French TV series on Netflix?
August 31, 2021 4:16 AM Subscribe
I want to brush up on my French and would be grateful for recommendations.
Started Lupin, but found it a bit too action-heavy and self-consciously clever. (Reminded me too much of BBC Sherlock, which I also didn't like).
Was recommended Marseille, but don't like Gérard Depardieu.
Was recommended En thérapie, but find the subject matter a bit too heavy for my current mood.
(At this point it might sound like I'm looking for excuses to not work on my French, but I always take a while to get into new shows, and I really think a ringing endorsement from a Mefite would be just what I need to push through).
TV-Series I've enjoyed in the past: Mad Men, The Americans, Looking, Big Little Lies (First season), The Hour, Derry Girls, Babylon Berlin, Crash Landing On You, Hotel de Luna, Live Up to Your Name.
A safe bet for me are usually period pieces with complicated characters and romances with strong ensemble casts.
My French is servicable but rusty and mostly acquired through reading, so for a start, something less slang-heavy would be preferred (so maybe not French The Wire). I'll have to work my way up to that!
Started Lupin, but found it a bit too action-heavy and self-consciously clever. (Reminded me too much of BBC Sherlock, which I also didn't like).
Was recommended Marseille, but don't like Gérard Depardieu.
Was recommended En thérapie, but find the subject matter a bit too heavy for my current mood.
(At this point it might sound like I'm looking for excuses to not work on my French, but I always take a while to get into new shows, and I really think a ringing endorsement from a Mefite would be just what I need to push through).
TV-Series I've enjoyed in the past: Mad Men, The Americans, Looking, Big Little Lies (First season), The Hour, Derry Girls, Babylon Berlin, Crash Landing On You, Hotel de Luna, Live Up to Your Name.
A safe bet for me are usually period pieces with complicated characters and romances with strong ensemble casts.
My French is servicable but rusty and mostly acquired through reading, so for a start, something less slang-heavy would be preferred (so maybe not French The Wire). I'll have to work my way up to that!
Best answer: This might not be your thing, but what about turning on the French language feature if it's an option? I've watched a couple shows dubbed in English and at first it was weird but I got used to it after a while. I'm sure I miss some of the artistry in the acting with a dubbed voice, but if your goal is to practice a language and not immerse yourself in the artistry of French cinema, I'd give it a try. Or rewatch some of your favroites in French!
posted by archimago at 4:31 AM on August 31, 2021 [5 favorites]
posted by archimago at 4:31 AM on August 31, 2021 [5 favorites]
Best answer: It does use slang, but I quite liked Call My Agent (Dix Pour Cent) — about talent agents in Paris, with popular actor paying themselves as a guest star each week. Good ensemble cast, some slow burning romances.
posted by alligatorpear at 4:35 AM on August 31, 2021 [31 favorites]
posted by alligatorpear at 4:35 AM on August 31, 2021 [31 favorites]
Best answer: I enjoy Call My Agent in short bursts. I didn't binge the entire series, but it's a fun 30 minutes of (fairly understandable) French from time to time. There's a bit of fun added cultural education since every episode features a French actor and I'm not too strong on contemporary French culture.
There are a lot of other good French series that aren't on Netflix and I have ended up watching all of these on DVDs from the library. (I'm in Canada, so my Netflix is not your Netflix, etc.) For "period pieces with complicated characters and romances with strong ensemble casts" there's Un village français, about the residents of a town in occupied France. I loved The Americans and I also really enjoyed Le Bureau des légendes, which is a spy drama. I absolutely needed the subtitles, but more for the complicated storyline where every line matters.
posted by pierogi24 at 4:53 AM on August 31, 2021 [2 favorites]
There are a lot of other good French series that aren't on Netflix and I have ended up watching all of these on DVDs from the library. (I'm in Canada, so my Netflix is not your Netflix, etc.) For "period pieces with complicated characters and romances with strong ensemble casts" there's Un village français, about the residents of a town in occupied France. I loved The Americans and I also really enjoyed Le Bureau des légendes, which is a spy drama. I absolutely needed the subtitles, but more for the complicated storyline where every line matters.
posted by pierogi24 at 4:53 AM on August 31, 2021 [2 favorites]
Best answer: I just started Chef’s Table France, which is in French. Obviously includes a lot of chef speak, but is very tally on many subjects.
posted by ejs at 4:53 AM on August 31, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by ejs at 4:53 AM on August 31, 2021 [3 favorites]
Best answer: This might be too far out of your preferred genre range, but Miraculous Ladybug (a 3D animated superhero show) is adorable and can be a lot of fun to watch.
posted by space snail at 4:59 AM on August 31, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by space snail at 4:59 AM on August 31, 2021 [3 favorites]
Response by poster: Shouldn't have limited it to Netflix shows in my question - I'm grateful for other recommendations was well!
