Unfortunately, because Noah Wyle was still doing Falling Skies, and Bob Newhart and Jane Curtin were only going to be available 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 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".
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?"
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.
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.
[11] Flynn's mother, Margie, is constantly worried about her son and encourages him to get a job, find a bride, and be happy.
She developed feelings for the previous Librarian, Edward Wilde, and felt an overwhelming sense of guilt when he was apparently killed.
Now immortal, Nicole acts as the primary antagonist of the fourth season, causing the death of Jenkins, the dissolution of the Library and a rift between the Librarians.
He wants to use the power of the Mines to turn back time so he can win the affections of Margie Carsen: He feels that she was stolen from him.
Emily is an archaeologist who holds twenty-five degrees, three more than Flynn, and can argue convincingly about ancient history, Biblical texts, and geography.
Turned into a vampire some 400 years ago, Simone considers it her two-fold destiny to find the man who condemned her soul to walk the night forever and exact vengeance, and to help protect one of the clues leading to the Judas Chalice.
Instead, Simone chooses to watch the sunrise for the first time in centuries with Flynn, allowing herself to be killed by the sunlight so that she can finally rest in peace.
A former KGB agent and Secretary of Defense for the Russian Federation, Kubichek longs to restore the order and power of the former Soviet Union.
He is the mastermind of a risky plot to secure the Judas Chalice, resurrect Vlad Dracula, and use him to create an army of invincible vampire soldiers.
An autodidact, he has extensive knowledge of ancient and modern history, world cultures, art and architecture (including the relevant sciences).
For 20 years he has written scholarly works using pseudonyms representing 7 carefully constructed identities, including Dr. Oliver Thompson, James McKelvie, and Griffin Griffould.
He constantly belittles Jake, who didn't tell his father the truth about himself because he knew that Isaac would see anything less than chasing the family business as a betrayal.
In that episode, she is pulled into another world where she is invited to join the Lake, a secret organization of women who realized long ago that magic and science would become one.
Cassandra reveals to Ezekiel and Jacob in "What Lies Beneath the Stones" that, knowing the tumor will eventually kill her, she has chosen a specific day to die.
In the episode "And the Eternal Question" she is forced to have the tumor removed and as a result her mathematical abilities are greatly enhanced, and she gains the power to communicate telepathically.
Lindy Booth was a fan of the Librarian movies before being cast and loves "the sense of humor in the series, which is perfect for families".
In the season two episode "And What Lies Beneath the Stones," Jones confesses that after his first big score, he was recruited by MI6 to use his skills as a thief on behalf of the British government.
John Kim feels that his character started off as a "young and arrogant rascal", and he matured a little, but he is still "immodest and big-headed" because "it's just part of his nature".
[16] The new quartet's reluctant, sometimes cantankerous caretaker; he has worked at The Library's branch office, known as 'The Annex', "for longer than anyone knows," and has extensive knowledge of ancient lore.