Discover the Best French TV Shows to Binge-Watch

Discover the captivating world of French television as we dive into the realm of the best French TV shows. From gripping crime dramas to mesmerizing historical tales, these series will transport you to a realm of riveting storytelling and undeniable talent. So, grab your popcorn, settle in, and get ready to explore the unparalleled world of French television at its finest.

Dix pour cent (Call My Agent!)

"Dix pour cent" is one of the most successful and best French series on Netflix. It follows the ups and downs of a group of talent agents in Paris. The title refers to the cut they get from their famous clients. The show offers a great opportunity to learn some business French. While the agents are fictional characters, the actors they represent are real. Each episode features at least one celebrity cameo, with famous French comedians, actors, singers, and TV personalities. Celebrities like Juliette Binoche, Jean Dujardin, and Isabelle Huppert have appeared on the show.

Au service de la France (A Very Secret Service) - 2 seasons (2015-2018)

Tomatometer: N/A

Genre: Workplace Comedy, Political Drama

Country of origin: France

"Au service de la France" is a surprisingly gentle yet addictive comedy set in a fictional French spy agency during the Cold War. It offers a fun and bureaucratic period piece with wit and laughs. The series was filmed partially in Morocco and incorporates real historical events. As a result, viewers will be exposed to various French accents and get an overview of French history during the Cold War.

La Mante

"La Mante" is a series about a female imprisoned serial killer who collaborates with the police when a copycat killer appears. The show offers a unique perspective as there are not many shows about female serial killers. Viewers can watch the trailer and stream the show on Netflix or Amazon.

Marie Antoinette

"Marie Antoinette" is a biographical period drama that portrays the rise and fall of the iconic historical figure. The show covers her ascension to power and the chaos of the French Revolution. It is a decadent costume drama with juicy drama and tension. Created by Deborah Davis, the series features a talented cast.

Les papillons noirs

"Les papillons noirs" is a thrilling series about a retired man who seeks a novelist to document his life's work, which includes a darker history centered around a serial killer in the 1970s. The show delves into romance and violence, offering a captivating recollection of the past filled with crime, mystery, and drama. It features Nicolas Duvauchelle, Niels Arestrup, and Axel Granberger.

Irma Vep

"Irma Vep" is a dramatic comedy series that follows the life of an American movie star who grows bitter and disillusioned with the world. Seeking a change, she takes on the role of Irma Vep in the remake of "Les Vampires" in France. However, when a crime enters the picture, the line between her stage life and personal life blurs. The series is based on a movie by Olivier Assayas and features a talented cast.

Engrenages (Spiral)

"Engrenages" is a series set in the Paris Courthouse. It provides an inside look into the French justice system through its various characters, including a tough police captain, a criminal lawyer, a young prosecutor, and a judge. The show explores corruption within the police and the judicial system while gaining popular success and critical acclaim.

Unité 42 (Unit 42) - 1 season (2017)

Tomatometer: Audience score only – 91%

Genre: Crime, Thriller, Suspense

Country of origin: Belgium

"Unité 42" is a dramatic mini-series that follows a widowed cop who heads up a cybercrime unit and the former hacker who becomes his partner. Together, they hunt down hackers and tech-savvy criminals causing trouble across Belgium. The show is known for its compelling and entertaining crime drama and its ability to be surprisingly human and thought-provoking.

Le Bazar de la Charité (The Bonfire of Destiny) - 1 season (2019)

Tomatometer: N/A

Genre: Period Drama

Country of origin: France

"Le Bazar de la Charité" is a fictionalized version of a real fire that occurred during an annual charity event for Parisian aristocracy in 1897. The show follows the lives of three women who attended the event but survived. It offers a well-plotted and paced costume drama set in the Belle Époque.

Kaamelott

"Kaamelott" is a parody of the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. It features a fictional gentleman thief named Arsène Lupin, who is a source of inspiration for the main character, Assane Diop. The series offers a modern vernacular French and is a great way to learn French while enjoying zany humor.

