10 TV Shows To Watch If You Like Lupin

Starring French cinema superstar Omar Sy as Assane Diop, a skilled career burglar who looks to the gentleman thief stylings of Maurice Leblanc's Arsène Lupin as a source of inspiration, "Lupin" is one of the most astronomically successful non-English-language series yet released by Netflix. Created by George Kay and François Uzan and first released on the streamer in 2021, this exquisitely assembled crime thriller reached a huge global crowd with its mastery of twists, turns, punctilious character work, and refined heist sequences. And it's still going strong on its recently released Part 4.

If you're already burned through the new batch of "Lupin" episodes, as one tends to be compelled to do upon watching just one or two installments of this highly binge-worthy show, fret not. While there's no official word yet on whether there will be a "Lupin" Season 5 and how soon we can expect it, there are numerous other great shows in a similar ballpark that you can watch to sate your craving for more of Assane's Parisian adventures. Below, you'll find a list of 10 other impeccable heist-centric shows that might be of interest if you love "Lupin."

When it comes to foreign-language, heist-themed hit Netflix shows, no recommendation for "Lupin" fans is more of a no-brainer than "Money Heist." Originally aired on Spanish local network Antena 3 before moving to Netflix for its latter two seasons (with the streamer also handling the first season's international distribution in a re-cut version), this Álex Pina-created series charts the intricate, multi-layered mayhem that unfolds when a mysterious man known only as the Professor (Álvaro Morte) recruits eight anonymous strangers — each referred to only by a city name chosen as an alias — to carry out a wildly ambitious heist idea: getting into the Royal Mint of Spain, and leaving with a freshly printed €984 million.

The addictive, time-hopping narrative makes "Money Heist" a gripping watch, but anyone who enjoys "Lupin" is likely to be particularly taken with the Spanish series' use of heist mechanics to patiently reveal layers of character, backstory, motivation, and conflict among its sprawling ensemble. The emphasis on interpersonal drama proves particularly rewarding here because, unlike "Lupin," "Money Heist" doesn't have a single, clearly defined protagonist; every member of the Professor's crew plays their own crucial part in both the initial heist and its numerous repercussions. That abundance of character texture is one of the reasons why a multi-season "Money Heist" spin-off eventually happened — the other reason being, of course, that "Money Heist" was a massive global hit, at one point second only to "Squid Game" in Netflix viewership metrics for non-English shows.

Maurice Leblanc's Arsène Lupin is not the only widely known thief character in classic European literature. Another iconic literary figure within the compendium of genre references that "Lupin" is working off of is Jack Dawkins, aka the Artful Dodger. Introduced by Charles Dickens as a complex, charismatic deuteragonist in the 1838 novel "Oliver Twist," the Dodger captivated the English cultural imagination and became a key focus of several screen adaptations of the book. And, in 2023, he got a TV show all to himself.

Created by James McNamara, David Maher, and David Taylor, "The Artful Dodger" has released two seasons so far on Disney+, with a third and final one already confirmed. It follows Jack (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) several years after the events of "Oliver Twist," when his booming career as a doctor in Australia gets jeopardized by the reemergence of Norbert Fagin (David Thewlis), his boss from his London pickpocketing days.

Much like "Lupin," "The Artful Dodger" follows a charming, deeply sympathetic thief whose years fending for himself as a teenager in the big city streets taught him slyness and endurance as well as compassion. Although Jack is much more reluctant to embrace his vocation than Assane, "The Artful Dodger" offers a plethora of enthralling heist sequences made up of cunning, camouflage, and close calls, with the added benefit of the 1850s setting facilitating all manner of analogue thievery skills.

Arguably the most popular American heist-centric show of the 21st century and one of the quintessential TNT original series, "Leverage," created by John Rogers and Chris Downey, essentially functions as a Robin Hood story for the information age. Timothy Hutton stars as Nate Ford, a brilliant former insurance investigator who has fallen into despair and alcoholism since his firm's shady health insurance policy resulted in the death of his 8-year-old son. After being recruited to assist a team of thieves in stealing airplane designs, Nate gets a chance to give his life new meaning by leading the thieves as a permanent operation, planning and executing heists on behalf of clients who need a last resort to fight against corporate abuses.

Although "Leverage" is generally a breezier, lighter, and more willfully escapist show than "Lupin," often featuring the kind of ornate dramatic excess and unabashedly crowd-pleasing excitement that people come to TNT for, it's still a very dense and emotionally compelling series. Like "Lupin," it makes its home in a nuanced, system-skeptical moral framework led by a deeply principled yet deeply conflicted protagonist, whose efficiency in securing every score is second only to the profoundly human motivations driving him. And, when push comes to shove, the weekly heists on "Leverage" are simply a delight to watch; the presence of multiple specialized participants makes the dynamics quite different from Assane Diop's frequent one-man army on "Lupin," but the level of excitement prompted by their maneuvers is very similar.

