“Leverage” from “The Librarian”

Yes, I know, it’s a cheesy title for an article, but it’s the best I can do this close to the holidays. The point is, I just had to chat about two television premieres I watched last night.

I’ll begin with The Librarian: The Curse of the Judas Chalice. This is the third installment of The Librarian series begun back in 2004. It’s the second one directed by Jonathan Frakes, my ‘Number One’ hero from my Star Trek: The Next Generation days. Starring once again as the adventure-seeking, librarian, is Noah Wyle. Returning for round three are Bob Newhart and Jane Curtin. I love these movies. They’re full of corn and mere imitations of movies like Indiana Jones, but really, I think this one was better then the fourth Indiana Jones flick. Don’t write me any hate mail, a lot of you feel the same way I do. Anyway, Flynn Carsen (Wyle) is the Librarian, or Protector, of priceless artifacts, and this time, he’s after the Judas Chalice. The great thing about these movies is that you didn’t have to see the other two in order to enjoy this one. Each movie stand alone. Bob Newhart is always a treat to watch, and Jane Curtin never disappoints either. My husband walked into the living room as I was watching this and just shook his head. But I thoroughly enjoyed myself. It was a nice break from some of the heavier stuff I’d been watching.

Next up, Leverage. Oddly enough, both Leverage and The Librarian share executive producer Dean Devlin. Just a point of interest. This series is Timothy Hutton’s latest, and it’s good to see him back in a regular weekly program. I liked him in Nero Wolfe! Hutton is joined by Gina Bellman (Coupling), Christian Kane, Beth Riesgraf and Aldis Hodge. This show is going to be fun. It’s kind of like The Italian Job, only these people go after the powerful bullies that operate just above the law – only just. Corporations with enough money and clout to destroy lives, and they do it frequently. Nathan Ford and his team are modern day Robin Hood and his band of professionals. They play with the viewers just enough to thrill. They don’t always play nice together, which makes for some harrowing moments while on a job. The pilot aired without commercial interruption, and to tell the truth, I was so engrossed in what was going on that I didn’t even notice. Things moved along so fast that it wasn’t until it was over that I realized that there were no commercials to annoy me.

I’m looking forward to Sunday night’s once again. I think I’ve found my fix until True Blood returns in June.