Time Bandits, Season 1

What’s it about?

Kevin, an 11-year-old history buff, joins a bunch of time traveling thieves known as the Time Bandits as they travel through various periods to protect an important map from God (the Supreme Being) and the Devil (Pure Evil).

The facts

• Created by Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clement and Iain Morris
• Stars Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit, Boy, What We Do in the Shadows), Jemaine Clement (Eagle vs Shark, What We Do in the Shadows) and Lisa Kudrow (Friends)
• This series was filmed in and around Wellington
• English language
• Runtime: 10 episodes, about 30-40 minutes each.
• Time Bandits is a fantasy adventure series inspired by the classic 1981 Terry Gilliam film

Why did it get this rating?

This series was self-rated by Apple TV+. You can find out more about self-rating by streaming providers here.

Violence

When violence or harm is shown, it’s often for laughs.  Some episodes have brief scenes of violence involving cannon fire, arrows, sword fighting and pistols.  A man is shot in the chest in Episode 5.

A demon assassin who shoots beams of fire out of their glowing eyes. The fire turns two characters into lumps of coal. A character zaps someone into thin air when they laugh at something they’re not supposed to laugh at.

Scary scenes

A character lives in a gothic castle surrounded by fire and lava. The scenes in the castle are intended to be funny, however the setting and the demonic characters may scare young children.

A demon assassin pursues Kevin and the Time Bandits as they travel through history.

A character makes appearances as a three-faced giant glowing head.

Coarse language

The word “bullsh*t” is said once in Episode 9. Other coarse words like “ass”, “damn”, “hell” and “bloody” are used.

Content that may disturb

Characters are threatened with torture and being set on fire in Episode 3. A giant pterodactyl that follows Kevin and the Time Bandits through a time portal briefly terrorises a medieval town and snatches a man in its beak. A man accidentally slices off his thumb trying to do a trick with their hands. This results in a brief, comical spurt of blood.

Alcohol

In Episode 4, Kevin and the Time Bandits steal mead (alcohol made from honey) from monks in the Middle Ages and sell it to a New York gang during the 1920s prohibition era. They also spend time in a a bar that sells illegal alcohol.

Further information

Why are ratings and content warnings important for me and my whānau? - Blog