Reviewed by Celeste Gibson ||

While scrolling through social media, I found a clip of three young actors being interviewed. They were being asked if their show had any chance of being renewed for a second season after trending after release, and all looked nervous, terrified even, of being asked about a second season. When I found out that this clip was from promotions for the new Netflix season, Lockwood & Co., it’s safe to say I was shocked, and immediately sat down to watch the version of one of my favorite middle school book series. Jonathan Stroud’s series Lockwood & Co., were five books published from 2013 to 2017, and followed Lucy Carlyle, Anthony Lockwood and George Cubbins as an agency specializing in hunting ghosts where ghosts run rampant throughout London. The three are all part of an intricate world where children hunt ghosts because only they can see the supernatural as adults lose their Sight with age. Ghosts typically come out through objects of significance in their former lives to haunt and even kill the living. As well as being genuinely horrifying, the British series combines nonstop dark comedy and the typical English dry humor to create a heady mix for children and adults alike. However, after watching the Netflix series, I walked away feeling disappointed in the final product, despite the plot being generally the same as the series. 

Simply put, my expectations were not satisfied. I personally imagined Fleabag-esque fourth wall breaks and humor combined with the jump scares and unsettling ambiance of The Haunting of Bly Manor. When I think of Lockwood & Co., I think of juxtaposition. The unsettling smokiness of being haunted, of flickering flashlights and ghosts leaping out at you, versus sunlight through windows, a cup of good tea and laughing with your friends. That disparity between the living and dead, comedy versus horror, even the dichotomy of children taking a dominant role in society as protecting the “blind” adults are all what makes Lockwood & Co., so interesting. There is such a good balance of humor and dread throughout the series that just was not translated into the Netflix adaptation. I was expecting some references to Lucy’s role as narrator throughout the books; some explanation, some world-building, anything. However, we are left narrator-less. Show Lucy is sweet and reserved, leaving the theatrics to Lockwood and is naturally empathetic, easily connecting to Lockwood. However, Lucy’s book narration shows her to be mean, petty, and ferociously observant, though not quite emotionally intelligent to handle Lockwood’s various mine-fields. In addition, Lockwood is incredibly reserved, especially when it comes to Lucy – shutting down any vulnerable conversations or moments throughout the series. Though he is naturally charismatic and friendly, it is not until later in the series that Lockwood realizes what Lucy means to him personally. I would have liked to have seen that emotional disconnect fixed over time, giving the two characters real relationship development instead of immediately jumping into a budding romance. In addition to rushed relationships, there is a distinct lack of world-building. We receive a montage in the beginning of Lucy Carlyle receiving agent training before joining Lockwood & Co., but little is explained of the rules and procedures that agents follow while ghost-hunting or even how the Problem (the proliferation of ghosts) have affected London, though the books discuss this in depth. 

I found myself confused at the breakneck speed of the season, packing two books of five into one season. The first book, The Screaming Staircase was the introduction into this fantastical world and sets up Lucy’s intense connection to the spiritual world, Lockwood’s recklessness, and George’s intelligence. It tells us how hauntings work, how to defeat ghosts and who are the major players of their world. I would have recommended the first book as its own season, not four episodes. Let the story world-build through the various ghosts that the team takes on. Let the full horror of the ghosts remain with the characters and with us. Furthermore, the TV series jumps straight into the plot, leaving little breathing room, but this seems rather odd considering the almost episodic book format. The team tackles several cases of hauntings and deaths before the “main event,” so to speak. This allows the characters to establish the rules that they follow, the limitations that they experience, and even build a rapport with the other characters and the audience.  I cannot help but wonder if the speed and ‘efficiency’ of the first season of Lockwood & Co., comes from the fear of Netflix canceling the show; a phenomenon becoming increasingly common. In 2020 alone, roughly sixteen shows were canceled after their debut season. At the date of this writing, three shows have already been canceled in 2023. I feel like the interview clip of the actors being nervous to confirm a season two just endorses my theory. If that is the case – that the writers and producers were concerned with telling a story “big enough” to garner a second season, at the expense of the original series, that alludes to a de-emphasis on storytelling within streaming platforms and a larger problem within media currently.

When the survival of the show is based on the success of the very first season, is there an emphasis on what makes sense story-wise, or what will be the star factor? Is this how we want to determine continuation? Overall, I would rate the first season of Netflix’s Lockwood & Co., as a 7 out of 10. The pacing does not do the story justice, but the actors are talented and have genuine chemistry with each other. While I do wish for the story to slow down, I am excited for a second season, and perhaps more importantly, to actually receive a season two of Lockwood & Co.