This has been wildly overhyped — it’s good but not great (not even very good). And even after choosing to suspend disbelief so you can accept the overall premise of the series, there are way too many implausibilities (such as insanely insufficient security in a crucial scene). The writers think they’re more clever than they are, and that self-congratulatory sheen permeates the series — and makes it far less satisfying to watch, because complexity has been sacrificed (or the writers just weren’t capable of it).

I’m not sorry to have watched it, but I wish my expectations had been appropriate. Lower yours and you’ll probably like it — I’d give it about 6.3 out of 10.

This is the comic book version of Lupin and I am there for it. Omar Sy has jeu d’esprit coming out of his pores. You either like Omar Sy or you don’t but he’s the kind of actor you want if you’re making a comic book Lupin. The Lupin fanbase are just as obsessed about canon and continuity as every MCU comic-head. A lot of them are not thrilled that this was updated from 19th century Paris society to modern day Paris and that Lupin was reimagined as a black character. 19th century Lupin spends years mastering disguise and deception to avoid being recognized while he’s pranking his society peers and settling scores through elaborate schemes. Comic book Lupin has tech and attitude, the mastery not so much. To me, he’s a classic flawed superhero. He’s sloppy and foolish and sentimental and he ghosts on the people who care about him. He escapes all consequences because the writers give him improbable lucky breaks he shouldn’t get, to save his butt for the next issue. Nobody in the Paris of this Lupin looks closely at a black man and he plays that to advantage. He’s right in front of the people constantly searching for him in broad daylight. His disguises aren’t really all that good. He’s just not a suspect because his superpower is his skin. You can be offended by the heavy-handed attempt to make you feel bad about racism, but he has a lot of fun with it and that’s pretty hilarious. If you were looking for classic Arsene Lupin or hoping for a sophisticated ‘Thomas Crowne Affair’ type heist-and-caper story, this show is going to disappoint you.