Yes, finally I'm revealing the first French TV series that had me hooked on the others ( please refer to my earlier posts on The Crimson Rivers and The Wagner Method ). This series which was first aired in France and Belgium in 2018 and later premiered on ACORN TV in 2019 (with English subtitles), concerns a brilliant but somewhat exasperating forensic pathologist, Raphael Balthazar (played excellently by popular actor Tomer Sisley), who teams up with police captain Helene Bach (played by actress Helene de Fougerolles) to solve some of the most complex murder cases. However, in Season 4, after the departure of actress Helene de Fougerolles, the character of Helene Bach was replaced by Captain Camille Costes (Constance Labbe). So far everything in my description about this series seems standard with other crime procedural series, right? Bur here's the twist, Balthazar sees and talks to the dead but only in his head (and not in a creepy way) and this includes his beloved late wife whose murder long ago still remains unsolved. He also talks to the ghosts of the deceased that lands up on his autopsy table to help him understand and solve their murders and secretly tries to solve the murder of wife which still haunts him. Now in its current fifth season, Balthazar has consistently been amongst the highest rated dramas in France and still remains ACORN TV's more popular series.
So what made me like this series? To be honest, I stumbled upon this series accidentally while there was a drought of really good investigative or crime dramas from the US and UK. During Covid, filming of many series were either canceled or delayed and the few that were aired were not to my liking. So I decided to give this series a try although I was at first apprehensive about viewing a foreign series with subtitles. But fortunately, the subtitles by ACORN were clear and spot on. Other factors that convinced me to give this series a try was that the show had a generally high rating from viewers, an accomplished cast and a very solid production. Now I am currently into the fourth season, so it is safe to say that this series did not disappoint but instead still holds an enduring appeal for me. I also have to thank this series for introducing me to other European TV series as my previous TV diet mainly consisted of US and UK series.
If you have read my previous post about The Crimson Rivers and The Wagner Mehod, you would know that both are also French series. While The Crimson Rivers is intensely dark in tone and The Wagner Method light and often humorous, Balthazar has a combination of both dark and light elements. The main protagonist, Raphael Balthazar, is often cheerful in his demeanor and often provides comic relief through his interactions and banter with Captain Bach/Costes, her squad and members of his own forensic team. However, underneath all his ego and bravado, he hides a lot of pain and darkness caused by the tragic death and murder of his wife. My final thoughts, this series is certainly worth a look and its high profile especially amongst European audiences makes it a suitable introduction if you're looking to venture into European TV Series for the first time. On a personal note, this series also showed me that sometimes speaking to our deceased loved ones (albeit in our head) is not lunacy really but perhaps a coping mechanism during our bereavement or a sign that we just miss them. I'm sure everyone wonders sometimes what our grandparents or parents would say or do if they were still here with us, right? Next, I will be talking about another series from Denmark, a first for me, so stay tuned.
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