The Librarians: The Next Chapter has an all-new cast as the series continues the magical fantasy-adventure franchise that first graced the screen in 2004.

There are slight spoilers, but I’ve tried keeping them to a minimum.

TNT sent the first eight of twelve episodes of The Librarians: The Next Chapter to press for review. I can tell you that much like watching The Librarians in 2014, I was hooked. I had watched the pilot before watching the trilogy of films days later, but that’s beside the point. This is a series that keeps audiences engaged throughout, even as it sticks to familiar beats. Noah Wyle’s Flynn Carsen may have been a fish-out-of-water–as showrunner/co-developer Dean Devlin describes him–but Vikram Chamberlain (Callum McGowan) is a man out of time, much like Steve Rogers/Captain America after he’s pulled from the ice.

Once a Librarian in the late 1840s, Vikram suddenly finds himself in present-day Belgrade, Serbia. His castle looks the same but it now operates as a museum–one that Lysa Pascal (Olivia Morris) is trying to unload and profit from the sale. Meanwhile, conspiracy theorist Connor Green (Bluey Robinson) believes The Library is real and is within the vicinity when Vikram releases magic across the continent.

Vikram’s return means that Guardian Charlie Cornwall (Jessica Green) has a second chance to work for The Library. That is, assuming things go well over the next six months to clean up the mess. If a team with a savant in world history, scientific genius, and a Guardian can’t manage to clean things up, we’ve got a problem. It’s a different team from the one we fell in love with during 2014-18 but even it’s so much fun watching them working together during The Librarians: The Next Chapter.

Much like earlier Librarian films starring Wyle and the 2014-18 TNT series that left us too early, this is a series that brings us adventures that are just as fun. It’s hard to specify which episodes I enjoyed the most but you can’t not appreciate a good old Agatha Christie-esque whodunit. There’s also a jealous college instructor, a convention for conspiracy theorists, best friends reuniting, and more. If you’re a fan of the franchise, you’re going to enjoy what’s to come this season. If you’re not, I’d say watch The Librarians: The Next Chapter and see what you think. Personally, I couldn’t stop watching, having a just-another-episode problem.

The presence of Jacob Stone (Christian Kane) as a present-day Librarian lends The Librarians: The Next Chapter a familiar face. He might not appear for many scenes but makes the best of it when he does. For those expecting other previous characters to show up during the first season, I’m sorry to disappoint you. I’m hopeful that others will make an appearance during Season 2. Noah Wyle has a credit as a producer on the series but sadly, he doesn’t appear in the first eight episodes.

If you’re missing John Larroquette, no need to fear. Caroline Loncq has a guest-starring role as Elaine Astalot, playing the equivalent to Larroquette as something of a manner in this particular version of The Library’s Annex. What that means for Jenkins at the other Annex, I don’t know.

The amazing news about watching The Librarians: The Next Chapter is that we already know the second season is coming. Originally set to premiere on the CW, TNT quickly ordered two seasons of the series sometime after the CW decided to go in a different direction. It’s job security for the actors and crew but as fans, it also ensures that we have at least 24 episodes to enjoy. But if we get lucky and I hope we do, we’ll have plenty more of the franchise in the years to come. After all, TNT has lost the NBA and this means filling the hours with programming.

The Librarians: The Next Chapter doesn’t miss a beat, even with a new set of cast members bringing us back into the fan-favorite universe.

SHOWRUNNER: Dean Devlin
DEVELOPED BY: Dean Devlin & John Rogers
DIRECTORS: Dean Devlin (Ep. 1), Sandra Mitrović (Eps. 2, 7), Milan Todorović (Eps. 3, 9), Nemanja Ćipranić (Ep. 4), Milan Konjević (Ep. 5), Hannah Espia-Farbová (Ep. 8), Milena Grujić (Ep. 11), Suri Krishnamma (Ep. 10), Orsi Nagypál (Ep. 6)
WRITERS: Dean Devlin & John Rogers (Ep. 1), Kate Rorick (Eps. 2, 9), Tom MacRae (Eps. 3, 7, 11), Gary Rosen (Eps. 4), Rebecca Rosenberg (Eps. 5, 8), Sean Persaud & Sinead Persaud (Ep. 6), Dean Devlin & Gary Rosen (Eps. 10, 12)
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Dean Devlin, Marc Roskin and Rachel Olschan-Wilson
CAST: Callum McGowan, Olivia Morris, Bluey Robinson, and Jessica Green
GUEST STARRING: Caroline Loncq
SPECIAL GUEST STAR: Christian Kane

TNT will premiere The Librarians: The Next Chapter in a two-night event on May 25, 2025 following NBA Playoffs coverage (approx 11:30 PM ET) and May 26 following NHL Playoffs coverage (approx 11:30 PM ET). New episodes will premiere weekly on Monday at 9 PM ET. Grade: 4/5

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