Skip To Content
BuzzFeed Homepage
Sign In
Search BuzzFeed

    7 Reasons Why "Lupin" On Netflix Should Be Your Next Binge-Watch

    Warning: You might just watch it all in one sitting.

    Jen Abidor
    by Jen Abidor

    BuzzFeed Staff

    If you were watching Netflix over the weekend, you probably saw that Lupin is currently the #3 show streaming in the US — and if you're like me, you hit play, watched the whole thing in rapid succession, and never looked back.

    Poster for Lupin
    Netflix

    The show sold me on this poster alone, tbh.

    Lupin is a French show starring Omar Sy as Assane Diop, a man whose life is turned upside down as a teenager when his father is wrongfully accused of stealing a necklace that once belonged to Marie Antoinette.

    Netflix @netflix

    Lupin is: ✔️ a gentleman burglar ✔️ a master of disguise ✔️ on a mission to avenge his father ✔️ now on Netflix.

    Reply Retweet Favorite

    The show was created by George Kay (who wrote on Killing Eve and Criminal: UK) and it's the first French show to make the Top 10 on Netflix in the US.

    Here are all the reasons to make it your next binge:

    1. It's a heist show with a personal twist.

    Assane at the Louvre
    Emmanuel Guimier / Netflix

    If you love La Casa de Papel, aka Money Heist, and Ocean's Eleven, you'll definitely enjoy Lupin. The show is part heist, part revenge story. It's set 25 years after Assane Diop's father, Babakar, a chauffeur for the wealthy Pelligrini family, was wrongly accused of stealing the necklace. In present day, Assane — inspired by the character Arsène Lupin (more on that in a second) — sets out to avenge his father in a series of events that starts with him planning to steal that same necklace from the Louvre.

    2. Omar Sy's portrayal of Assane Diop is mesmerizing.

    Omar Sy as Assane Diop
    Emmanuel Guimier / Netflix

    Assane is clever, charming, and brilliant, and Omar Sy (who has starred in movies like The Intouchables, X-Men: Days of Future Past, and Jurassic World) portrays all of that perfectly — his performance beautifully anchors the whole show.

    3. The supporting cast of characters and their relationships with Assane are compelling.

    Netflix, Emmanuel Guimier / Netflix

    Not only are Assane's schemes so fun to watch, but so are his relationships with his loved ones — including his high school sweetheart and current ex-wife Claire (Ludivine Sagnier), his and Claire's 14-year-old son, Raoul (Etan Simon), and his childhood friend Ben (Antoine Gouy).

    4. The show's premise is inspired by the classic French novels about Arsène Lupin by Maurice LeBlanc...

    A scene from the show where Babakar hands Assane the Lupin book
    Netflix

    Without spoiling anything, you'll be blown away with all of Assane's clever escapes and sleights of hand, which are inspired by the books about Arsène Lupin, the gentleman burglar. The character of Lupin is a master of disguise and his techniques highly influence Assane.

    5. ...which means Assane's brilliant and clever disguises and escapes are just so much fun.

    Netflix

    Every time I saw Assane in action on one of his plans, I gasped in delight at his mind. I won't say anything more!

    6. Come for the heist, stay for stunning Parisian backdrops.

    Netflix

    A heist? Thrilling. A heist at the Louvre that gets very up close and personal with the Louvre's glass pyramid? Iconic.

    7. Finally, the first part is only five episodes long — the perfect amount to binge-watch.

    Assane saying Arsène Lupin isn't just a book
    Netflix

    I will warn you that when you finish, you'll wish there were way more than just five episodes available. But it will give you something to genuinely look forward to. Fingers crossed that we get Part 2 in 2021, but no word just yet.

    Have you already watched Lupin? What did you think? Please talk to me about it in the comments!