Fans Revolt as ‘Lupin’ Conquers Netflix: Critics Call It Perfect, but Viewers Say the Magic Is Gone
Few shows have pulled off a comeback as smoothly as ‘Lupin‘ once did. The French heist series made Omar Sy a global streaming star and became one of Netflix’s biggest non-English hits. After a three-year wait, the gentleman thief is back, and the reaction has turned out to be far more complicated than anyone expected.
The new season arrived on October 23 with all eight episodes released at once, making it the longest run of the series so far. It picks up four years after the previous chapter, with Assane Diop still in prison and hoping to serve his sentence, then keep a promise to his son to visit family in Senegal. Then a copycat starts robbing museums in the name of Lupin, and Assane has to break out to clear his name.
The numbers show ‘Lupin’ has lost none of its pulling power. Just one day after the premiere, Part 4 became the most-watched series on Netflix worldwide, according to FlixPatrol. By October 25, it had 648 points on the global chart, ahead of ‘Nobody Wants This’ with 590 and ‘Below’ with 588.
It also dethroned ‘Below’, which had held the top spot since its debut on October 8. The show is currently No. 1 in countries including France, Germany, Italy, Brazil, Austria and Nigeria. That’s a strong sign that viewers around the world were eager to see Assane again.
The audience reaction is where things get messy. Critics have been overwhelmingly positive, and the new season holds a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes, following the same mark for Part 3. The Guardian gave it 4 out of 5 stars, praising Sy’s magnetic performance and calling the return well worth the three-year hiatus.
But viewers have been far less kind. The audience score for the new season sat as low as 13% at one point, although fewer than 50 ratings had been counted, so the figure could change. That is a dramatic contrast with earlier seasons, which all drew high audience ratings, and the show’s overall audience score of 79%.
The complaints from fans center on a shift in tone. Many viewers feel the show has leaned too heavily into spectacle at the expense of the clever, carefully planned heists that made it famous. Some say the plot has become unrealistic, and one viewer singled out a lift scene at the Eiffel Tower as an example of illogical assumptions replacing planning.
A recurring comparison is to superheroes. One audience complaint likened Assane to Spider-Man, which is a long way from the intelligent thief using elaborate disguises in the first season. Some critics also noticed the change, with The Guardian noting that Sy, who is now a co-showrunner, wants to lean harder into the show’s superhero-like qualities and that these bring a sprinkling of Marvel.
That creative shift may not be an accident. Sy has taken on a larger role behind the scenes as co-showrunner, and he has said the series had to change its formula in this season. He explained that something similar had already been done in the first season, so the team could not simply repeat it.
The star has also been honest about the show’s future. Sy said it is unclear whether a fifth season will happen, and that the team wants to see how the fandom and audience respond to the fourth season before deciding if there is more to say. That makes the current backlash more significant than it might otherwise be.
The returning ensemble includes Ludivine Sagnier as Claire, Antoine Gouy as Benjamin, Soufiane Guerrab as Youssef Guédira and Shirine Boutella as Sofia Belkacem. Théo Christine and Laïka Blanc-Francard are the new additions. The season was directed by Edouard Salier, Everardo Gout and Hugo Gélin.
It also arrives with a long history of success behind it. The first part reached 70 million households in its first 28 days, and Part 3 spent seven weeks in Netflix’s global Top 10. Those results set a very high bar for any follow-up.
After four years in prison, Lupin is days away from release… until a mysterious cyberattack threatens it all. LUPIN Part 4 is now on Netflix. https://t.co/0bFVVBsUpq
— Netflix (@netflix) October 23, 2026
For now, the verdict is divided rather than conclusive. Critics are charmed, the viewing numbers are huge, and the audience scores are bruised. Whether that gap closes may depend on how viewers feel once the initial binge settles.
The early ratings are also based on a small sample, and fans who rush to rate a show are often the most passionate ones. A second wave of reaction could shift the picture, especially if more casual viewers finish the season and feel differently. Until then, Assane’s biggest challenge may be winning back the people who loved him first.
Do you think Lupin has lost its magic in Part 4?
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