Summary

• Starting with Quest for the Spear in 2004, The Librarian movies follow Flynn's growth as a hero in an ancient magical order.
• Watching the trilogy in chronological order is crucial for understanding Flynn's development and the overarching story.
• The Librarian franchise also includes spinoff series like The Librarians on TNT and The Librarians: The Last Chapter on The CW.

Watching The Librarian movies in order is not particularly complicated as far as most fantasy-adventure multimedia franchises go, but it's still helpful to know how the films connect to one another. The Librarian franchise began in 2004 with David Titcher's development of The Librarian: Quest for the Spear (2004), a made-for-TV movie that aired on TNT. That film led to two sequels, also made for TV, as well as books, comics, and a television series, The Librarians, that ran from 2014-2018 on TNT.

In The Librarians franchise, Flynn Carsen (Noah Wyle) is a brilliant academic who is invited to become a librarian at the New York Metropolitan Library, where he is inducted into a secret and ancient order of Librarians who are tasked with protecting ancient and magical items such as the Ark of the Covenant and Excalibur. Return to King Solomon's Mines and Curse of the Judas Chalice round out the rest of the magical trilogy. A charming and winking B-movie franchise, The Librarian is an excellent soft magical trilogy that can be enjoyed by any audience.

How To Watch The Librarian Movies In Chronological & Release Date Order

The Order Is The Same For The Trilogy

The chronological and release dates of The Librarian trilogy are the same. Unlike a more complicated movie-watching experience like the MCU, whether someone wants to start at the beginning of The Librarian movies or the beginning of production, the path is the same. Quest for the Spear premiered in 2004 and introduced Flynn as well as franchise mainstays, Bob Newhart as Judson and Jane Curtin as Charlene. Return to King Solomon's Mines came in 2006 and saw Flynn seeking the legendary African mine searched for by Allan Quatermain in the similarly titled novel, King Solomon's Mines.

In 2008, the trilogy wrapped with Curse of the Judas Chalice, which finds Flynn searching for the Judas Cup and fighting off a dangerous vampire. Watching the films in chronological (and release) order is critical to understanding Flynn's growth in the organization. A bookish and shy man at the beginning, his time spent as a Librarian turns him into a hero and can only fully be appreciated by watching the films in the order they were made. The story also builds on itself throughout the trilogy, so watching them any other way may feel like taking a step back.

All three movies in The Librarian franchise are available to stream on Peacock.

The Librarian Movies Spawned Two Spinoff Series

The Librarians Aired On TNT While The CW's The Librarians: The Last Chapter Is

The Librarian movies spawned two spin-off series, one of which ran for four seasons from 2014-2018 on TNT, just as the movies did. The Librarians comes after the movies, as does its story. It retains the three main characters from the films: Flynn, Judson, and Charlene, but moves them to recurring roles. The series is led by a new crop of Librarians: Colonel Eve Baird (Rebecca Romijn), Ezekiel Jones (John Harlan Kim), Cassandra Cillian (Lindy Booth), and Jacob Stone (Christian Kane), all of whom learn from the older and wiser Flynn.

Unfortunately, TNT canceled the series in 2018, but in May 2023, The CW ordered The Librarians: The Last Chapter, set to air sometime in either 2024 or 2025. While not much has been revealed about the series, the title implies it will be set after The Librarians. The show is set to star Callum McGowan (Vikram Chamberlain), Olivia Morris (Lysa Pascal), Bluey Robinson (Connor Green), Caroline Loncq (Elaine Astalot), Jessica Green (Charlie Cornwall), and Christian Kane (Jacob Stone). It's unknown whether the original The Librarian trio will return to the new series.

All four seasons of The Librarians are available to buy on Amazon Prime Video.