The series that we don’t talk about enough in France
Pachinko : the little-known historical saga
The little-known gem of the Apple TV+ catalog. Pachinko evokes over three generations the destiny of a family of Korean origin throughout the 20th century, from the colonization of Korea by Japan to the crash of 1989, including the difficult integration of Koreans in the Japanese archipelago. All the romantic power of the saga – and the many tearful moments – comes from its skillful alternation between eras, with on one side Sunja, a poor Korean from the Busan region forced to emigrate to Osaka, and on the other her grandson Salomon, a financier returning from the United States to Tokyo. Season 2, which opens with the Second World War (and the specter of Hiroshima…), further increases the dramatic intensity. Watching Pachinkowe can better understand why relations between South Korea and Japan are still so tumultuous.
Available on Apple TV+.
Furia : the Norwegian thriller
From Occupied In 2015, which described a Norway invaded by its Russian neighbor, Oslo accustomed us to its art of political thrillers and its passion for conspiracies. Furiawhose first season aired in 2021, is an example of the genre. The plot begins in a peaceful Scandinavian fjord where a migrant reception center is located. The latter is the target of an attempted arson that leads to an investigation by Asgeir, a former elite cop fleeing the Russian underworld. At the same time, Ellen, a member of the intelligence services, has the difficult task of infiltrating a far-right cell to collect information on the eve of an attack on European soil.
Migration crisis, groups with increasingly extreme ideologies, deadly rivalries and government intrigues… In a society still haunted by the trauma of the Oslo and Utoya attacks – their author, Anders Breivik, left 77 dead and more than 300 injured -, the series examines the identity divisions of the Norwegian nation. Attention, fans of subtle fiction: the series does not really do lace. Anticipation thriller, Furia is primarily an action series, rather than a treatise on political analysis. But if the characters are sometimes a bit caricatured, the tight writing makes it a formidably effective story.
Available on MyCanal.
Industry : traders who succeed Succession
What if she was the heiress of Succession ? Far too little known in our regions, Industry tells the adventures of young wolves of London finance within the Pierpoint investment bank. If the first season indulges a little too much in the voyeurism of the money, sex and drugs trilogy, in a Euphoriathe scenario then gains narrative depth. Focused on “greenwashing” and the murky relationships between finance, politics and journalism, season 3 confirms that we have a great series here, with guest star Kit Harrington (Game of Thrones), who plays a “bullshiteur” heir at the head of a start-up specializing in green energy. If we don’t understand everything about the jargon of “IPOs”, “FICCs” and “yards”, the dialogues are whirling and the characters are increasingly deep, right up to the second knife Rishi, archetype of toxic masculinity who has the right to a memorable episode.
Available on Max.
Tell me lies : the tangy blueberry
The cocktail is well-known: a girl meets a boy, and it ends badly. Since 2022, the Hulu platform (Disney + in France) has been delivering to its viewers a blueberry about toxic relationships. All the spice of adolescent dramas is there. Lucy, a naive young woman who has just started university, crosses paths with Stephen, a dark and brooding student. She will fall madly in love with him. He will manipulate her and almost destroy her life. Guilty pleasure par excellence, Tell me lies leaves a bitter aftertaste in your mouth. Lucy and Stephen revisit the chaotic liaisons of past television series, with the critical eye of the time added. It’s not much finer or smarter than before, but it’s still very entertaining. The series boasts of being able to make you as mad about it as its protagonists are about each other. For season 1, the bet is not far from being successful. Season 2, currently airing in the United States – on demand in France – puts the stakes back into play.
Available on Disney+.
Slow Horses : the nags of espionage
What a pace for these so-called “slow horses”! Season 3 of Slow Horses ended late last year, and now the spy nags, closeted in the Sougle house (“Stable”) are already back. Gary Oldman is as odious as ever as Jackson Lamb, a bum genius of intelligence, Kristin Scott Thomas is royal as Lady Diana Taverner, iron lady of MI-5, and, cherry on the cake, the mad dog Jack Lowden ventures to France on the trail of his grandfather suffering from dementia (a formidable Jonathan Pryce). Dark humor, suspense and English accents that you could cut with a knife: the winning trifecta of these spies who serve Her Majesty.
Available on Apple TV+.
English Teacher : the educational sitcom
Is the sitcom back for good? This year, FX is back to school with English Teacher, a comedy series set in a high school in Austin, USA. Among the teachers, Evan Marquez, a gay English teacher, is confronted with the evolution of youth and his parents. Easily compared to the very funny Abbott Elementary – which traces the life of an elementary school in the black neighborhood of Philadelphia in the grip of budget cuts -, English Teacher quickly stands out for its much more grating and irreverent tone. The series with its absurd, very political humor – here, conservatives and wokes take their share – is in the satirical vein of its creator, Brian Jordan Alvarez. The actor, who also plays the title role, had so far distinguished himself for his fictions on the Internet and his humorous TikToks. He has kept a fast writing style, where each line of dialogue is a new opportunity for a joke.
