# Time Bandits (TV series)

Time Bandits is a fantasy adventure television series created by Jemaine Clement, Iain Morris, and Taika Waititi, based on characters from the 1981 film of the same name directed by Terry Gilliam. The series premiered on July 24, 2024, on Apple TV+. In September 2024, the series was canceled after one season.

## Premise

The series is described as a comedic journey through time and space with a ragtag group of thieves and their newest recruit: an eleven-year-old history nerd.

## Cast
### Main

* Lisa Kudrow as Penelope
* Kal-El Tuck as Kevin
* Tadhg Murphy as Alto
* Roger Jean Nsengiyumva as Widgit
* Rune Temte as Bittelig
* Charlyne Yi as Judy
* Rachel House as Fianna
* Kiera Thompson as Saffron

### Recurring

* Jonathan Brugh as Damon
* Jemaine Clement as Pure Evil
* Taika Waititi as Supreme Being
* James Dryden as Mr. Haddock
* Felicity Ward as Mrs. Haddock
* Shane Rangi as Demon
* Francesca Mills as Detective Katherine
* Imaan Hadchiti as Sergeant Lewis

### Guest

* Marley Mackrill as Mikey Haddock
* Ross Noble as Stonehenge builder
* Zoë Ventoura as Cassandra
* Nikita Chronis as Xanthus
* Génesis Mancheren Ab'äj as Lady Sak K'uk
* Con O'Neill as the Sheriff of Nottingham
* Matt King as De Plume
* Shaun Micallef as Town Mayor
* George Houvardas as Ajax the Lesser
* Mark Gatiss as John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich
* Hammed Animashaun as Mansa Musa
* Kountry Wayne as Bumpy Johnson

## Episodes

| No. | Title | Directed by | Teleplay by | Original release date |
| 1 | "Kevin Haddock" | Taika Waititi | Jemaine Clement & Iain Morris & Taika Waititi | July 24, 2024 (2024-07-24) |
| 2 | "Mayan" | Taika Waititi | Jemaine Clement & Iain Morris & Taika Waititi | July 24, 2024 (2024-07-24) |
| 3 | "Medieval" | Jackie van Beek | Jemaine Clement & Iain Morris | July 31, 2024 (2024-07-31) |
| 4 | "Prohibition" | Jeff Tomsic | Akilah Green | July 31, 2024 (2024-07-31) |
| 5 | "Georgian" | Jeff Tomsic | Melanie Bracewell | August 7, 2024 (2024-08-07) |
| 6 | "Mansa Musa" | Armagan Ballantyne | Tyrell Williams | August 7, 2024 (2024-08-07) |
| 7 | "Ice Age" | Jemaine Clement | Jemaine Clement | August 14, 2024 (2024-08-14) |
| 8 | "Home Again" | Yana Gorskaya | Jemaine Clement | August 14, 2024 (2024-08-14) |
| 9 | "Pell-Mell" | Iain Morris | Sam Bain | August 21, 2024 (2024-08-21) |
| 10 | "Fortress of Darkness" | Tim van Dammen | Iain Morris | August 21, 2024 (2024-08-21) |

## Production

In July 2018, it was announced that Apple Inc. had closed a deal to develop a television series version of the Terry Gilliam film, with Gilliam set to serve as executive producer. In March 2019, Taika Waititi joined the project, set to co-write and direct the pilot episode. Waititi stated the series would be 10 episodes, and revealed to be a co-writer alongside Iain Morris and Jemaine Clement. In September 2022, Lisa Kudrow was cast. On September 16, 2024, Apple TV+ canceled the series after one season.
Production took place in New Zealand and Toronto in late 2022 and early 2023. The series was shot in Wellington, appearing as 1920s New York when shooting began in October 2022.

## Release

Time Bandits premiered on July 24, 2024, on Apple TV+. The show was released two episodes a week through August 21, 2024.

## Reception

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an 76% approval rating with an average rating of 7.1/10, based on 51 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "This reimagining of Time Bandits swaps out the original film's eccentricity for a more family-friendly sensibility, delivering an energetic adventure that gets more absorbing as it goes along." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 66 out of 100 based on 28 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

## Controversy

In 2024, Charlyne Yi said that while filming the series, a male actor constantly assaulted them, injuring their back. Yi claimed the actor in question attempted to gaslight producers and HR about the incident to protect his image.