This is a list of characters in The Librarian series. They are all characters who have appeared either in the Librarian television films, or the Librarians series.
Overview Creator of The Librarians, John Rogers, noted that Dean Devlin wanted to make a television version of the Librarian movies, in the style of the revived Doctor Who series. Unfortunately, because Noah Wyle was still doing Falling Skies, and Bob Newhart and Jane Curtin were going to be available only periodically, Rogers had to come up with a new approach, noting that Wyle did not want to be recast or replaced as the Librarian, so Rogers came up with the idea of creating a new team of heroes in the style of Doc Savage and team of experts approach. He notes that "Jacob Stone was written with Christian Kane in mind. He worked very hard on Leverage, and he choreographed all of his own fights", "Lindy Booth just straight-up out auditioned everybody" for the role of Cassandra, John Kim won his role by "just being charming as hell", and Rebecca Romijn is someone who "could throw a punch and who could land a joke". He also notes that John Larroquette's role is essentially a replacement for Bob Newhart's Judson, so they had to find someone with "a very specific sense of humor" and "somebody with insane chops".Creator John Rogers Talks THE LIBRARIANS, Filling the Genre Gaps on TV, Expanding the Movies to a TV Series, and More
Editors Patricia Demers and Toni Samek, in their book "Minds Alive: Libraries and Archives Now", note that libraries are often identified with the aspirational, and as a result, viewers gleefully accept the heroic characters in "The Librarians", far removed from the typical safe, stereotypical representation of librariansMinds Alive: Libraries and Archives Now In her book "The Laughing Librarian", Jeanette C. Smith, compares Flynn Carsen to Indiana Jones, adventuring with the supernatural, but notes that Flynn's superpower is his "superior research skills".The Laughing Librarian: A History of American Library Humor Biographer Jonathan M. Farlow refers to Carsen as a "swashbuckling" hero who relies on "his wits".I've Seen It All at the Library: The View from Behind the Desk Author Karen A. Romanko compares the show to Warehouse 13 in her book "Women of Science Fiction and Fantasy Television", and describes the key characters in "The Librarians", highlighting Colonel Baird's role as not only the protector of the lives of the librarians, but also of their immortal souls. She also notes how Cassandra's brain tumour gives her powers that help the team.Women of Science Fiction and Fantasy Television
Main characters
Flynn Carsen Portrayed by Noah Wyle.
A nerdish bookworm, Flynn is brilliant beyond compare. By the time he was 31 years old, he had earned 22 academic degrees—12 Bachelor's degrees, 6 Master's degrees, and 4 doctorates—including four degrees in Egyptology, a doctorate in Comparative Religions, and a Ph.D. in Cryptology. In the beginning of The Quest for the Spear, his Egyptology professor signs off on his 23rd degree. (The precise degree is not known, but it must be either a master's degree or a Ph.D, because he already possesses a B.A., a B.S. or both in the relevant field.)
Practically addicted to learning, Flynn would have continued being a perpetual student had Professor Harris not awarded him the degree mid-term, making it impossible for him to sign up for another course for six months. Observing that Flynn did not know the names of any of his fellow students, the professor insisted that he get some real-world experience. Upon receiving a magical invitation, Flynn (asking how did they do that?) applied for a job as a librarian in the New York Metropolitan Library. He was successful in his job interview and was recruited into an ancient clandestine order of Librarians who have protected a range of historical and often magical items (such as the Ark of the Covenant) for centuries.
Flynn is a polymath, highly intelligent and resourceful. He often gives voice to his speed-of-light thinking, which can be confusing—and annoying—to bystanders. A natural gift and years of study have made his powers of observation and deductive skills comparable to those of Sherlock Holmes. His ordinary skills (which did not qualify him for the job) include knowledge of the Dewey decimal system, the Library of Congress, research paper orthodoxy, web searching, and the ability to set up an RSS feed. En route to his first mission, Flynn managed to decode the previously untranslated Language of the Birds in just over seven hours, a feat that no other Librarian (save the one who created the book) had been able to accomplish. Flynn rapidly evolves into a brave hero, not easily overwhelmed by the supernatural.
When Flynn was still quite young, his father was shot by an unknown assailant. It took many years for Flynn to identify the murderer and discover the reasons behind it. He took clarinet lessons when he was young, and when he was nine years old he attended a book signing of Stephen Hawking where he began to argue with Hawking about the correctness of the central thesis of the book.
His geeky bookishness is coupled with a razor-sharp wit that unfortunately has a habit of manifesting itself at the worst times. Flynn really hates being corrected. He is a bit awkward meeting women, and his mother is constantly trying to set him up on dates. Over his first 10 years as Librarian, he is too busy globe-trotting and fighting evil to maintain a relationship, and after the deaths of two great loves he stays clear of emotional entanglements until he meets Colonel Eve Baird in the first episode of the TV series.
