The essential episodes of The Librarians

Watch these 15 in order and you've got The Librarians — each pick states its reason.

1. 01

   S01E01 · Pilot · December 7, 2014 · 1h

   The Librarians and the Crown of King Arthur6.3

   Someone is killing off potential Librarians and it's up to Flynn Carsen and his new Guardian, Colonel Eve Baird, to save the three that are left.

2. 02

   S01E04 · Season 1 peak · December 21, 2014 · 1h

   The Librarians and Santa's Midnight Run6.8

   When the Serpent Brotherhood wants to kill Santa, the Librarians must rescue him and help him accomplish the true, secret purpose of Christmas.

3. 03

   S01E07 · Top rated · January 11, 2015 · 1h

   The Librarians and the Rule of Three6.6

   When a group of competitive high-school students start undercutting each other with witchcraft, the Librarians have to intercede before disaster destroys them all.

4. 04

   S01E09 · Top rated · January 18, 2015 · 1h

   The Librarians and the City of Light6.6

   Missing-person investigation uncovers what appears to be an alien invasion in a small rural town.

5. 05

   S01E10 · Top rated · January 18, 2015 · 1h

   The Librarians and the Loom of Fate6.6

   When Dulaque changes the course of Fate, Baird starts moving through alternate timelines, each showing the changing destinies of the Librarians - and her own inevitable doom.

6. 06

   S02E02 · Top rated · November 1, 2015 · 1h

   And the Broken Staff6.6

   Prospero summons up other Fictionals in order to retrieve the parts of his Staff from a museum. The Librarians soon find themselves pitted against Frankenstein's monster and Sherlock Holmes' brilliant nemesis Moriarty. Meanwhile Flynn and Baird have a disagreement over how to proceed against Prospero.

7. 07

   S02E03 · Top rated · November 8, 2015 · 1h

   And What Lies Beneath the Stones6.7

   Stone, Cassandra and Ezekiel have a proper team-up for the first time in months when they investigate a cave-in at an oilrig site, which has unleashed Hokolonote, a shape-shifting god who grows in strength any time a lie is told. Now the Librarians have to come clean to each other, airing their issues and solving the riddle of the ancient prison that held Hokolonote.

8. 08

   S02E04 · Top rated · November 15, 2015 · 1h

   And the Cost of Education6.7

   Students start disappearing at Wexler College, an institution started by a mad historian/architect who believed in alternate dimensions. When the Librarians arrive, they discover a young student from the physics department is investigating the bizarre occurrences on her own. Meanwhile, Cassandra gets an offer that's difficult to turn down.

9. 09

   S02E07 · Top rated · December 6, 2015 · 1h

   And the Image of Image6.7

   When people begin suffering the effects of accidents and sins in which they have not actually been involved, the team tracks the connection to the perpetually young Dorian Gray, whose magic now works on selfies.

10. 10

    S02E08 · Top rated · December 13, 2015 · 1h

    And the Point of Salvation7.0

    The Clipping Book sends the team to a high-tech research facility, where the researchers have been turned into mindless monsters by some bizarre power source in the center's lab. When they disconnect the artifact, however, they find themselves stuck in a time loop.

11. 11

    S02E09 · Top rated · December 20, 2015 · 1h

    And the Happily Ever Afters7.0

    The team has scattered, all living the ideal versions of their lives. Soon these "strangers" are drawn together to solve a supernatural mystery – the appearance of Ariel, the sprite bound to Prospero's service. Can the Librarians do what no other human has ever been able – turn their backs on their own ultimate happy endings?

12. 12

    S02E10 · Season 2 peak · December 27, 2015 · 1h

    And the Final Curtain7.3

    The Librarians discover that Prospero's renewed magic is wreaking havoc with the technology of the world. He is recreating an idyllic forest utopia, whether we want one or not. In order to stop him, Flynn and Baird must travel back to 1611, while the rest of the team battles Prospero in the present. Little do they realize that they can only defeat Prospero in each time by finding a way to work together – separated by five centuries.

13. 13

    S03E09 · Season 3 peak · January 15, 2017 · 1h

    And the Fatal Separation6.9

    When the Monkey King's sacred homeland of Shangri-La is taken over by a ruthless collector of magical artifacts, the balance of the Universe is put in jeopardy, forcing all the Librarians to come together to help save the imperiled land at what could be a terrible cost.

14. 14

    S03E10 · Top rated · January 22, 2017 · 1h

    And the Wrath of Chaos6.8

    The Librarians' two-front battle comes to a head when the Library is simultaneously infiltrated by DOSA and Apep. Flynn, Baird, Stone, Cassandra, Ezekiel and Jenkins must all put aside their differences in an attempt to save the Library, the world and themselves.

15. 15

    S04E12 · Series finale · February 7, 2018 · 1h

    And the Echoes of Memory7.0

    After the world is morphed into a horrible and unrecognizable place – one where the Library never existed – it's up to Baird to bring the Librarians together before this bleak, knowledge-less world becomes the new reality.