The story
Twenty-five years after his father, an immigrant from Senegal, was framed for stealing a diamond necklace and died in prison, Assane Diop sets out to clear his name. His playbook is a gift his father once gave him: a book of adventures starring Maurice Leblanc's gentleman thief, Arsène Lupin. Using charm, disguise and sleight of hand, Assane goes after the powerful Pellegrini family in Paris, while trying to stay close to his estranged wife and son.
Why it matters
Lupin proved a French-language drama could become a worldwide Netflix hit: 76 million households watched in its first month, making it the most-watched non-English series on the service at the time, and it was the first French series to crack Netflix's US top ten. It also sent readers back to Leblanc's original stories.
Notable facts
- It was the first French series to reach Netflix's US top ten, peaking at number three on 10 January 2021. (source)
- Leblanc's Arsène Lupin, Gentleman Burglar topped the French children's book charts after the series was released. (source)
- Omar Sy was first expected to play Lupin himself, until showrunner George Kay proposed the new character Assane Diop. (source)
- It won the Critics' Choice Award for Best Foreign Language Series. (source)