Un gars, une fille

"Un gars, une fille" focuses on the life of an average, thirty-something couple, Jean and Alex. Each episode is a series of sketches from everyday life, offering a great way to practice French and develop vocabulary. The show is known for its short, seven-minute episodes and common situations.

Moloch

"Moloch" is a series about strange occurrences in an industrial seaside town where people burst into flames. The show follows a young journalist and a psychiatrist as they investigate this weird rash of fiery violence. It is a dark mixture of crime and fantasy, featuring a talented cast.

Osmosis

"Osmosis" is a romantic sci-fi saga set in the future of Paris. The show explores a dating application that matches singles based on brain scans and analysis. However, the applicants may not be ready to experience true love through such an app. The series stars Agathe Bonitzer, Hugo Becker, and Gaël Kamilindi.

Lupin

"Lupin" is a popular Netflix series that features a fictional gentleman thief named Arsène Lupin. The main character, Assane Diop, uses Lupin's tricks to avenge his father's wrongful accusation. The show offers shrewdness, good looks, and disguises, making it a must-watch for fans of mystery.

Peur sur le lac

"Peur sur le lac" is a French thriller series about a mysterious and mortally contagious virus that threatens the population of Annecy. The show follows a race against the clock to find the origins of the virus and stop its spread. Viewers can watch the trailer and stream the show on Netflix or Amazon.

Plan cœur (The Hook Up Plan) - 3 seasons (2018 - present)

Tomatometer: N/A

Genre: Comedy, Rom-com

Country of origin: France

"Plan cœur" is an enjoyable rom-com that follows a woman turning 30 and her friends' attempt to secretly hire her a male escort to help her move on from her ex. The show offers humor and hijinks, providing a more accurate representation of the lifestyle and people of Paris than "Emily in Paris."

Note: The trailer and streaming options are not available for some shows.

Maroni

CREATOR: Aurélien Molas

CAST: Stéphane Caillard, Adama Niane, Issaka Sawadogo, Jérémie Laheurte

Stéphane Caillard, the star of Marseilles, plays a police officer investigating a murder and a kidnapping in the heart of French Guinea. This thrilling series is set in the jungle. You can watch the trailer of Maroni here

You can stream Maroni via:

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Netflix | Amazon | All Release dates

Mytho (Mythomaniac) - 2 seasons (2019)

Tomatometer: Audience score only – 71%

Genre: Drama

Country of origin: France

Mytho is a gripping and gritty story about an overlooked and overworked housewife who pretends to have cancer to get the attention of her family – but the lies soon unravel (of course). Originally created as a mini-series, Mytho was so beloved it was brought back for a surprise second season in 2021.

Also available on Netflix in the UK

The Circle Game (The Circle France) - 1 season (2020 - present)

Tomatometer: N/A

Genre: Reality Competition

Country of origin: France

If you liked the series The Circle that hit Netflix in 2020, great news – there’s a The Circle France waiting for you! While there are tons of high quality French Netflix shows, we thought it was worth including a little satisfying candy for the weary mind. The concept is simple – reality contestants are kept separate (but in the same building) and interact through a private social network where they present their best selves… or someone else entirely. And then they vote anonymously within The Circle (that’s the social network) for who gets to stay. Yum.

And if you’re in the mood for a gentler reality show, L’Agence (The Parisian Agency, in English,) is a delightful show about a family-run luxury real estate company. It has all the exclusive real estate glory of Selling Sunset, but everyone mostly gets along.

Also available on Netflix in the UK

La Forêt (The Forest) - 1 season (2017)

Tomatometer: N/A

Genre: Drama, Mystery, Crime

Country of origin: France, Belgium

Described as a French Broadchurch, La Forêt is a crime drama about the disappearance of a teenage girl in a small, tight-knit Belgian town surrounded by the Ardennes forest. The six episode miniseries is gripping from beginning to end, a must-watch for fans of dark police dramas and small-town secrets.

Also available on Netflix in the UK

Family Business - 3 seasons (2019 - present)

Tomatometer: Audience score only – 100%

Genre: Comedy

Country of origin: France

This lighthearted comedy follows a down-on-his-luck businessman and his family, as they rush to pivot the family butcher shop to a cannabis-growing operation when France votes to legalise marijuana. It’s a fun show and has gained some well-earned popularity – it’s been renewed for a third season.

