Director: Jemaine Clement
Terry Gilliam's 1981 cult classic gets a full television makeover in "Time Bandits," a 2024 series that sends an ordinary kid tumbling through history alongside a crew of quarrelsome dwarf thieves.
What is Time Bandits about?
Eleven-year-old Kevin has always felt out of step with his own family, more interested in maps and myths than in the routines of daily life. That restlessness turns literal when a group of small, bickering time travelers bursts through a portal hidden in his bedroom wall, dragging him along on a chaotic tour through different eras of history. Each stop drops Kevin and his reluctant companions into a fresh setting with its own dangers and absurdities, forcing the group to out-scheme kings, monsters, and each other while trying to stay one step ahead of forces that want their map of the universe's holes for themselves. Structured as an episodic adventure rather than a single continuous chase, the series lets Kevin's growing bond with the bandits carry the story from one time period to the next.
Cast & crew
Lisa Kudrow anchors the ensemble as one of the more grounded adult figures Kevin encounters, while newcomer Kal-El Tuck carries the show as Kevin, giving the character genuine curiosity rather than played-up bewilderment. Tadhg Murphy, Rune Temte, and Charlyne Yi make up the core band of time-traveling thieves, each given a distinct personality within the group's constant squabbling.
Context & significance
Created by Jemaine Clement and released in 2024, the series adapts Terry Gilliam's original film for an episodic television format, expanding the premise across multiple historical settings rather than compressing it into a single feature-length journey. Filmed as an international co-production between New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States, the show leans into the same mix of fantasy, comedy, and adventure that defined the source material while giving each era its own visual identity.
Where & how to watch
"Time Bandits" is available on K-Time with a Persian dub and Persian subtitles, so the show's mix of history and fantasy comes through clearly in Farsi. Streaming is unlocked with a free account login, on a platform designed with a Farsi interface for Persian-speaking audiences abroad.