Taika Waititi’sTime Banditsseries has been canceled by Apple TV+. Loosely based on the 1981 Terry Gilliam movie of the same name, the series follows 11-year-old Kevin (Kal-El Tuck), an enthusiastic student of history whose encyclopedic knowledge proves useful as he travels through time with an eccentric group of self-proclaimed bandits led by a woman named Penelope (Lisa Kudrow).Time Bandits' castalso included Waititi in the role of the Supreme Being.
Deadlineconfirmed thatApple TV+ made the decision to cancelTime Banditsdespite its 78% critical score on Rotten Tomatoes. The series did not perform well enough on the streaming platform, including never making it into the Nielsen Top 10 streaming rankings. It did perform better in the U.K., which is also the modern-day setting where Kevin’s story begins in the 2024 series. The cancelation comes at a time when studios are increasingly stingy about moving forward with streaming content.
What Time Bandits' Cancelation Means For The Story
There Are Many Unresolved Storylines
Time Banditsseason 1 endedon a major cliffhanger as the map that Kevin, his sister, Saffron (Kiera Thompson), and the bandits used to travel through time went missing. Due to the cancelation,the mystery of what happened to the map is left unresolved,as it is confirmed that Kevin and his group do not have it, nor does Pure Evil (Jemaine Clement). It is possible that the Supreme Being somehow reacquired the map despite Kevin’s trickery, with the map allowing the Supreme Being to potentially proceed with his plan to wipe out humanity and create a new Earth.
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Regardless of what happened to the map, Kevin, Saffron, and the bandits are unable to travel through time without it and are trapped after escaping the Fortress of Darkness.Another unresolved storyline is the fate of Judy (Charlyne Yi), as she was taken captive by the Supreme Being, and remained his prisoner at the end of season 1. If the Supreme Being does have the map, Judy could be the key to getting it back, although what happens with the map, Judy, and all the characters will now remain a mystery.
Our Take On Time Bandits' Cancelation
Time Bandits Should Have Gotten A Season 2
While it had its flaws,Time Banditswas a campy and delightfully weird show filled with Waititi’s usual brand of humor, along with being a heartfelt story about found family. I am disappointed that the story will not continue and that so many questions and character fates are left unresolved.Time Banditsfeatured real historical figuresthroughout its fantastical story and even critiqued the limited and sometimes inaccurate ways history can be remembered. Despite its strengths,Time Banditshas become yet another series that has been prematurely canceled.
Time Bandits
Cast
Eleven-year-old Kevin joins a group of time-traveling thieves on a comedic and perilous adventure. As they navigate through various historical periods, they embark on a mission to save Kevin’s parents and ultimately the world, blending humor with high-stakes drama in this adaptation of Terry Gilliam’s cult classic.
