Dean Devlin Spills on The Librarians
Kathleen Wiedel
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I was fortunate enough to get a brief one-on-one phone interview with Dean Devlin, who currently serves as the showrunner for The Librarians on TNT, and learned a bit about what he has in store for our world-saving, villain-defeating team of heroes.
The Librarians is a spin-off of a television movie series starring Noah Wyle, the first of which was released in 2004. (Mr. Wyle returned to the same role for the current television series in a recurring capacity, and has both written and directed episodes as well.)
The television series (which premiered in 2014) stars Rebecca Romijn, Christian Kane, Lindy Booth, John Kim, and John Larroquette as members of a team from The Library, and their job is to save the world from dangerous supernatural artifacts and deadly magic on the loose.
And sometimes stop the apocalypse.
Now in its third season, The Librarians now features perhaps its most dangerous villain yet in Apep, the Egyptian god of chaos and outright evil, and Dean Devlin has stated that the heroes will not escape unscathed.
"We made a conscious decision to up the stakes" this season, he said, which allows the show to be more surprising and keep viewers on their toes.
"Magic is back in the world," he pointed out, and this will test the Librarians as they face the temptations and consequences of using magic.
It will also cause the Librarians to question what their purpose and function is in the grand scheme of things.
Mr. Devlin offered assurances that despite what he described as "twists and turns in the characters" it will still be the same show it has always been, just with higher personal stakes for the characters.
After all, one of the highlights of The Librarians has always been the wit and humor in the dialogue:
Eve: And that's all you saw?
Ezekiel: No, I'm withholding pertinent information for fun. Of course that's all I saw!
(If you haven't checked it out before, see our Librarians quotes page for some of the great lines from this series!)
He also had nothing but kind words for the members of the cast, particularly praising Christian Kane, with whom he previously worked on Leverage, which ran from 2008 to 2012.
"Christian Kane really brought the goods!" he remarked.
On The Librarians, Mr. Kane portrays brilliant art historian/bar brawler Jacob Stone, who often serves as the backup and second-in-command to Rebecca Romijn's protective Guardian, Colonel Eve Baird.
The Librarians is unafraid to pay homage to other series and movies, from Indiana Jones to Star Wars and beyond, as well as folklore, mythology, and even urban legends.
One of the best parts about the series is just how enjoyable it is.
"Nothing is more fun than doing this show," Mr. Devlin proclaimed outright. And I believe him.
The Librarians airs on Sundays at 8/7c on TNT, with the next scheduled episode, The Librarians Season 3 Episode 5, "And the Tears of a Clown," coming on December 18, 2016. Be sure to tune in as the heroes face their latest challenge!
