Season 2 of The Librarians: The Next Chapter is the natural leveling up of the show’s swashbuckling sense of adventure. The TNT sequel settles into its sophomore groove, with its characters now established and the rules of the Librarians spinoff clearly outlined. And it brings in the fantastic Dominic Monaghan, with the Lost alum seemingly having the time of his life.

Now that the audience has had time to meet the new group of Librarians, Season 2 can make its stories a little bit bigger—which in this case, also means quirkier. Aside from the first scene of the season feeling like “here’s a reminder of what everyone’s function is,” there’s not much that comes across as clunky exposition. The actors having settled into their roles is also particularly obvious. A large portion of The Librarians is cast chemistry and comic timing, and that is sharper than it was in Season 1.

While Season 1 got a boost from the return of fan-favorite Christian Kane—who is back this season along with fellow Librarians alum Lindy Booth—Season 2 has another high-profile arrival in the person of Dominic Monaghan as Merlin. No one will ever be able to touch the late Sam Neill’s portrayal of the most famous wizard, but Monaghan comes close. After making his debut at the end of Season 1, Monaghan takes flight in Season 2 on a recurring basis and steals every scene in which he appears. It’s clear he’s having fun and that’s infectious. He also has the perfect amount of theatricality, which also makes him a wonderful foil for Callum McGowan’s Vikram, who’s still very much a fish out of water (the descriptor of him looking like he’s in a production of The Phantom of the Opera sums him up in more than just looks).

But most importantly, the creative team behind The Librarians: The Next Chapter finds more exciting ways to keep the show moving. When the entire premise of the show is about the fantastic and magical, the writing has to continually awe the viewers, within the realities of a TV production budget. The plots in the first two episodes have enough fun moments to keep the audience interested, and they never feel like the plot just exists solely to move characters along (although the parallels between what’s being investigated and what the characters are supposed to learn are clear). The Librarians: The Next Chapter is big, boisterous and as magical as it should be.

The most pronounced weakness of the season isn’t a surprising one: sometimes there’s a little too much banter, or a particular joke goes on too long and overstays its welcome, such as Vikram’s “introduction” of Merlin. The Librarians: The Next Chapter leans into its humor, just like the original series, and that doesn’t always work. But that comedy is part of the DNA of the franchise going back to the TV-movies, so anyone watching this show is used to it.

In the first season, the burning question was why revisit the Librarians world? The return of Leverage made sense with the sociopolitical climate audiences were living in. But The Librarians: The Next Chapter answered that question, because it put a dose of the fantastic back into cable TV. In Season 2, the question is how does the sequel stand on its own two feet? And the answer is pretty darn enchantingly.

The Librarians: The Next Chapter airs Sundays and Mondays at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on TNT. Photo Credit: Courtesy of TNT.

Article content is (c)2020-2026 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.