'The Librarians’ spin-off delivers charming, family-friendly fantasy adventure

“The Librarian: The Next Chapter” packs magic, mystery, and adventure into a charming package for those looking for a much more family-friendly take on the fantasy genre.

The 12-episode series stars Callum McGowan as Vikram Chamberlain, the titular librarian, transported from the mid-1800s to modern day Belgrade, Serbia, where he accidentally unleashes a flood of magic. He partners with scientist Lysa (Olivia Morris), historian Connor (Bluey Robinson), and guardian Charlie (Jessica Green) to clean up his mess.

Each episode tackles a monster-of-the-week while hinting at larger mysteries and big bads throughout the season, like Vikram’s lost love who looks exactly like Lysa, and the return of an evil overlord bent on world domination.

The cast has a fun chemistry from the first episode, with well-defined characters and performances that play off each other in fun ways, like the deeply skeptical Lysa applying her science mind to the fantastical goings on embraced by everyone else.

And the show has fun with its mythological and supernatural creatures and stories, like witches, ghosts, demons, vampires, introducing lesser-known stories, primarily from Eastern Europe at the start. The show manages to remix expectations to keep you guessing how the creature will be stopped until the final act.

Despite the monsters and mayhem, the tone remains relatively light, with minimal scares and even less gore, making it a perfect introduction to fantasy and adventure for younger audiences, along the lines of “Indiana Jones” or “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (minus the teen angst).

This “Librarians” edition is a spin-off of the original TV movies and series starring Noah Wyle, who also serves as a producer on the new series.

“The Librarians: The Next Chapter” airs Mondays on TNT.