The Librarians
So I was finally, finally able to watch all episodes of The Librarians. I think one of the reasons I wasn't able to bring myself to watch this show is because I wasn't a big fan of The Librarian movies back when it was just Flynn. I felt they were a little too campy in a way that just didn't work for me. The Librarians, on the other hand, is aboslutely ridiculous, but it's like it knows that it's absolutely ridiculous, and so embraces it whole heartedly in a way that does work for me and works beautifully. I love that this show is silly but it has fun with its silliness. And yet at the same time it'll have these wonderfully serious moments that actually kick you right in the feels, moments you think shouldn't work in such a silly show but do.
It also helps that all the characters are loveable. Yeah, they're charicatures of a certain "type" but the actors do such a great job at playing them that it's never cringeworthy or eye-rolling. This show also has some great world-building going on. For example, it's not just "here's some magic to explain things" nor is it "magic should not be used because we say so". There's rules and consequences to magic, as well as all these nifty little quirkes (like fictional characters not only coming to life but some of them leading normal, everyday lives). I also have to give this show kudos for its continuity. Usually shows like this don't give a fig about continuity, but this one does.
Of course, as per usual with me, I ended up prefering the character who's yet to have a back story and gets little to no whump. My hope is that next season will give us an Ezekiel backstory and a good one, but past experience has made me nervous when it comes to delayed back stories (SGA, Andromeda, I'm looking at you). Plus some shows have a bad habit of playing most favorite and least favorite when it comes to their characters, and if Ezekiel is the least favorite then... ugh. However, he got a really awesome episode second season, which makes me hopeful. Plus this show has, in my opinion, been pretty nice to his character. They could have easily made him the screw-up whose story arc is all about fixing his own mistakes, but instead they've been painting him as the reluctant hero who cares a lot more than he lets on, which is very promsiing.
It also helps that all the characters are loveable. Yeah, they're charicatures of a certain "type" but the actors do such a great job at playing them that it's never cringeworthy or eye-rolling. This show also has some great world-building going on. For example, it's not just "here's some magic to explain things" nor is it "magic should not be used because we say so". There's rules and consequences to magic, as well as all these nifty little quirkes (like fictional characters not only coming to life but some of them leading normal, everyday lives). I also have to give this show kudos for its continuity. Usually shows like this don't give a fig about continuity, but this one does.
Of course, as per usual with me, I ended up prefering the character who's yet to have a back story and gets little to no whump. My hope is that next season will give us an Ezekiel backstory and a good one, but past experience has made me nervous when it comes to delayed back stories (SGA, Andromeda, I'm looking at you). Plus some shows have a bad habit of playing most favorite and least favorite when it comes to their characters, and if Ezekiel is the least favorite then... ugh. However, he got a really awesome episode second season, which makes me hopeful. Plus this show has, in my opinion, been pretty nice to his character. They could have easily made him the screw-up whose story arc is all about fixing his own mistakes, but instead they've been painting him as the reluctant hero who cares a lot more than he lets on, which is very promsiing.