More Treasures Rife For Stealing
Lupin is the latest French series to hit Netflix, fronted by the charismatic Omar Ty who plays Assane Diop. Desperate to avenge the death of his Father, Assane engages in a number of heists before setting things up for a cat and mouse game in the second part. If you’ve finished this one and are looking for more of the same, you may be a little stuck over what to watch next. Well, fret not! We’ve combed through the archives and saved you the hassle of having to try and find something similar with our top 10 picks. To keep things simple for skim-readers we’ve added what similarities these have. Of course for all the shows we’ve reviewed, we’ve also added a handy link so you can check out our full thoughts on that series and see if it’s something you want to invest your time with. So without further ado, we present 10 TV shows that should whet the appetite when you’ve finished streaming Lupin.
Great Pretender
Similarities: Heists & Great Reveals
Great Pretender is a really, really great anime. Across its 14 episodes, this confident animation combines elements of Carmen Sandiego and the affluent style of Picasso surrealism to create one gorgeously rendered heist series. Great Pretender is well written, beautifully paced and easily one of the most visually striking anime to be released in quite some time. The different arcs allow each of the characters a chance to hit the spotlight and the flashbacks are consistent and enhance the material on screen. While the second half does lose some of the momentum the first had, it’s easy to look past this with such a satisfying conclusion. This is easily one of the best anime of 2020. You can read our thoughts on Great Pretender in our full season review here!
Carmen Sandiego
Similarities: Heists & Cat & Mouse Chases
Entertaining, educational and exciting, Carmen Sandiego is a thrilling spy ride tailored much more toward kids than it is adults. Split across 4 seasons, this espionage tale takes props from the original game series of the same name but feels very similar in both tone and style to fellow kids’ crime series Kim Possible. Thankfully, Carmen’s blend of unique, artistic aesthetics with a host of educational content provide enough originality to avoid the show feeling too similar to Disney’s crime-fighting heroine. There’s a lot to like with this one though and if you’re in the mood for an educational slice of heist action, Sandiego may just be the ticket. You can read our thoughts on Carmen Sandiego in our full season review here!
La Casa De Papel (Money Heist)
Similarities: Heist & Evading The Police
Netflix’s Spanish heist thriller La Casa de Papel is an incredibly tense piece of entertainment. Every episode leads to the next, building up drama into an explosive finale during season 1. This opener manages to channel the same nervous tension the first season of Prison Break conjured and does so with a really simple hook. Gain entry to the Factory of Moneda and Timbre and steal a substantial sum of money. The main character to conduct this mission is codenamed Tokyo, a woman who’s mourning the death of her partner in crime. When The Professor approaches and recruits her, along with a number of other formidable and colourful foes, what follows is a cat and mouse game adopting all the hallmarks of the heist, espionage and thriller genres. While the fourth season does wobble a bit, the rest of the show is fantastic. You can read our thoughts on La Casa De Papel in our full season reviews here!
House MD
Similarities: Tone & Mystery
Imagine a Doctor so brilliant and antisocial that you’re just as likely to receive a sarcastic, scathing one-liner as you are a correct diagnosis (nope, not Lupus) Well, imagine no more. House is a wonderful medical show, one that mixes in some incredibly unusual cases with a well written team of experts doing their best to find a cure for their patient. The guesswork that goes into this combines with a trial and error format as the team scramble around for answers. This is ultimately what makes the show so endearing, helped tremendously by Dr Gregory House’s demons in the form of a Vicodin addiction. While the later seasons aren’t as strong, there’s enough here to like nonetheless.
White Collar
Similarities: Tone & Charismatic Characters
With echoes of Catch Me If You Can, White Collar is a series revolving around a white-collar criminal known as the “Dutchman” who agrees to help the FBI catch other like-minded criminals using his own expertise as a conman and master thief. The show does exhibit all the usual clichés you’d expect from this sort of genre, with Peter and Neal playing out the “good cop”/ “bad cop” personas. There’s a host of episodic cases thrown into this one though and the constantly evolving relationship at the center of this one makes for some really compelling TV. The show is well written too and given there’s 6 seasons to get through, there’s certainly a lot to whet the appetite.
The Mentalist
Similarities: Tone & Backstory
Patrick Jane works as an independent consultant for the CBI (California Bureau Of Investigation) with an impressive track record for solving serious crimes thanks to his observation skills. On top of that, he also makes frequent use of his mentalist abilities to lead witnesses and offenders into divulging facts known only to them. Split across 7 seasons, The Mentalist blends this hook across a number of different episodes, chock full of plot twists and interesting cases to boot. There’s also an intriguing long-form story about Patrick trying to find a madman called “Red John” who killed his wife and daughter. If you liked the tone of Lupin, you should be in your element with this one.
Marple
Similarities: Mystery & Compelling Whodunit
Miss Marple is a real classic. While it doesn’t quite match up with Poirot (also on this list) the show is undeniably compelling and well written. The series tackles a number of different Agatha Christie novels featuring Jane Marple as the central character. Jane is an elderly lady with absolutely no background in criminal investigations. However, she does have a knack for solving crimes – particularly murder. While Jane does sometimes feel a bit bland, a fascinating group of secondary characters help to paper over any cracks. On top of that, each season runs for around 3-4 episodes so there’s never a moment where you feel like the writing has stagnated.
Whitechapel
Similarities: Copycat & Mystery
In its simplest form, Whitechapel is an ITV drama that revolves around detectives in London’s Whitechapel district. Newly-appointed DI Joe Chandler is our main character here, joined by DS Ray Miles who soon come to realize they’re dealing with a copycat killer. Across four seasons, the plot replicates many different historical crimes, with the first season centering around Jack The Ripper. There’s a medley of different influences in this show, and like most ITV series it’s not afraid to bundle in a number of plot clichés and tropes. However, the show is undeniably appealing and the fourth season even ends things on a relatively satisfying note.
Poirot
Similarities: Mystery & Compelling Whodunit
Poirot is a wonderful show. This whodunit murder mystery centers on the prolific Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. While there have been many attempts to revitalize this character and bring it back to a modern audience (The ABC Murders for example), it’s ultimately the original that really hits all the right notes. The set-up is simple enough, with a basic episodic case woven around a different crime ranging from art thieves and dead parents to a holiday in Iraq gone wrong. Joining Poirot for the majority of these cases is trusty English sidekick, Captain Hastings. Scotland Yard’s Chief Inspector Japp also shows up too from time to time. The late 80’s were undeniably bursting with excellent murder mysteries and perhaps at the top of the pile lies this gem. Running for 13 seasons, Poirot is essential viewing for any mystery fans.
Sherlock
Similarities: Mystery, Plot Twists & Characters
Adapting a classic novel and making it contemporary and relevant whilst maintaining the essence of the original is no easy feat. It’s something we’ve seen many shows and films struggle to achieve. Steven Moffat’s modern adaptation of Sherlock is one that bucks the trend for the most part, nailing the feel and authenticity of the book and its characters. The natural chemistry between the two lead characters, John Watson and Sherlock Holmes, is ultimately what makes this show so appealing and together they elevate this show into one of the best in recent memory. The cases themselves are pretty good and while the later seasons do career off into the usual convoluted Moffat plots, the opening two seasons are absolutely fantastic and enough to recommend this one. You can read our thoughts on Sherlock in our full season reviews here! So there we have it, our 10 TV show alternatives to Netflix’s Lupin. What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!
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