Time Bandits - Season 1

My hope after episode one that Time Bandits would improve proved to be in vain. It quickly fizzles out with one-dimensional characters and unconvincing storytelling When eleven year old Kevin Haddock (Kal-El Tuck, Andy and the Band) discovers a secret time portal in his bedroom, he gets the opportunity to study the history that he loves so much up close. He does not do so alone, but with help of a group of bandits, called the Time Bandits, who try to steal valuables throughout history by using a stolen time map they cannot properly read.

A promising setup, which already produced a successful movie in 1981. Unfortunately, the series falls short. And I do not say this because it compares poorly to the movie. Having never seen the movie, I cannot say anything meaningful to that regard. No, Time Bandits is just a poorly executed series with uninteresting characters.

The most disappointing thing is the bandits. In my review on the first episode, I already wrote that Lisa Kudrow (Friends) as leader Penelope was a miscast. I hoped she would get a smaller role and that we could see a bit more of the other bandits. It turns out that the other bandits are not much better, sometimes even worse. They are rather one-dimensional and lack depth in character and motivation. They are caricatures. While I can see that the different actors really try to make the best of it, it just does not come across the screen properly.

How two children have somehow become the best of the show is unclear to me, but here we are

Just like in the first episode, Tuck as Kevin is the best character and actor in the show, with the only real contender being his sister Saffron (Kiera Thompson, The Salisbury Poisonings). How two children have somehow become the best of the show is unclear to me, but here we are. They have sensible motivations, some character depth, and are portrayed well by their respective actors. Contrary to the bandits and other characters.

Yet, the show is not a total disaster. The jokes are funny plenty of times, for example. Some do fall flat, but I liked them enough. I particularly liked how the show plays with history and the way we look back on different time periods. The production value is also good enough. While this is not a huge budget production, the sets have clearly been selected with care and the different time periods are convincing. The story is also somewhat interesting. Throughout the season, Kevin gets a clear goal, and I was curious to see how it would be resolved. Yet, the story also has quite some holes and disjointed events. One of the bandits just disappears halfway through? And why do any of the characters do what they do? These types of questions make that I cannot give the series a higher grade.

The ending of the season wraps up most of the events, but leaves room for more. However, it has just been announced that there will be no season two. And honestly, that is probably for the better. There are better shows out there.