Also available on Netflix in the UK

Le Bureau des Légendes

CREATOR: Eric Rochant

CAST: Mathieu Kassovitz, Sara Giraudeau & Pauline Étienne

After having worked in Syria for six year, an intelligence officer can't seem to switch his secret identity off - not even when he's back in France. It is a very good show! It has a rating of 82/100. You can watch the trailer of Le Bureau des Légendes here

You can stream Le Bureau des Légendes via:

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Netflix | Amazon | All Release dates

Glacé: The Frozen Dead

CREATOR: Gérard Carré, Pascal Chaumeil, Caroline Van Ruymbeke

CAST: Charles Berling, Julia Piaton & Nina Meurisse

A small town in the French Pyrenees is the topic of investigation after a horrific discovery of a hidden mystery that has been buried for years. The series has a rating of 61/100. You can watch the trailer of Glacé: The Frozen Dead here

You can stream Glacé: The Frozen Dead via:

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Netflix | Amazon | All Release dates

Mortel

CREATOR: Frédéric Bélier-Garcia

CAST: Carl Malapa, Némo Schiffman, Manon Bresch

High school students Sofiane and Victor find themselves desperate enough to solve the murder of Sofiane's brother, Reda, that they dip into the supernatural. They form a pact with the voodoo god Obé in hopes of learning the truth. Obé grants them the ability to both manipulate people and read their minds. They must remain close, however, for these powers to work. But when they need to be rid of Obé, they enlist the help of the voodoo-practicing Luisa to free them. You can watch the trailer of Mortel here

You can stream Mortel via:

Netflix | Amazon | All Release dates

The Crimson Rivers

CREATOR: Mathieu Kassovitz

CAST: Olivier Marchal, Erika Sainte &

Les rivières pourpres created by Jean-Christophe Grangé is yet another successful French detective series. It's about a bizarre series of murders, a stubborn investigator duo, and a lot of bodies. You can watch the trailer of The Crimson Rivers here

You can stream The Crimson Rivers via:

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Netflix | Amazon | All Release dates

Marianne

CREATOR: Samuel Bodin

CAST: Victoire Du Bois, Lucie Boujenah, Tiphaine Daviot, Ralph Amoussou

Emma Larsimon (Victoire Du Bois) is a young novelist who specializes in writing horror stories. Fiction meets reality, however, when she discovers the characters she writes in her books end up becoming real. Though she has decided to stop writing horror, she finds herself returning to her hometown when the evil spirit Marianne that haunts her nightmares takes shape in reality to bring terror and horror to the residents. An investigation is soon under way to get to the bottom of this supernatural horror. You can watch the trailer of Marianne here

You can stream Marianne via:

Netflix | Amazon | All Release dates

Braquo

CREATOR: Olivier Marchal

CAST: Jean-Hugues Anglade, Joseph Malerba & Karole Rocher

Most often described as the French ‘The Wire’ (HBO), Braquo is indeed remarkably dark and violent, but like the other French police show on this list, Engrenages, it also goes into the specifics of law-enforcement. It follows a unit of Parisian detectives who, without hesitating, circumvent the law and let nobody get in their way to achieve justice. The series starts when one of their colleagues commits suicide because of something to do with a case. They sink their teeth into it and do not let go. It is definitely one of the better European television series out there. It has a rating of 81/100. You can watch the trailer of Braquo here

You can stream Braquo via:

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Netflix | Amazon | All Release dates

With a myriad of captivating French TV shows to choose from, it's no wonder that the world has fallen head over heels for the charm and brilliance of these series. Whether it's the thrilling suspense of "Engrenages" or the comedic brilliance of "Un gars, une fille," there truly is something for everyone in the realm of French television. So grab some popcorn, settle in, and prepare to be transported to a world of captivating storytelling, unforgettable characters, and a glimpse into the rich cultural tapestry of France. Bon visionnage! (Happy watching!)