I love France. I love visiting France and one day I hope to move to France. I’m also currently learning French and as I am not constantly around the language (the best place to learn a language is to be in the country of said language). I listen to a lot of French music and watch a lot of French TV and film. Here is a list of my favourites.
Call My Agent
A comical series about working in an entertainment agency, and the trials and tribulations of dealing with tricky, demanding clients. It’s a feel-good, stylish TV series, with lots of cameo appearances from famous French actors, singers and the like. A definite must watch!
Available on Netflix
Spiral
Spiral is a gritty police drama, primarily following three police detectives as they solve different crimes every series while navigating the stresses in their personal lives.
Available on BBC iPlayer
Lupin
An entertaining series about the titular gentleman thief. It’s comical and you find yourself routing for Lupin even though he’s technically a criminal. It’s a great watch and hopefully we get a series 3!
Available on Netflix
Everybody Loves Jeanne
Super funny and quirky, Everybody Loves Jeanne follows the titular Jeanne as she travels to Portugal after the death of her mother. We join her on her bittersweet journey. Fans of the 2001 film Amélie might enjoy this.
Available on Mubi
Rust and Bone
A great film set on the stylish Cote d’Azur. Marion Cotillard stars as a double-leg amputee who embarks on a relationship with a nightclub bouncer, (Matthias Schoenaerts), who is morose and emotionally unavailable. A really good watch.
One Fine Morning
A sad and emotionally charged film starring Lea Seydoux. The film tells the story of a young woman as she juggles being a single mother while also caring for her father who suffers from dementia. It’s definitely a tearjerker – I cried watching this one!
Available on Mubi
Fais Pas Ci, Fais Pas ça
A much-loved series following two families – one conservative, the other more liberal – in a Parisian suburb.
Available on TV5 Monde
Parents Mode d’Emploi
A comedic, quirky series consisting of bite-size episodes following a couple trying to parent.
Available on Youtube and TV5 Monde
Astrid: Murder in Paris
A police drama following Astrid, an autistic woman who has an interest in solving puzzles and crimes. She works closely with the police, trying to navigate police life around her strict rituals.
Available at More 4
The Disappearance
A brilliant TV drama about a teenage girl who goes missing and the anguish of her family fighting the police to take her disappearance seriously. The major twist at the end makes this a worthwhile watch alone.
Available at Amazon Prime Video
Spin
I’ve just started series 2 of this political drama after searching for it for many years! Spin is very slick and stylish, focusing on the public relations side of politics and the frequent need to ‘spin’ stories on politicians more positively, as the series’ name suggests.
Available on ITVX
Alice in Paris
A cute and quirky series, with episodes about 10 minutes or so in length. The series follows the titular ‘Alice’, a young woman who has moved to Paris and finds joy in savouring all the delightful food it has to offer – again, think of Amélie, but in short little episodes.
The Hook-Up Plan
A comical Netflix series following the lives of three friends and their other halves in Paris. Series 1 focuses on Elsa’s love life as her friends decide to help her get over her ex by finding her someone new – even if that means hiring a man. It’s a feelgood, light-hearted series and a must watch!
Available on Netflix
Love (and Trouble) in Paris
A silly, feelgood rom-com set in Paris. We see a thirty-something woman posing as someone other than herself after hearing a telephone message meant for the person she’s pretending to be – all because she believes the man is her soulmate!
Available on 4OD
(Usage of the still is courtesy of MUBI. One Fine Morning is available to stream now on MUBI).
