I'm late to the party. I just watched all four seasons of the series The Librarians, which aired on TNT from 2014 to 2018, after I spotted the DVD sets at my local public library. Since I had been a librarian for more than 30 years, I thought I would give at least the first season a try. I was quickly hooked. Now I'm going back to watch the first three made-for-TV movies that served as the foundation for the series (because I realize that the backstory is still important to get a full picture of the entire franchise).

Flynn Carsen (Noah Wyle) is in his early 30s. He's a professional student and he holds 22 advanced degrees. He loves to learn. But now it's time for him to get a real job, out in the real world. He receives a special invitation to interview for a librarian position at the Metropolitan Public Library. And he lands it! This place is like no other, however. It's a secret library that holds all of the world's most important and most powerful historical artifacts. Even King Arthur's sword Excalibur is here, still stuck in the stone.

From the opening, you might think that this will be a drama. Until you see that the administrators of the special library are Judson (Bob Newhart) and Charlene (Jane Curtin). You know that comedy will always lie right below the surface as soon as Jane delivers one of Charlene's first responses, in deadpan fashion. "Don't try to be funny," she tells Flynn. "I don't do funny."

Soon enough, though, disaster strikes. Part of the Spear of Destiny is stolen from the library by the Serpent Brotherhood. The spear is said to have been the one that pierced the side of Jesus as he hung on the cross. It contains so much power that it was divided into three pieces by a librarian long ago for safekeeping. The other two pieces are stored somewhere in the Amazonian jungle and the Himalayan mountains. If the evil-doers have a chance to put the three pieces back together again, then they will be able to unleash pure evil across the planet. Can Flynn find the other pieces before they do? Can he return the full spear to the library?

Nicole Noone (Sonya Walger) quickly joins Flynn as his library partner and his guardian in this dangerous treasure hunt. Then the real adventure kicks in. Most of the story follows the duo as they are continually tasked with getting themselves out of seemingly impossible situations. Often, magic shows up.

Flynn is a really likable character. He's not the swashbuckling type. He's innocent, and this is his first adventure away from academia. It's good that Nicole is here to fight for him ... because, as with any plot in this genre, we don't always know which folks to trust. Sure, we have to suspend our disbelief at times. I mean, how can Nicole always be wearing perfect lipstick, makeup and earrings as she and Flynn traipse through the jungle, trudge through snow or continually fight off or kick-box their attackers?

Two more cast members make memorable contributions here. Kyle MacLachlan portrays the convincing leader of the band of bad guys. Back home, Olympia Dukakis is Flynn's mother, Margie Carsen. All she wants is for her son to find a wife and to settle down. Hope springs eternal.

This film and its sequels are aimed toward an audience that is somewhat knowledgeable in culture and history, and is curious and eager for adventure, too. For those of us who are "real" librarians, some of the casual lines about how important the library is ring true. Sometimes offhand comments can be borderline empowering to those of us who might need some encouragement. Yes! We could protect and save this stuff, too! Or, we'd like to think that we could, if we were called upon to do so.

The Librarian: Quest for the Spear is a very Indiana-Jonesy type of fantasy-adventure. We must believe that good will prevail over evil. Or at least, it will, this time. Flynn Carsen is featured throughout the franchise, as is Excalibur. Nicole Noone returns later, near the end of the first TV series; but by then, the role is played by Rachel Nichols.

This episode is followed by two more made-for-TV movies (Return to King Solomon's Mines and Curse of the Judas Chalice), the four-season series The Librarians, and an additional ongoing series, The Librarians: The Next Chapter. The bottom line is that if you fall in love with the premise, you'll have many more hours of enjoyment lying ahead for you.