TV Show review
July 23, 2024 · TV-PG · Canceled · Comedy · Action · Sci-Fi · Fantasy · Adventure
Based on 1 season, 10 episodes · through August 20, 2024
Time Bandits is a fantasy adventure show about an eleven-year-old boy named Kevin who loves history. He joins a bumbling group of time-traveling thieves as they jump through portals to steal treasures from different eras. The show features a very diverse cast and shifts the bumbling bandit leader into a female role. Viewers will notice distinct themes of anti-colonialism during the group's historical travels and a modern reinterpretation of classic historical events.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Time Bandits.
Woke representation / casting
The iconic group of little people thieves from the 1981 film is completely replaced by a diverse group of average-height actors. The main bandit leader is gender-swapped to a female character played by Lisa Kudrow, and the young lead boy Kevin is played by a Black actor. The cast also features non-binary actor Charlyne Yi and Black actor Roger Jean Nsengiyumva. This massive casting shift was widely criticized as a corporate-driven attempt at modern diversity that ended up excluding dwarf actors from some of the most prominent roles historically available to them.
78%
Woke political dialogue
The script is mostly silly comedy, but it includes modern social-justice dialogue and an anti-colonial perspective. The characters frequently comment on historical eras with contemporary moral viewpoints, particularly regarding Western history, wealth inequality, and the behavior of ancient societies. The dialogue lacks heavy-handed activist speeches but relies on modern political subtext and jokes mocking traditional authority figures.
Production
35%
Identity-driven story themes
The series reframes historical adventures through a modern progressive lens. The narrative highlights non-Western figures like Mansa Musa and pirate queen Zheng Yi Sao with contemporary cultural pride, while casting traditional white, male historical figures in a more buffoonish or negative light. The dynamic of the bumbling thieves is structured around a female-led hierarchy.
40%
Western institutional / cultural critique
Mainstream critics highlighted the show's "slyly anti-colonialism" approach. Traditional Western history is repeatedly mocked, and the concept of Western civilization is presented as narrow and flawed. The Supreme Being, played by Taika Waititi, is depicted as an incompetent corporate manager who wants to wipe out and reset Earth because humanity is ruining it, satirizing Western structures.
55%
Woke character or canon changes
The show makes massive, ideologically driven changes to the source material. It completely removes the dwarf characters that were structural to the original 1981 Terry Gilliam movie, replacing them with a diverse, average-height group. It also gender-swaps the lead bandit from David Rappaport's character Randall to Lisa Kudrow's Penelope.
85%
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
The series faced intense backlash from right-leaning commentators, audience reviewers, and the dwarfism community. Critics accused the producers of being too afraid of causing offense, leading them to engage in performative diversity that stripped actors of short stature of rare leading roles. This "dwarf-less" casting became a major talking point for anti-woke critiques, and many celebrated the show's swift cancellation.
85%
Creator track record context
Co-creators Taika Waititi (58), Jemaine Clement (26), and Iain Morris (24) present a mixed but noticeably progressive creative team. Waititi's public decolonial advocacy heavily shapes the show's tone. The writing staff also features several progressive figures, including Tyrel Williams (60) and Sam Bain (58), who actively champion representation.
50%
