French TV Series (The Crimson Rivers)

After a long hiatus of nearly 9 years (last post in October 2015), I thought it would be great to start posting in my blog again. After Covid and numerous lockdowns, I'm sure many of us are now more aware of the importance of having some home interest(s). As for me, mine shall always be films, mostly TV series and the occasional movie. But I'm here today to talk more about some foreign or non English TV series that I have recently discovered. Lately, with Netflix and some cable networks introducing many foreign language series in their lineup, I was fortunate enough to catch a few gems namely some French TV Series and recently quite a good one from Denmark. Firstly, a TV series based on the similarly titled movie The Crimson Rivers (2000) starring Jean Reno & Vincent Cassel and the book Blood Red Rivers by Jean-Christophe Grange. Regretfully, I have not gotten around to viewing the movie, but I was very taken with the TV version of it which lasted 4 Seasons. I really don't know whether there will be any more future seasons of this series since the lead actor Olivier Marchal who is now 65 years old might not be reprising his role as Commissioner Pierre Niemans since he believes that he would not be convincing enough playing a police officer out in the field at this age. A replacement actor, maybe? Interestingly enough, Marchal was a real life policeman prior to becoming an actor/writer/director/producer. 

Anyways, this series which was first introduced to a widely English speaking audience in the UK by Walter Presents in 2019 is not only high quality in terms of production value (a joint effort between France, Belgium & Germany) but also in its writing and character portrayals. Both the lead actors who play the main protagonists have great chemistry and a believable camaraderie. The series centers on Commissioner Pierre Niemans, an older police officer with an almost legendary reputation, who now heads the Central Office Against Crimes of Blood (OCCS) in Paris. Often brash and disrespectful of hierarchy and protocols, he teams up with his former student, Lieutenant Camille Delaunay, played by Belgian actress Erika Sainte, to solve some of the most perplexing and grisly crimes and murders. The serious and grey tone of the show, which deals mainly with gruesome deaths  and deranged killers, is usually offset by the warm relationship and humorous banter between the main protagonists which closely mirrors the relationship between a father and daughter. I find this angle to be very refreshing instead of the usual romantic relationship explored between two main leads in many cop shows. The fact that both characters, which are perfectly portrayed by Marchal and Sainte,  have deep trust, affection and admiration for one another, makes one optimistic that despite insurmountable odds or dire situations, there is still always hope because they have each other. As for the cases presented in each episode, they are often thought provoking, unexpected (each case is very dissimilar) and in different settings as they often travel to different locations for their investigations. Please note that each episode features a different case and can be considered a stand alone TV movie unless it is a 2 episode story arc and that each season comprises of only 8 episodes. If you are looking for an intelligent investigative/crime series which is somewhat different from the norm, this series is worth checking out. You might be pleasantly surprised like me. Next, I will be mentioning two more French TV Series which I recently enjoyed watching and a TV series from Denmark which is a first for me but which I think is also worth mentioning so stay tuned. 

Note (2nd June 2024) : Those interested in exploring other French Detective TV Series can check out my other posts on The Wagner Method and Balthazar. Both of these series also comes highly recommended by me. 

For those who are interested in this highly addictive series, you can watch all four seasons with English Subtitles, courtesy of PBS Masterpiece, on Amazon Prime (link provided below). A word of warning, the series is more geared towards a mature audience. 

The Crimson Rivers Series (Amazon Prime) (paid link)