Created by Shaye Ogbonna and based on the 2020 true crime podcast "Fight Night" by Jeff Keating and Jim Roberts, the 2024 Peacock miniseries "Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist" fictionalizes the events of one fateful 1970 night that changed Atlanta history. An incredible ensemble cast gathers to tell the story of Gordon "Chicken Man" Williams (Kevin Hart), a social-climbing hustler who throws a lavish party on the night of Muhammad Ali's (Dexter Darden) long-awaited comeback fight following his refusal to take part in the Vietnam War. During the party, a heist is carried out, leaving Chicken Man in the discomfiting position of having to prove he had nothing to do with planning it — something Detective J.D. Hudson (Don Cheadle) finds hard to believe given Williams' past illicit endeavors.

Featuring stylish direction, snappy yet hefty and deeply considered writing, and wall-to-wall excellent acting (including a performance by Hart that will have you re-evaluating your opinion on his dramatic chops), "Fight Night" is a rollicking dive into the glamorous underbelly of '70s America, and makes for worthwhile viewing both as pure entertainment and as a fascinating primer on a pivotal, overlooked passage of modern Black history. While the miniseries' perspective on the central heist differs from the first-person rundown of planning and execution of other shows on this list, "Lupin" fans will find that it strikes a comparably artful balance between sleek, fast-cutting swagger and genuinely searing character drama, attuned to dimensions of emotional anguish that reveal themselves only in the quieter moments.

Entirely written and directed by Venezuelan filmmaker Sebastian Gutiérrez, the short-lived but hugely entertaining Cinemax series "Jett" stars Carla Gugino as Daisy "Jett" Kowalski, a high-skilled former thief hoping to get a fresh start with her little daughter Alice (Violet McGraw) following her release from prison. Unfortunately for Jett, she is just too irreplaceably good at concocting plans to steal high-end items from seemingly impenetrable fortresses — and so, just as she's settling into her new, calmer life, crime lord Charlie Baudelaire (Giancarlo Esposito) gets her to take part in what he claims will be one last job. Naturally, things don't turn out to be that simple, and it doesn't take long for Jett to be thinking her way out of tight spots again.

Like Omar Sy, Carla Gugino is an actor who can make any scene spark and crackle just by being at its center, and "Jett" functions largely as a showcase for her ice-cool, ever-underrated charm. Having Giancarlo Esposito as her primary screen partner doesn't hurt, of course; in fact, "Jett" is teeming with actors who provide first-rate support to Gugino by bringing in their own flavors of outsized charisma. In the true Cinemax tradition, "Jett" also features its share of skin, soapy intrigue, and groovy lighting; it's a more ostentatiously campy and tongue-in-cheek show than "Lupin," right down to musical cues that could have come from a '70s spy pastiche. But as far as dynamic drama-thrillers about screen-commanding masters of thievery go, the two shows are very much of a piece.

Another Giancarlo Esposito-starring single-season heist show that should be on the radar of "Lupin" fans is "Kaleidoscope." Created by Eric Garcia and released in 2023, this innovative Netflix miniseries utilizes the interactivity of streaming to put forth an ingenious storytelling premise. The eight different color-coded episodes, each one taking place at a different point in the 24 years leading up to a risky $7 billion heist and its aftermath, are structured in such a way that viewers can watch them in any order, as long as they leave the finale, "White," for last. Thus, there are literally hundreds of possible ways one can experience the story of career criminal Leo Pap, aka Ray Vernon (Esposito), and the team he assembles to get into the vault of a powerful security firm, which is in turn headed by his former partner, Roger Salas (Rufus Sewell).

Tonally and emotionally, "Kaleidoscope" is one of the closest shows to "Lupin" on this list, similarly hopping — albeit in its own unique way — between the tension-filled proceedings of the present and the fraught character backstory that informs it. Leo emerges as a vivid, multidimensional tortured protagonist on par with Assane, allowing Esposito to give us yet another reminder of his brilliance and unparalleled magnetism. And, when we finally get to the heist, the wait turns out to be very much worth it, with all the pieces of drama, characterization, and tragic irony of the season falling into place across 47 pulse-pounding minutes.

Another high-profile French heist series that shares the propulsive rhythm of "Lupin" is "Cat's Eyes." Aired on TF1 in its native country and internationally distributed by Prime Video for Season 1 and Hulu for Season 2, this Michel Catz-created adaptation of the "Cat's Eye" manga series by Tsukasa Hojo follows sisters Tamara (Camille Lou), Sylia (Constance Labbé), and Alexia Chamade (Claire Romain), who run a café together while moonlighting as a team of highly efficient art thieves. Their mission is to retrieve the works that once belonged to their late father, Michaël Heinz, an art collector who seemingly died in a gallery fire — the circumstances of which remain a puzzle for the three sisters to solve.

