Streaming services are bringing English-speaking viewers subtitled French detective shows with quirky lead detectives and fun sidekicks. These shows are set in interesting locales: cosmopolitan Paris, charming country villages, and the glamorous Mediterranean coast to name just a few.
Grab a croissant and let’s delve into these French mysteries!
Astrid
Astrid works as an archivist/librarian, keeping the criminal records in order for the French police. She has Asperger’s Syndrome and finds dealing with people stressful.
When police officer Raphaelle visits the archives she meets Astrid, who has an uncanny ability to pull together interesting facts from various cases in a way that helps Raphaelle solve a murder, which leads to a collaboration between the two women to catch criminals.
Pairing Raphaelle, who is impulsive, disorganized, and a bit of a renegade with Astrid, who uses order and routine to navigate through a world of neurotypicals, results in humor as well as some touching moments as the women become friends.
The theme of puzzles runs through the series with the murder in each episode revolving around a type of puzzle, such as locked room mystery or a puzzle box. Additionally, the type of puzzle featured in each episode is subtly echoed in the women’s personal lives.
It’s a fresh take on the police officer/consultant trope. This deft and well-crafted series brings together mystery, humor, and friendship.
- Series themes: Friendship, puzzles, living with autism/Asperger’s
- Setting: Paris, but it’s a more workaday view of the city instead of the way it’s usually portrayed (i.e. chic and glamorous).
- Will appeal to fans : the police officer/consultant trope, viewers who like Rizzoli and Isles, and odd couple pairings.
The Art of Crime
The Art of Crime gives us another with odd couple pairing with the police officer/consultant trope, but this time the couple is a man and a woman. What makes this series unique is that the police officer, Captain Verlay, is part of the French police’s art crime squad.
Verlay isn’t interested in art at all, but when he’s assigned to the art crimes unit, he must delve into the world of French masterpieces to solve murders. The consultant who helps him is Florence, a quirky and fun character who brings lightness and humor to the show. Florence works at the Louvre and we get a virtual tour of the museum and other gorgeous Parisian locations.
They are and odd couple pairing in several ways. Florence is sunny and optimistic. Verlay is reserved and more pessimistic. Verlay believes in following the clues and gathering evidence, while Florence is more intuitive. Florence imagines she’s talking to the artists and the show illustrates this using a touch of magical realism.
- Series themes: Trust, French artists and art, unrequited love
- Setting: Glitzy Paris
- Will appeal to fans of: Art in general, French art and the Louvre in particular, and magical realism
The Little Murders of Agatha Christie – Season/Series 2 (1950s-1960s)
Also called Agatha Christie’s Criminal Games, this series is an interesting twist on adapting Agatha Christie. The Little Murders of Agatha Christie takes the plots of Christie novels and blends them with a new cast of characters in a French setting. It’s a bit like taking recipes from two different types of cuisine and creating a fusion dish. The result is something familiar yet new.
If you’re an Agatha Christie fan you might first think this show wouldn’t appeal to you—and I held off watching it for exactly that reason—but I found it interesting and entertaining.
The series has several incarnations set at different time periods. I’m focusing on the seasons set in the 1950s to the 1960s. The trio of characters is an eclectic mix. Laurence, a police commissaire (similar to a detective inspector) is suave, logical, and a loaner. His secretary, Marlene, is emotional and empathetic and resembles Marilyn Monroe. Alice is a scrappy young woman trying to break into newspaper reporting, but at the beginning of the series she works at the local paper answering letters sent to the paper’s “Agony Aunt.” Alice is a French version of Dear Abby, but she’s always on the lookout for a murder, and she’s constantly trying help Lawrence solve a murder—whether or not he wants her help.
The mid-century vibe is strong in this show. If you loved the aesthetics of Mad Men, but wished it was a detective show, then you’ll enjoy The Little Murders of Agatha Christie.
- Series themes: Found family, love
- Setting: Lille in the 1950s-1960s
- Will appeal to fans of: Agatha Christie, fans of mid-century modern aesthetics—it’s Man Med with murder!
Perfect Murders
Perfect Murderers has a Colombo-style structure. We’re shown who committed the murder at the beginning of each episode, and then we watch a pair of detectives as they solve the case. A unique aspect of this show that the it follows a handful of detective pairs in different locations around France. Each detective duo is in a few episodes, then we move onto another pairing in another location. We don’t go deep into the detective’s lives like we do in other shows, and because of this rotation in protagonist, the show has a short-story-like vibe.
- Themes: no over-arching theme because of the structure of the show
- Setting: various locations around France
- Will appeal to fans of Columbo, French travel, and mystery short stories.
Candice Renoir
Candice Renoir has separated from her diplomat husband and returns to France to take up her old job as a police detective. She has to win over her new team—and no one is happy she’s arrived and landed the top job. Her family isn’t sold on the idea of the move either, so Candice is at odds with almost everyone when the series begins.
I found the opening episodes with everyone hating on Candice a little depressing and heavy-handed, but the series does find its stride and develops a lighter tone. This show has a more traditional episodic structure with Candice investigating a crime each week.
- Themes: Starting over, attitudes toward women in leadership, parenting
- Setting: South France, near Montpelier
- Will appeal to fans of: crime series with a female lead, long-running series, will-they-or-won’t-they storylines
Sara Rosett is the author of lighthearted 1920s country house mysteries. If you enjoy whodunit mysteries with interesting characters in charming settings, you’ll enjoy the High Society Lady Detective series.
Available in English and French! Start with Book 1, Murder at Archly Manor Murder at Archly Manor (English) and Meurtre au Manoir d’Archly (French).
