From left, Tadhg Murphy, Roger Jean Nsengiyumva, Lisa Kudrow, Kal-El Tuck, Kiera Thompson and Rune Temte in the series Time Bandits.Matt Grace/The Associated Press
There’s another month before school returns, and many parents with kids at home have probably ditched their shiny June goals of an educational and structured summer. Right now, many of us are just getting by. So when a family-friendly show comes along that’s fun, instructive and offers a dual tone for the adults, people need to know.
Apple TV+’s latest star-soaked series, Time Bandits, fits the bill. The 10-episode adventure hails from decorated filmmaker Taika Waititi (What We Do in the Shadows, Jojo Rabbit), fellow New Zealander Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Conchords), and British writer Iain Morris (The Inbetweeners). If the title sounds familiar, that’s because the series is a remake of the 1981 fantasy adventure film by Monty Python creators Terry Gilliam and Michael Palin, in which a boy accidentally joins a group of thieving time travellers.
The TV version is reminiscent of the film’s Python vibes but with the addition of Waititi and Clement’s signature whimsy. That makes the series child-friendly but still entertaining for parents.
The story begins with 11-year-old Kevin (Kal-El Tuck), a history buff and loner whose ideal birthday outings involve checking out historic sites like Woodhenge. His parents and younger sister don’t understand Kevin any better than his classmates, and his tech-obsessed folks want him to ditch the past and embrace the present – including cellphones.
But one day, when Kevin’s open armoire reveals a Viking running from Saxons on the beach, he willingly steps into that world, and everything changes. So begins an epic time-travelling tale in which Kevin meets the new wave of bandits, led by their unofficial and often bumbling leader Penelope (Lisa Kudrow). They’ve stolen a map from the Supreme Being (Waititi) that allows them to cross four different dimensions and steal precious artifacts. Or at least it would if Widgit (Roger Jean Nsengiyumva) could learn how to read it.
Other group members include Bittelig (Rune Temte), who comes equipped with the strength of seven men, thespian Alto (Tadhg Murphy), and empath Judy (Charlyne Yi). Although the bandits return Kevin home after he tags along for an adventure on a 19th-century pirate ship, they discover Pure Evil (Clement) has turned the kid’s parents to coal. At that point, it’s up to the gang to figure out the map and go back in time to save the parents, all while Kevin’s younger sister, Saffron (Kiera Thompson), goes on her own quest to find her brother. (After setting the Roomba to clean up her demolished living room, of course.)
The storyline inspires all kinds of fun adventures, from episodes involving the Mayans and Neanderthals to installments about medieval villages and the Prohibition. Those travels are brilliant entry points for kids to learn history without ever feeling like they’re getting a lesson. Meanwhile, the revisionist comedy and silly character turns keep the story light, even when things take an ominous turn. Like when Pure Evil sends Fianna the Huntress (Rachel House) to wait as a rock with creepy red eyes at Kevin’s future house.
Whether you plan a weekly watch or wait and stream a bunch of episodes at once, the series offers other important conversation starters. For example, the idea that family members are so focused on tech and their phones is a great entry point to a larger chat about the importance of unplugging and paying attention to the world around us. There are also themes about chosen families, self-identity and leadership to explore as the episodes progress.
Be warned, the series comes with a PG rating, which is particularly important during some of the violent scenes. Most of that is implied or played for humour, like a giant rock crushing a Stonehenge worker, and the show steers away from gore and major character deaths.
However, the series also has a dark spot midway through when Judy leaves the group. The storyline came about after Yi’s real-life allegations of physical and mental abuse on the set. Yi says they were coerced into quitting production and suffered from a back injury and post-traumatic stress as a result of the show. (Unnamed production sources have since refuted those claims to some U.S. trade publications.) Kids won’t necessarily catch on though, and in the world of Time Bandits, time, unfortunately, carries on.
Onscreen, Time Bandits is a delightful surprise that may ignite new family interests heading into the back half of summer. Thanks to solid performances with impeccable comedic timing, incredible world-building, and a fun but quirky tone, this series combines fantasy elements from franchises like Harry Potter and Percy Jackson and the Olympians but remains true to itself through and through.
It’s the kind of show you’ll wish you could have had access to as a kid, but that you’ll still thoroughly enjoy viewing as a parent with grade-school-aged children. And who knows, maybe it will inspire all of you to get out and enjoy more of the world together after witnessing how interesting history can be.
Time Bandits is currently streaming on Apple TV+.