posted by sohalt at 5:04 AM on August 31, 2021
posted by sohalt at 5:04 AM on August 31, 2021
Best answer: Not sure if it's still on Netflix but original The Returned (Les Revenants) was great.
posted by justkevin at 5:09 AM on August 31, 2021 [8 favorites]
posted by justkevin at 5:09 AM on August 31, 2021 [8 favorites]
Best answer: Engrenages/Spiral is one of the best French TV series. It's a cop drama but it's not overly slangy. I watched it when working on my French years ago.
posted by mani at 5:13 AM on August 31, 2021 [11 favorites]
posted by mani at 5:13 AM on August 31, 2021 [11 favorites]
Best answer: Seconding Engrenages/Spiral as a brilliant watch.
posted by fabius at 5:28 AM on August 31, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by fabius at 5:28 AM on August 31, 2021 [3 favorites]
Best answer: The Last Wave, although it's sort of sci-fi in concept.
posted by Martha My Dear Prudence at 5:40 AM on August 31, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by Martha My Dear Prudence at 5:40 AM on August 31, 2021 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Thirding Engrenages/Spiral!
posted by penguin pie at 5:43 AM on August 31, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by penguin pie at 5:43 AM on August 31, 2021 [3 favorites]
Best answer: Seconding archimago's suggestion of turning on the French language. We are a multi-lingual family, so we created separate profiles in different languages. Create a new profile, go into the language for that profile and change it to French. All functionality will be in French, but it will also bring forth French language shows as well if it's an option in your area/region.
posted by wile e at 6:17 AM on August 31, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by wile e at 6:17 AM on August 31, 2021 [3 favorites]
Best answer: The Netflix series Criminal has an English, French and German series and strikes me as great for language learning. They're basically small cast single set mysteries - the set up is that you're sitting in on a single interrogation session, over the course of which the story unfolds in a single conversation. The stories and performances are really good, and the fact that you're basically just sitting in on a conversation means it's easy to follow, and you can really focus on the dialogue because there's not much to distract from it.
It sounds like it might not be the kind of thing you'd usually watch, but it does have strong ensemble cast going for it, and if you liked Big Little Lies you might enjoy the way new information and perspectives gradually leak out and little by little you end up with a completely different picture than the one you started with.
posted by BlueNorther at 6:20 AM on August 31, 2021 [6 favorites]
It sounds like it might not be the kind of thing you'd usually watch, but it does have strong ensemble cast going for it, and if you liked Big Little Lies you might enjoy the way new information and perspectives gradually leak out and little by little you end up with a completely different picture than the one you started with.
posted by BlueNorther at 6:20 AM on August 31, 2021 [6 favorites]
Best answer: I don't know French, so I can't help you on whether this uses slang, but I really liked The Churchmen. Netflix doesn't seem to have it anymore, but it looks like you can pay to stream it on Amazon. It follows five Capuchin seminarians.
posted by FencingGal at 6:23 AM on August 31, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by FencingGal at 6:23 AM on August 31, 2021 [3 favorites]
Best answer: Ooh, or maybe Resistance?
Definitely fairly heavy subject matter, but it's not terribly grim or graphic, and if you enjoy period piece, ensemble casts and complex characters it does have those.
posted by BlueNorther at 6:26 AM on August 31, 2021 [1 favorite]
Definitely fairly heavy subject matter, but it's not terribly grim or graphic, and if you enjoy period piece, ensemble casts and complex characters it does have those.
posted by BlueNorther at 6:26 AM on August 31, 2021 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Black Spot was interesting.
posted by pairofshades at 6:53 AM on August 31, 2021 [4 favorites]
posted by pairofshades at 6:53 AM on August 31, 2021 [4 favorites]
Best answer: Definitely "Call My Agent".
"Kaamelott" on youtube is comedy based on the Arthurian legends. Early seasons have very short (3-4 minutes). Probably not for everyone, but I find them hilarious. Later seasons are longer and lean more towards drama.
"Un Village Francais" was on Amazon Prime last I checked. The first episode starts with the German tanks rolling into town and the strafing of a class of a little kids. It was too much for my already-dark mood when I last tried it in late 2016, but I should probably give it another go, it seemed very good....
I liked "Engrenages" at first, but found it gratuitously dark, and dropped it after a few seasons.
"La Bazaar de la Charité" checks some of your boxes (period piece, some romance, strong cast). Another one that's on the grim side, at least initially.
There's a Chrome plugin that can be helpful for following along, Language Reactor.
posted by bfields at 8:02 AM on August 31, 2021 [2 favorites]
"Kaamelott" on youtube is comedy based on the Arthurian legends. Early seasons have very short (3-4 minutes). Probably not for everyone, but I find them hilarious. Later seasons are longer and lean more towards drama.