By the end of the third and last movie, he has fully embraced his destiny as the Librarian. During The Librarians series he is forced to step back from his usual duties when Charlene and Judson displace the Library in time and space in a desperate effort to protect it from evil forces ("And the Crown of King Arthur") Through its Annex, the Library prompts Flynn to track down three people—Ezekiel Jones, Cassandra Cillian and Jacob Stone—whom the Library invited to apply at the same time it recruited Flynn, 10 years before. None of them applied. Once found—and convinced of their callings—they formed a team of Librarians and assumed Flynn's usual responsibilities of retrieving and protecting supernatural artifacts and guarding the Library and humanity from evil, while he dedicates himself to finding the Library and learning how to bring it back. Flynn returns when the situation requires his expertise—or when he needs them. In the series finale of The Librarians, Flynn undergoes the tethering ceremony to spiritually tie him to the Library making him an immortal and filling the vacancy left after Judson's death.
There is a running joke throughout the series: No matter what the situation, when Flynn announces or introduces himself with the words "I am The Librarian" he is accepted as a person with a right to be there, no matter how inappropriate the context. Cassandra, Ezekial and Jacob try this repeatedly, but it does not always work for them. Flynn then reveals in the beginning of the episode, "And the Curse of Cindy", that he uses magic in order to convince people whenever they question who he is, which momentarily shocked Jacob who despises using magic. In the last episode of The Librarians, it saves the world.
Noah Wyle describes the character as "Indiana Jones played by Don Knotts", and describes his journey as going from someone who was "a professional student ... incredibly comfortable in the realm of academia" to someone who "has a touch of madness about him now, his people skills are wanting, he's very irreverent and very eccentric." As well as acting, Wyle contributed to the writing and directing of episodes of "The Librarians".Noah Wyle interview: The Librarians, ER, playing Steve Jobs By Louisa Mellor, October 30, 2015Noah Wyle Inks Deal To Return To ‘The Librarians’, Will Make His Writing Debut By Nellie Andreeva, March 30, 2016 Literary Hub rated Flynn Carsen as 18th best fictional librarian.50 Fictional Librarians, Ranked Wyle was nominated for Saturn Awards for his portrayal of the character in all three TV movies in 2005, 2007 and 2009.IMDB: The Librarians Awards
Charlene Portrayed by Jane Curtin.
The humorless, no-nonsense library administrator who interviews Flynn for the job of 'The Librarian'. Flynn was granted the position after he was able to tell Charlene very specific things about her only a few minutes after their first meeting, based solely on his keen observation (among them, having mononucleosis, being divorced two months before, owning three cats, and breaking her nose as a child) and after answering a single question from an unseen Judson, "What's more important than knowledge?" with his mother's wise words: "The things that make life worth living can not be thought here (pointing to his head), they must be felt here (hand over heart)."
In her role as administrator, Charlene is a consummate bureaucrat, threatening to dock Flynn's pay should he break something and insisting that he keep his receipts if he wishes to get refunds for the expenses of his adventures. She keeps a straight face when Flynn makes jokes. In her words, she does not "do funny."
In the TV series' first episode, "And the Crown of King Arthur", after Dulaque's attack on the Library, Judson and Charlene cast a spell to sever the Library from this plane in order to protect it.
In the season three episode "And the Fangs of Death", Charlene has retired to a remote Incan temple and wants nothing to do with the Library. Carsen seeks her out, and she agrees to return to help defeat Apep, but the next day her servants are dead and she's missing. Carsen finally finds her in Shangri-La in the episode "And the Fatal Separation". He discovers that she's been hiding among Sterling Lam's collection of supernatural beings and artifacts. Fearing that Apep could use her to access the Library, she's planning on sacrificing herself, severing her connection to it by giving up her immortality. Finally, Jenkins sends her to another plane of existence, where she rejoins Judson. Among her last words is the injunction to keep receipts. In the next episode, she talks with Flynn through a mirror.
Charlene's recent divorce is first mentioned in the movie "The Quest for the Spear", In the movie, "Curse of the Judas Chalice", Charlene reveals more about her divorce, saying her duty to the Library is what cost her her marriage, and revealing that her ex-husband is named Gaston. It is later stated in the episode "And the Fatal Separation" that Jenkins loved her and that she chose Judson. In the episode "And the Eternal Question", Jenkins tells Cassandra that his true love (whom we later find out is Charlene) chose another after he "had already pledged his heart to her for all eternity".
Dean Devlin speculated that Charlene had in her youth served as the Guardian to a Librarian, as Nicole did. This was officially made part of her history in the episode "... and the Fangs of Death."
Judson Portrayed by Bob Newhart.
Judson, as he is introduced in the first film, has previously served as 'The Librarian' and now acts as a mentor to those who take up the mantle. He has a tattoo from a time he served in the Marines and is very handy in a fight. He is able to use mirrors, television screens, and a technique resembling astral projection to communicate with the Librarian anywhere in the world, frequently at less-than-convenient times and places. He dies after the third film, five years before the first episode of the TV series. Flynn keeps his portrait, draped with crape, next to his desk. He tells Eve that Judson is still there in spirit; she is shocked to find this to be the simple truth when Judson appears in the full-length mirror that stands near his portrait.