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Parents' Guide to

Lupin

By Marty Brown, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Crowdpleasing French action series has violence, mystery.

TV Netflix Action 2021
Lupin Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

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age 13+

Based on 6 parent reviews

storekey
storekey Adult
March 5, 2022
age 16+

A bit violence and nudes

violent scenes and sporadic nude images in calendars and pictures do not make it the most suitable series
I am a superhero fan
I am a superhero fan Adult
February 1, 2021
age 10+

Kid friendly, just watch out for the language!

This TV show is one of the best I’ve seen so far, ranking at no. 4 in my top ten shows of all time. The show has the potential to be TV-PG(or possibly 9+ here on common sense media) if not for the language. Of everything in the show, the only thing you need to worry about is the language. If you think it’s because of cobra Kai-level language, it’s not. That’s because it’s not as often but the words they use are really bad. Like, they used the F-word 3 times in one scene and 2 times in the rest of the episode, and that’s it. As for role models, Asanne Diop is very clever and I think some kids(and adults) would be amazed by his cleverness. I think the type of kids that would love this are fans of Carmen Sandiego and fans of superhero movies. After all, the show is something worth watching.
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What's the Story?

Lupin tells the story of a man inspired by a classic French character named Arsène Lupin, the Gentleman Thief. Lupin was created in the early 1900s by author Maurice Leblanc. When a collection of Leblanc's Lupin stories finds its way into the hands of young Senegalese immigrant Assane Diop, it inspires him to become both a thief and a gentleman. As an adult, Diop puts his skills to use in a series of heists that at first seem like high-stakes burglaries, but ultimately reveal a more noble motive in Diop's heart.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (6 ):
Kids say (9 ):

Plenty of crime series feature a Case-of-the-Week: Lupin does something unique in that it offers a Heist-of-the-Week, and each heist serves to fill in a part of Diop's story. Soon enough, the show is ricocheting between the heists, the police frantically trying to catch up with Diop, and flashbacks to the modern gentleman thief's origin story.

Lupin certainly has its flaws. Plenty of heist story cliches get recycled throughout the series, for example, and the writing has a simplistic take on some characters' racist motivations. But ultimately the series pulls off the job with a mix of action and mystery, fast pacing and good will. It's a real crowd-pleaser.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Lupin. Who is the title character? How does he fit into the story? What does the series tell us about Lupin's background and place in French culture?

  • What motivates Assane Diop? How does this make him a likeable character? Do his motivations excuse his actions? Why or why not?

  • What is the central mystery of Lupin? What are the clues to what happened? What do you think happened? Why?

TV Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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