Lockwood & Co. (TV series)
A British supernatural detective thriller cancelled after one season.
Lockwood & Co. is a British supernatural detective thriller television series created by Joe Cornish for Netflix, adapted from Jonathan Stroud's book series. The eight-episode season premiered on 27 January 2023 and covers the events of the first two books, *The Screaming Staircase* and *The Whispering Skull*. Netflix cancelled the series after one season in May 2023.
The story is set in an alternate present-day Britain where ghosts called "visitors" have been rising from graves for the past fifty years. This phenomenon, known as "the Problem," has halted technological progress—there is no internet, and people still use cassette recorders. Most adults over twenty-five cannot see or sense ghosts, so children are organised into licensed ghost-hunting agencies. The series follows Lucy Carlyle, a psychically gifted teenager who runs away from home to London seeking work at an agency. With few options left, she takes a job at a tiny outfit run by two boys in an old townhouse: Lockwood & Co.
The main cast includes Ruby Stokes as Lucy Carlyle, a highly talented "Listener" who can hear supernatural sounds and voices and also has "touch" abilities. Cameron Chapman plays Anthony Lockwood, the young proprietor of Lockwood & Co., the only agency without adult supervisors. Ali Hadji-Heshmati portrays George Karim, Lockwood's friend and head of research, who was fired from the prestigious Fittes agency for asking too many questions about the Problem.
Recurring characters include Ivanno Jeremiah as Inspector Montagu Barnes of the Department for Psychical Research and Control (DEPRAC), Jack Bandeira as Quill Kipps, a rival agent from Fittes, and Rhianna Dorris as Kat Godwin, Kipps's second-in-command. Other recurring roles include Paddy Holland as researcher Bobby Vernon, Rico Vina as Ned Shaw, Bronwyn James as Sergeant Wade, and Louise Brealey as Pamela Joplin, a researcher at Sweet Dreams Excavations. Guest stars include Lily Newmark as Norrie White, Andrew Woodall as Jacobs, Sandra Huggett as Mrs. Carlyle, Ishtar Currie-Wilson as Annabel Ward, Sharon Morgan as Mrs. Hope, Saverio Buono as Hugo Blake, Nigel Planer as Sir John Fairfax, Lily Nichol as Ellie, Morven Christie as Penelope Fittes, Jeff Rawle as Sebastian Saunders, Saskia Axten as Genevieve, Michael Clarke as the Skull, Amanda Abbington as Marissa Fittes, Hayley Konadu as Florence Bonnard, Ben Crompton as Juli
- field
- Supernatural detective thriller television series
- nationality
- British
- premiered
- 27 January 2023
- episodes
- 8
- based_on
- Book series by Jonathan Stroud
- cancelled
- May 2023
Lore & Background
In an alternate version of present-day Britain, ghosts known as visitors have been rising from their graves for the past 50 years, a phenomenon called 'The Problem'. Technological advances have stopped; there is no internet and people still use cassette recorders. Most adults over age 25 cannot see or sense ghosts, so youths are organized into licensed ghost-hunting agencies. Lucy Carlyle, a psychically gifted teenager, runs away to London and applies for a job at Lockwood & Co., a tiny outfit run by two boys in an old townhouse.
The main cast includes Ruby Stokes as Lucy Carlyle, a highly talented 'Listener'; Cameron Chapman as Anthony Lockwood, proprietor of the agency; and Ali Hadji-Heshmati as George Karim, the agency's head of research. Recurring characters include Ivanno Jeremiah as Inspector Montagu Barnes of the Department for Psychical Research and Control (DEPRAC), Jack Bandeira as Quill Kipps, a rival agent from Fittes, and Rhianna Dorris as Kat Godwin, Kipps's second-in-command. Other recurring roles include Paddy Holland as researcher Bobby Vernon, Rico Vina as Ned Shaw, Bronwyn James as Sergeant Wade, and Louise Brealey as Pamela Joplin, a researcher at Sweet Dreams Excavations. Guest stars include Lily Newmark as Norrie White, Andrew Woodall as Jacobs, Sandra Huggett as Mrs. Carlyle, Ishtar Currie-Wilson as Annabel Ward, Sharon Morgan as Mrs. Hope, Saverio Buono as Hugo Blake, Nigel Planer as Sir John Fairfax, Lily Nichol as Ellie, Morven Christie as Penelope Fittes, Jeff Rawle as Sebastian Saunders, Saskia Axten as Genevieve, Michael Clarke as the Skull, Amanda Abbington as Marissa Fittes, Hayley Konadu as Florence Bonnard, Ben Crompton as Julius Wi
Reader's Guide
Lockwood & Co. represents a notable entry in the supernatural thriller genre, adapting Jonathan Stroud's popular book series for a Netflix audience. The series received a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 14 critic reviews, with a critical consensus calling it 'a fun-filled adventure carried off with sprightly charm.' Metacritic assigned a score of 76 out of 100, indicating generally favorable reviews. The show featured in Netflix's global top 10s for three weeks between 22 January and 12 February 2023, accumulating 79.91 million hours viewed, and reached Netflix's Global Top #1 Show spot in its second week, holding the number one spot in 18 countries. Despite this viewership, the series was cancelled after one season in May 2023. Its legacy includes a distinctive musical score incorporating early goth rock from bands such as Bauhaus, the Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and This Mortal Coil, chosen by Cornish to create a 'supernatural aural palette.'
Did You Know?
- The series was cancelled in May 2023 after one season.
- It reached Netflix's Global Top #1 Show spot in its second week on the platform.
- The music includes songs by Bauhaus, the Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and This Mortal Coil.
- Filming took place at Kensal Green Cemetery in late October 2021.
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