The Librarians: The Next Chapter

I more or less enjoyed the predecessor (it was more my partner's thing, and I just sort of experienced it in passing) so we decided to try this one, too. It's more or less OK, as far as these things go, but the acting and writing is pretty poor, and as someone who has spent a lot of time overseas, I just don't understand why they've set in Belgrade but all the characters speak perfect English (maybe with an accent, but sometimes not) and all the signs in hospitals and all through the series are also in English. Seems very improbable to me (not that the magical elements are "probable"...). I suppose it doesn't do any harm, but it's hardly quality tv.

I really liked the original but this is a poor imitation. In the original the "Librarian" was not around for most of the series and the "team" had to solve problems with each member bringing their unique talents to the effort. Each of them was also part of the library.

In this version we have a Librarian from another time (why?) and his team is made up of more or less ordinary people (none of whom were invited) who would be best classified as just sidekicks. It seems like any one of them, except perhaps Charlie, could be replaced with no impact to the show. Even Charlie, who is supposed to be the protector, is not really doing much. Eve from the original series was kicking ass early on.

I assume that as the show continues we will see more character development and the cast acting more like a team, but for now I have seen enough.

The writing is juvenile , the acting is amateurish, there is no chemistry between the actors .

The lead is a ham who thinks overwrought facial expressions are Shakespererian .

Olivia Morris is the only likeable main cast member.

Its not the actors i gather i am sure they are all accomplished and are capable of more than what they deliver here .

It is everything else.

Maybe its on the director(s) or studio meddling ....

it feels cheap and shoddy at every level. It is ill spent craftsmanship and ressources

it is a waste of popcorn and a beer, on a night with nothing to do and nothing to watch.

If its a choice between this and watching bacon fry in a pan , or watching my dog chase a stray fly, then its no contest , those win, every time.

Whenever there is a reboot or "next chapter" of any show it's difficult not to compare it to the original as you watch. Especially when you're a big fan of the original series. But I tried, sometimes unsuccessfully, to keep that to a minimum.

The feel of the show is true to the original, the storylines have been good with all the humour & fun whimsy you would expect.

Vickram, the new Librarian is wonderful; he's quirky, funny, & at times as chaotic as Flynn. I want to learn more about him.

Lysa & Connor are I guess meant to be the new Cassandra & Ezekiel. I find them different enough so they kind of hold their own as new characters. They're not true "Librarians", more like a couple of folks just along for the ride, which is a bit odd. I get more of a poor man's Mulder & Scully vibe from them - he says "magic" she says "not magic, it's science" and so on.

The weakest part for me is Charlie, the new Guardian. I can't help compare her to Eve, because she is an inferior version. The character is uninteresting, the acting isn't that strong, and she doesn't have that blend of strength & vulnerability, the enormous Kick-ass potential that Rebecca Romijn brought to Eve. Maybe she will grow on me.

I'm looking forward to the rest of the season, I really want to love this one as much as the original.

The story is a bit all over the place. While it was some years ago, I have fond memories of the original series and I was hoping for the same level of quality. The way the characters were introduced or more importantly - NOT introduced leaves gaps in information and instead of enjoying the story unfold, I am left wondering how and why.

In one episode there was a scene where ballet slippers had char on them from being burned, in the next scene no char, then char again when they were being examined in the scene following.

I don't mind corny when it is done well and sadly, this falls a little short in my opinion.

I'm going to keep watching in the hopes that it will improve and we get some of the holes in the story filled in.