Naturally, just that connection between skilled burglary and familial vindication puts "Cat's Eyes" in very similar territory to "Lupin," and that's before you even get into the show's equally snazzy exploration of Paris as the perfect setting for action, mystery, nighttime wanderings, and burnished visual grandeur. As a de facto live-action counterpart to the anime adaptations that Tsukasa Hojo's "Cat's Eye" received in the '80s and 2020s, the series is of particular interest if you're a fan of the fun-first organization, continually escalating plots, and proudly loopy narrative logic of shonen anime; in that sense, it's not as straight-faced or emotionally heady as "Lupin." But it's highly recommended all the same if you're on the lookout for something that scratches the same "master thieves doing their thing in the Paris night" itch.

Starring Sophie Turner in one of her most high-profile post-"Game of Thrones" leading roles, Prime Video's "Steal" depicts the frenzy that unfolds following an elaborate armed robbery at a pension management fund headquartered in the heart of London's financial district. On the relentlessly intense first episode, we watch, primarily from the perspective of processor Zara Dunne (Turner), as the office employees struggle to deal with the robbers, but find no way of stopping them from taking most of the company's capital. Then, in the aftermath, as Detective Chief Inspector Demetrius "Rhys" Covaci (Jacob Fortune-Lloyd) takes charge of the case, we learn that Zara and her colleague, Luke Selborn (Archie Madekwe), may not be as innocent as they initially appeared, kicking off a tense cat-and-mouse game with billions of pounds on the table.

As elegantly balanced between thoughtful thematic sobriety and high entertainment value as the best of British TV drama is wont to be, the Sotiris Nikias-created show expertly layers on the intrigue and the dizzying duplicity across its inaugural season's six episodes. It chases down every strand of a criminal case that blows open the dysfunctions and class tensions of contemporary British life, in much the same way "Lupin" explores the contradictions of modern France. And Turner, for her part, acquits herself fantastically well in a role that requires her to play into harried overwhelmed-everywoman naturalism while simultaneously showcasing a believable, impressive reserve of mystery and grit. It's a must-watch if you're looking for a heist thriller that packs a similar punch to "Lupin."

Live-action is not the only medium that can host excellent episodic storytelling about charismatic rogues and nerve-racking heists, as evidenced by Netflix's 2019 take on "Carmen Sandiego." The Duane Capizzi-developed animated series, which aired four seasons between 2019 and 2021, marks the latest TV iteration of the storied media franchise that began with the 1985 video game "Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?" On this show, we dive into Carmen's (Gina Rodriguez) backstory, which reveals how she was found in Buenos Aires as an orphan and raised within the ranks of the powerful criminal organization V.I.L.E., only to rebel as an adult and deploy the very burglary skills she acquired to mount a one-woman stand against their nefarious endeavors.

As a family-friendly edutainment series, "Carmen Sandiego" obviously can't get quite as dark as a fully adult-oriented show like "Lupin." But this is a franchise that has always punched above its weight. The underrated '90s cartoon is still worth watching today, and the Netflix reboot is no exception, boasting writing, plotting, and simple but stylish and eye-popping Flash animation that makes it a fabulous watch for grown-up heist thriller fans. Plus, where most of Carmen Sandiego's media appearances have historically played up her incomparable, larger-than-life suaveness and flair, this adaptation allows us to actually see the process by which she came into her iconic persona, giving an emphasis to the heavier details of her life story that closely mirrors the way "Lupin" draws parallels between Assane the gentleman thief and Assane the teenager fending for himself.

The FX series "Thief" is known among awards geeks as the program that landed Andre Braugher the Emmy for outstanding lead actor in a miniseries or movie. Yet, despite this significant piece of trivia from the career of one of the all-time great TV actors, "Thief" remains, well, criminally unknown among the general public. Braugher plays Nick Atwater, a heist mastermind who leads a crew of skilled but hotheaded thieves. Following a nearly botched robbery and the sudden death of his wife in a car accident, Nick finds his professional and personal lives crashing into each other in increasingly perilous ways, and must keep things from slipping out of control during the short-notice planning of an ambitious heist on an airplane containing a $30 million U.S. Treasury shipment.

Although "Thief" netted low ratings and only lasted a single season, the show boasts an unusually taut, to-the-point, and dramatically tight-wound body of work by the standards of 2000s American genre TV. In fact, you could call it a precursor to "Lupin," the success of which demonstrated that, for one reason or another, mainstream audiences were seemingly much more receptive to a character-driven, morally complex heist-based crime thriller by 2021 than they were when the Norman Morrill-created "Thief" had a go at it 15 years earlier. Featuring rich writing, well-earned tension, and a stellar family dynamic between Braugher and Mae Whitman, this is a show any "Lupin" fan owes it to themselves to give a shot.