A new supernatural detective thriller series, Lockwood & Co. debuted back on January 27 of this year. The show was based off of the hit five book series of the same name by Jonathan Stroud, but only encompasses the first two books. It was in the Netflix Top 10 for three weeks upon its release, garnering 79.91 million hours of viewership and a 90% approval rating by Rotten Tomatoes. However, social media has been completely devoid of any notifications about this new show, nobody is talking about it and no advertisements of any kind for the show have popped up. This lack of marketing is especially strange, given that the show is actually quite good. Lockwood & Co. manages to perfectly capture the tone and feel of the books, while simultaneously creating a new and unique experience.
Lockwood & Co. follows the 15 year old Lucy Carlyle (Ruby Stokes) through a world similar to, yet unlike our own. In this world, ghosts are real (this fact is known as the Problem), and only children can detect them. This leads to a high demand of “agents”: teenagers who find and dispose of ghosts. However, when tragedy strikes, Lucy runs away from her rural town to the bustling London in hopes of a job. Out of options, she applies for a job at the titular Lockwood & Co, a very small agency consisting of only two boys (Cameron Chapman as Lockwood and Ali Hedji-Heshmati as George); run out of an old townhouse. The series chronicles the titular company as they fight ghosts and discover the true cause of The Problem, all trying to evade the watchful eye of the police.
Book adaptations are notoriously fickle, most of the time ending up as carbon copies of the source material or a completely different thing entirely. This, however, was not the case with Lockwood & Co. It managed to revamp certain parts of the story and characters to make it more entertaining, but retained the original charm of the books. Additionally, all of the characters are well rounded as well as well acted. They all have a clear motivation that makes them interesting to watch as well as root for. Finally, the show manages to keep a good pace and tone throughout. Each episode is fun to watch, adding new clues and questions about the overarching mystery of the show. Although the subject matter may seem dark, the show manages to keep a relatively lighthearted tone, making it even easier to binge.Lockwood & Co. surprised with its dedication to the books, thoughtful characters and enjoyable pace. It surpassed expectations and is one of the best book-to-screen-adaptations in a while. Hopefully more seasons are approved, and this time, with better marketing.