Broadcast on FX and Hulu in the United States, coming to France
The ones we talk about too much
Emily in Paris : to the point of overdose
She is everywhere: in the corridors of the (Parisian) metro, she is spread out on advertising posters, she smiles on Netflix sponsored posts on social networks… Since 2020Emily in Paris has become one of the platform’s flagships. The series follows the adventures of Emily Cooper, an enthusiastic American influencer who came to France to practice her profession as an advertiser. In Paris, Emily rubs shoulders with the world of fashion, discovers Parisian customs, and, above all, succumbs to the (male) charms of the city of love.
Paris is sublime, the actors too and the plot fits on a postage stamp. So far, nothing too bad: Emily in Paris is a romantic comedy like so many were produced in the 90s, with the added lengths related to the format. Inoffensive, the series even had some virtues, such as boosting tourism in the places visited by the heroine. Brigitte Macron made an appearance in its last season, a testament to the soap opera’s international influence. It unfolds a fantasy Paris, where everything is as smooth as on glossy paper. It could be charming if it weren’t so long. Watching four seasons of the vaudeville lived by Emily Cooper leaves one wondering: how Darren Star, abrasive creator of Sex and the Citycould he have produced such an insignificant work? Miranda, Charlotte, Carrie, Samantha: even today, fans like to associate themselves with one of the four New York heroines of “SATC”. Proof that even through the lightness of his first-born, Darren Star had managed to say something about the time. Today, who is really able to name Emily Cooper’s friends? In ten years, will we even remember her first name?
Available on Netflix.
Zorro : when Jean Dujardin parodies himself
THE Zorro by Noé Debré and Benjamin Charbit is less an ironic homage to the masked vigilante, pioneer of American superheroes created in 1919 by Johnston McCulley, than the celebration of a very French heritage: Jean Dujardin. The actor may protest in interviews, but his Don Diego de La Vega is a parody of Hubert Bonisseur de la Bath d’OSS 117himself a parody of James Bond, which is a lot. The only difference: while he also gives some “my good man”, his hidalgo is as anachronistically progressive as Michael Hazanavicius’ secret agent is reactionary, preaching in 19th-century Haute California that one should not say “Indian”, but “native”. The idea of a Zorro on the verge of retirement was not bad, but we quickly go round in circles between a Don Diego as cowardly and overweight as his masked alter-ego is reckless and seductive. Give us back the Zorro by Antonio Banderas, also aging, but more first degree.
Available on Paramount+.
A perfect couple : the shipwreck of Nicola Kidman (and Isabelle Adjani)
A shipwreck off the coast of Massachusetts. With A perfect coupleits new mini-series, Netflix probably thought it had gathered all the necessary ingredients to make a prestigious fiction. First, the setting: the decor of the island of Nantucket, a holiday resort for the very rich Americans. Then, the subject: a murder, during a wedding, in the entourage of a perfect family. Finally, and above all, the casting: Nicole Kidman, now a regular in the roles of matriarch, Dakota Fanning as a charming pest, and even… Isabelle Adjani. The actress, who plays a family friend, got lost in the cast for a mysterious reason – which she herself does not seem to know. On paper, this closed-door police drama had everything to be a delight. It is a quagmire. The only positive point comes from the victim: the talented Meghann Fahy – luminous in season 2 of The White Lotus on HBO – has the good taste to disappear before tarnishing its image too much.
Available on Netflix.
The Rings of Power : very far from Game of Thrones
Some franchises refuse to die. After the Hobbit trilogy, JRR Tolkien’s work was once again adapted for the screen, this time as a series, in September 2022. The Rings of Power hear the events preceding The Lord of the Rings and the rise of its antagonist, Sauron. By drawing inspiration from a universe adored by legions of fans strongly marked by medieval aesthetics, Prime Video hoped to keep its Game of Thrones (HBO). The platform has also given itself the means: between the acquisition of adaptation rights and its production, the series is the most expensive series in history. But the result is not convincing. Less popular than House of The Dragonderived from Game of Thronesthe fiction is weighed down by its problems of rhythm and, above all, its unlikable heroes.
The strength of the HBO series was to manage to hold the viewer’s attention regardless of the character highlighted in an episode. Those of Rings of Power lack that magnetism. The revelation of Sauron’s identity – the plot twist that had been the focus of Season 1 – leaves the writers with a considerable challenge. How do you create mystery where there is none? In Season 2, the series moves toward a very detailed account of how the antagonist acquired and distributed the famous rings. Sauron must now form alliances and subdue his leaders. The political potential that was the salt of Game of Thrones is there. Little and poorly executed, it is handicapping for the moment The Rings of PowerWill the writers turn things around?
Available on Prime Video.
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