way; I laughed each time he said it. However, unlike the movie series, this show isn’t focused on Wyle’s Librarian. Instead, it focuses on a team, called the Librarians, that’s assembled to help the Librarian in his mission to safeguard magic.

This is nerdy stuff. It’s a mix of “Indiana Jones” and FX’s “Alphas.”

The first two hours of this show are fairly entertaining. The production values have been improved slightly since the first movie. They’re just good enough to avoid being an embarrassment, but not so good that you forget that this show shouldn’t be taken seriously.

The trick for this kind of show lies in a deft balance between corny humor and epic pacing. It needs to alternate between sweeping moments and quippish moments. But, in the first two hours, it doesn’t always find the right balance.

Despite that, if you’re looking for an excuse to indulge your inner geek, then “The Librarians” will likely work for you. While it’s not as good as BBC’s “Merlin” at this point (or even BBC’s “Robin Hood” for that matter), it is just good enough to be watchable. I won’t be watching it on a regular basis, though. Will you?

Verdict: OK

About: (Source: librarians)

Returning to the universe of TNT’s hit movie franchise, The Librarian, this new series centers on an ancient organization hidden beneath the Metropolitan Public Library dedicated to protecting an unknowing world from the secret, magical reality hidden all around. This group solves impossible mysteries, fights supernatural threats and recovers powerful artifacts, including the Ark of the Covenant, the Spear of Destiny and Excalibur.