The assault drama Lupine has become one of Netflix’s biggest hits, but it is far from being the only French TV show worth watching on the streaming platform.
From the hit comedy series Call My Agent! for an exciting drama starring former footballer Eric Cantona, several French-language programs have been launched on Netflix in recent months.
The rise of mandatory French TV shows has led some industry experts to declare it the ‘new Nordic Noir’, a genre that has enjoyed global success with series like The Bridge, The Killing and Borgen.
Here, FEMAIL shares a selection of French TV shows available to watch on Netflix UK now …
LUPIN (2021)
Great success: Omar Sy as Assane Diop in Lupine, which debuted this month and is expected to reach 70 million households in the first 28 days – making it one of the biggest Netflix shows of all time
The character Arsene Lupine, a gentleman’s thief, was first introduced to the stories of Maurice Leblanc in the early 20th century.
These stories exist in the world of this series and are the childhood inspiration of Assane Diop (Omar Sy), son of a Senegalese immigrant, who becomes a man of a similar character – slow to anger, a master of disguise, immensely rich – afterwards that his father dies in unfair disgrace, accused of a crime he did not commit.
Throughout the five parts of this series, he proposes to avenge this error through a series of elaborate schemes. The first theft takes place at the Louvre in Paris with the Marie Antoinette necklace and resolves itself in a very satisfactory way.
Netflix revealed this week that Lupine has become the platform’s biggest French hit.
The series, which launched on January 8, is expected to reach 70 million homes in the first 28 days, the streaming service said.
The Queen’s Gambito reached 60 million in its first 28 days. Bridgerton, which was launched on Christmas Day, is expected to reach 63 million.
Lupine stars Omar Sy and comes from writer George Kay – one of the creators responsible for Criminal UK and Netflix’s hit drama Killing Eve – alongside François Uzan.
Netflix said it is the platform’s biggest French international success to date and was among the top 10 in the UK, reaching number one in France, Brazil, Vietnam, Argentina, Germany, Italy, Spain, Poland, Holland, Philippines and Sweden.
The show is now being broadcast and part two will arrive in service later this year.
CALL MY AGENT! (2015-)
Star-studded comedy: Like Extras and Entourage, French comedy Call My Agent! it is a spectacle of the acting profession and attracts many big name guest stars. The fourth and final series just arrived on Netflix and received great reviews here and in France
Like Extras and Entourage, this French comedy is a show of the acting profession and attracts many big name guest stars.
The fourth and final series of Call My Agent! (Dix Pour Cent) just arrived on Netflix and received great reviews both here and in France.
Stay tuned for Juliette Binoche, Monica Bellucci, Beatrice Dalle, Jean Reno, Sigourney Weaver and Audrey Fleurot de Spiral, and more.
The scene is a Parisian talent agency, where its cynical ten percent say things like, ‘Who’s talking about lying? Just don’t tell her the truth. ‘
The show is based on the memories of Dominique Besnehard, a talent agent who dealt with names like Jeanne Moreau, and is scripted by Fanny Herrero, whose influences include The West Wing and Six Feet Under.
The smartest part of the satire in Call My Agent is that big names are not at the center of every episode. They are just a problem to be managed.
It gives the actors a chance to shine. Among the highlights is Camille Cottin, who plays the ambitious Andrea.
She is waging a power struggle with her three colleagues: Arlette (Liliane Rovère), Gabriel (Grégory Montel), and Mathias (Thibault de Montalembert).
Start with the first series, which originally aired in 2015.
HUMAN RESOURCES (2020)
Desperate times: a great success in France, Inhuman Resources stars the former Manchester United footballer who became actor Eric Cantona as Alain Delambre, a middle-aged father and husband whose life slowly begins to disintegrate after he loses his HR job because he’s too old
A great success in France, Inhuman Resources stars the former Manchester United footballer who became actor Eric Cantona as Alain Delambre, a middle-aged father and husband whose life slowly begins to fall apart after he loses his HR job for being too old.
The show begins several years after his resignation, and viewers see how Alain is now struggling to pay the mortgage on the Paris apartment he shares with his wife Nicole (Suzanne Clément).
With odd jobs that barely cover the costs, Alain stumbles on an unexpected second chance to regain his former life. He applies for a well-paid HR executive position only to find that the final stage of the process involves him in a hostage simulation game.
The drama unfolds over six episodes and kept viewers on the edge of the seats.
The series was a hit when it launched in France last year and is available to watch on Netflix in the UK.
VAMPIRES (2020-)
Supernatural success: Vampires follows the story of Doina (Oualaya Amamra), a Parisian teenager who is half human and half vampire and has to struggle with her emerging powers while juggling typical teen issues like school and young love
If supernatural teen shows are for you, then Vampires are for you.
The first six episodes premiered on Netflix last year and the second series is scheduled for this year.
He follows the story of Doina (Oualaya Amamra), a Parisian teenager who is half human and half vampire and has to struggle with her emerging powers while juggling typical teen issues like school and young love.
Unlike other vampire movies and TV shows, the vampires in this series are created as a result of a genetic mutation, rooting the idea more firmly in the real world.
Doina still drinks blood, but drinks from a refrigerator left in the family kitchen and takes pills to avoid the symptoms of being a vampire, such as sunburn.
THE CONNECTION PLAN (2018-)
Rom Com: Zita Hanrot stars as Elsa on the Netflix Show The Hookup Plan.
If you like Emily In Paris, there’s a good chance that you like The Hookup Plan (Plan Coeur) on Netflix too.
The rom-com is easy to stuff and won’t strain your brain if you’re looking for something to wear later in the day.
It stars Elsa (Zita Hanrot), who has not yet overcome her relationship with Maxime (Guillaume Labbé), although it ended two years ago. Her two best friends Charlotte (Sabrina Ouazani) and Emilie, nicknamed Milou (Joséphine Draï), decide to find a new boyfriend to distract her from Maxime.
They hire an escort that increases their confidence … but problems arise when Elsa falls in love with him.
There are two series ready to watch and a third is scheduled for this year.
AT NIGHT (2020)
Edge of your seat: Into the Night is Netflix’s first original Belgian series
It is not French, but it is French-speaking.
Into The Night is Netflix’s first original Belgian series and tells the story of an airplane full of passengers flying from Brussels to Moscow when disaster strikes outside and the world begins to die.
Under the leadership of pilot Mathieu (Laurent Capelluto), passengers unite to come up with a plan to continue fleeing sunlight while devising a survival strategy that does not require a huge, vulnerable aircraft.
The first six series premiered last year and a second series is expected this year.