"Un Village Francais" was on Amazon Prime last I checked. The first episode starts with the German tanks rolling into town and the strafing of a class of a little kids. It was too much for my already-dark mood when I last tried it in late 2016, but I should probably give it another go, it seemed very good....
I liked "Engrenages" at first, but found it gratuitously dark, and dropped it after a few seasons.
"La Bazaar de la Charité" checks some of your boxes (period piece, some romance, strong cast). Another one that's on the grim side, at least initially.
There's a Chrome plugin that can be helpful for following along, Language Reactor.
posted by bfields at 8:02 AM on August 31, 2021 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Nthing Call My Agent & A Very Secret Service. Both are fun. There's also the Black Spot.
posted by Ashwagandha at 8:05 AM on August 31, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by Ashwagandha at 8:05 AM on August 31, 2021 [2 favorites]
Best answer: The Parisian Agency is a documentary about a family who run a very high end real estate agency. They are - somewhat against the odds - all charming.
Alexa (not that one) has some suggestions about how to use Netflix shows to help your French. With examples mention above - and other suggestions in the comments.
I would recommend some mainstream TV shows of formats you might be familiar with and which you can often find on YouTube examples Dance Avec Les Stars or Masterchief
posted by rongorongo at 10:51 AM on August 31, 2021 [2 favorites]
Alexa (not that one) has some suggestions about how to use Netflix shows to help your French. With examples mention above - and other suggestions in the comments.
I would recommend some mainstream TV shows of formats you might be familiar with and which you can often find on YouTube examples Dance Avec Les Stars or Masterchief
posted by rongorongo at 10:51 AM on August 31, 2021 [2 favorites]
Best answer: I'll nth Engrenages.
... though on initial watch-through, it did make me think that "putain" was translated to the English placeholder "uh".
posted by Seeba at 1:03 PM on August 31, 2021 [2 favorites]
... though on initial watch-through, it did make me think that "putain" was translated to the English placeholder "uh".
posted by Seeba at 1:03 PM on August 31, 2021 [2 favorites]
Best answer: My partner and I are enjoying Astrid et Raphaëlle (on Amazon) -- detective show featuring an autistic woman and female cop.
posted by phliar at 2:47 PM on August 31, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by phliar at 2:47 PM on August 31, 2021 [2 favorites]
Best answer: From Quebec, I suggest "M'entends-tu?".
posted by domi_p at 4:16 PM on August 31, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by domi_p at 4:16 PM on August 31, 2021 [2 favorites]
Best answer: I also enjoyed The Churchmen — in French that’s Ainsi Soient-ils, a fantastic title!
A Very Secret Service (Au service de la France) is my top rec though, incredibly fun.
I watch them with English subtitles so that the language level suits me — I’m pretty advanced but never been in immersion so fast-paced non-interactive things are way too easy to get me lost. With the subs I also get to straight away pick up what unfamiliar terms or usages mean.
posted by lokta at 3:14 AM on September 1, 2021 [1 favorite]
A Very Secret Service (Au service de la France) is my top rec though, incredibly fun.
I watch them with English subtitles so that the language level suits me — I’m pretty advanced but never been in immersion so fast-paced non-interactive things are way too easy to get me lost. With the subs I also get to straight away pick up what unfamiliar terms or usages mean.
posted by lokta at 3:14 AM on September 1, 2021 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I really enjoyed HPI. It definitely falls into the supernaturally smart police consultant trope, but it doesn't take itself too seriously, it's more like Elementary than BBC Sherlock. It takes place in northern France, but I don't know enough French to tell you whether it has too much slang or dialect.
posted by snusmumrik at 4:06 AM on September 1, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by snusmumrik at 4:06 AM on September 1, 2021 [1 favorite]
Best answer: The Returned/ Les Revenants on Amazon Prime. This one makes it incredibly easy to understand as the sci-fi premise coupled with the slow and easy to understand dialogue make it the perfect show to watch. It’s also a beautifully shot, and compelling story that make it easy to stick with it.
posted by Champagne Supernova at 4:52 PM on September 1, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by Champagne Supernova at 4:52 PM on September 1, 2021 [2 favorites]
Best answer: The Hook-Up Plan is a lot of fun, in the romantic comedy category.
posted by Gadarene at 5:23 AM on September 2, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by Gadarene at 5:23 AM on September 2, 2021 [1 favorite]
Best answer: If you like (mid-20th-century) period mysteries, the Maigret series with Bruno Cremer in the title role is great, and there are several seasons. It's on Prime, but you may need an MHZ subscription to watch all of it. As I recall, it starts off pretty good but gets better after season one.
posted by secretary bird at 9:36 AM on September 4, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by secretary bird at 9:36 AM on September 4, 2021 [1 favorite]
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