Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Mae Abdulbaki | TV | October 30, 2026
It’s been three years since Lupin Part 3 was released on Netflix, and yet it feels like it was yesterday. The sleek French series starring Omar Sy as Assane Diop, who is inspired by the fictional gentleman thief Arsène Lupin, is a rush of adrenaline. No matter where the story goes, I can never get enough of it. That hasn’t changed in Lupin Part 4, an eight-episode season with so many twists and turns that even I didn’t see the ending coming (maybe because I didn’t want to believe it). If James Bond were a master thief instead of a spy, Assane would easily slip into his shoes. (And perhaps we need more Assanes than Bonds, but I digress.)
Part 4 picks up three years after last season’s finale. Assane has helped Hubert Pellegrini (Hervé Pierre) escape… though it’s actually to Malaysia instead of Argentina, where he’s sent to prison. Assane serves his time and is set to be released early for good behavior, but a copycat thief (Laïka Blanc-Francard) threatens to dismantle the hard work he’d put in to get back to his son, Raoul (Théo Christine). Of course, Assane escapes prison to clear his name, especially once Detective Youssef Guédira (Soufiane Guerrab), who was rooting for him, becomes convinced that Assane isn’t so innocent after all.
What I respect about Lupin is its ability to shift gears. The show knows when one plot has overstayed its welcome—in this case, it’s the storyline with Pellegrini, who’s gone for most of this season. The introduction of Assane’s daughter keeps things interesting and her inclusion doesn’t feel like an afterthought. She’s fully integrated into the story, and it pushes us to examine Assane’s treatment of the child he never knew to the child who’s often come second behind his adventures with Benjamin (Antoine Gouy).
By the end of the season, we’re shocked by the cliffhanger but also not surprised by how things turned out considering the buildup of the season. Here, Raoul has more agency than ever before. He’s older now and more disillusioned by his father’s life choices. He wants to believe him, but it doesn’t help that he isn’t told the truth (and Assana has multiple chances to do so). Raoul’s elevated role enhances the emotional stakes of the season, while also giving Assane a new set of challenges. Thinking you’re protecting one kid while working with the other makes for some delicious drama.
But no matter what is happening—and there is a LOT happening at all times—Lupin keeps things moving, deliberate in its pacing and the unfolding of its plot. At the same time, it never loses its edge or its sense of humor. Sy is exceptionally funny when Assane has to be over-the-top, while Gouy underscore’s Benjamin’s reluctance to help and the exhilaration he feels doing it anyway. In Part 4, he’s caught between a rock and a hard place because he’s now dating Claire (Ludivine Sagnier), Assane’s ex, and he hasn’t told his friend about it. And even though this type of interpersonal drama can sound cliché, the series doesn’t blow it out of proportion. Characters have feelings about things and situations, but it isn’t melodramatic.
The mystery is tantalizing, with the show toying with our assumptions before going back and revealing (often gasp-worthy and exciting) new angles that change the trajectory of Assane’s journey. There are certain aspects it could have delved into further, and because Assane’s heists are almost too good to be true, any true stakes and risk to his and his loved ones’ safety are practically non-existent.
And despite these complaints, Lupin remains a wildly exhilarating and entertaining watch for the majority of the season. The season finale cliffhanger almost feels like it was staged by Assane himself, but as I waited for more, the episode ended with a gut-wrenching revelation. It leaves us wanting more, that’s for sure, even as I’d hoped the series would end on a high note (there’s no guarantee that Netflix will renew the series for another season). But if there’s more story to tell, I’m here for it, as Lupin remains one of the streamer’s most thrilling, sleek, and stylish shows to date.
Lupin Part 4 is now streaming on Netflix.
