9 French Shows to Explore on Netflix
Explore nine French shows for listening practice and everyday vocabulary. Check your local Netflix catalogue, as availability varies by country and changes over time.
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Family BusinessCall My AgentLupinPlan CoeurMarseilleMortelLa RévolutionAu service de la FranceZone BlancheWatching French TV shows and movies on Netflix is a fantastic way to learn and become more familiar with the French language.
Not only will you get a great amount of practice, but you will also improve your listening skills, increase your vocabulary, learn everyday language and see how the language is used by native speakers.
So, if you’re not watching any French TV shows, why not head over to Netflix and give it a go?
Here are nine French shows to explore. Streaming availability varies by country and changes over time, so check your local Netflix catalogue before you start.
Family Business
This popular comedy ran for three seasons on Netflix, from 2019 to 2021.
The story follows Joseph, a failed entrepreneur, who decides to transform his family’s butcher shop into the first marijuana coffee shop in France.
This comedy series is very easy to watch, the cast is extremely well-chosen and their acting is great. The series has a fun feeling and the marijuana coffee shop is a fresh concept. The acting and storyline make for a hilarious blend of slapstick comedy and family drama.
Another positive thing about this show is that each season is only 6 episodes of around 30 minutes.
Call My Agent
Known in French as “Dix pour cent,” Call My Agent is a comedy that first aired on France 2 in 2015 before reaching Netflix.
The show’s premise centers around a Paris talent firm and its employees, who must juggle to keep their star clients happy, as well as keep the agency afloat.
Three of the agents – Mathias (Thibault de Montalembert), Gabriel (Grégory Montel) and Andréa (Camille Cottin), lurch from one situation to another. Along the way, their professional and personal lives become intertwined.
Overall this TV series has received great reviews and high praise. The storyline is engrossing and the script is very well written and witty. The central characters are defined and well played. On top of that expect to see appearances of top French actors, who play fictionalised versions of themselves.
Lupin
This 2021 Netflix series is inspired by the stories of Arsène Lupin. Assane Diop, a gentleman thief, embarks on a journey to avenge his father, who experienced a grave injustice at the hands of a wealthy family.
Starring Omar Sy as Assane Diop, Vincent Londez as Captain Laugier, and Ludivine Sagnier as Claire, this series is action-packed and includes drama and mystery.
This show is both witty and exciting. Omar Sy plays Diop very well and manages to keep viewers’ attention rapt during the whole series.
Plan Coeur
Plan Coeur, known as ‘The Hook Up Plan’ in English, is a comedy that premiered in 2018. Set in Paris, this story follows Elsa, who at almost 30 is still stuck on her ex-boyfriend two years after their breakup. Her friends enlist the help of a male escort, to help get her out of her rut and improve her confidence.
Starring Zita Hanrot as Elsa, this is a fun and heartfelt story about friendship and unconventional love. It’s a witty and intelligent romantic comedy, with well fleshed out characters who have their own smaller plot lines. The Parisian scenery is also a delightful backdrop.
Check out this series if you’re looking for something easy to watch.
Marseille
This gripping political drama follows Robert Taro (Gérard Depardieu), the mayor of Marseille for the past 20 years. What follows is a war of succession with a former protégé, who has turned into a rival – Lucas Barres (Benoît Magimel). Both are members of a centre-right party until a betrayal starts a bitter feud between the master politician and his ambitious young protégé.
This is a tale of corruption, revenge, and seduction, set against a rich backdrop of the French port city of Marseille.
Overall the acting, script, and camera shots are great. Depardieu shows his experience as a veteran actor and has nice chemistry with Barres.
Mortel
This is a French supernatural TV series, which revolves around a couple of teenagers, Sofiane and Victor. They acquired superpowers after making a deal with voodoo god Obé, in the hope of solving a murder.
For them to be successful, Sofiane and Victor must be near each other for their superpowers to work. They also enlist the help of Luisa, a voodoo practitioner, so that they can get free from Obé’s grip and banish him from the world.
There are many complex themes intertwined in what is a teen supernatural show. The acting is nuanced and the subdued special effects really add to the great overall production quality.
La Révolution
This fantasy drama, starring Amir El Kacem, Marilou Aussilloux, and Lionel Erdogan, is set in 18th century France and is a reimagined history of the French Revolution. In it, the inventor of the guillotine uncovers a disease that drives the aristocracy to murder the common people.
This story is loosely based on 18th century France, just before the revolution. It doesn’t try to be historically accurate. The acting is great and the costumes and scenery are stunning.
Check out this series if period or historical series is your jam and you’re interested in a fantasy twist.
Au service de la France
Au service de la France, known as ‘A Very Secret Service’ in English, is a French comedy and drama series.
Its story follows a trainee officer with the French Secret Services, André Merlaux, during the height of the Cold War. He is intelligent, but impressionable and has a lot to learn in order to best serve and defend the interests of France. In doing so, he discovers the intricacies of government and navigates diplomatic incidents.
This series is both whimsical and fast-paced; you’ll never be bored watching it. There’s lots of twisted, sarcastic, and dark humour, in what is an intelligent and powerful political satire.
If political dramas are your thing, I highly recommend this series.
Zone Blanche
This French-Belgian supernatural thriller known as ‘Black Spot’ in English, first aired on France 2 in 2017 and reached Netflix in 2019.
The plot follows Police-Major Laurène Weiss, the head of the gendarmerie in Villefranche. The story begins when eccentric Prosecutor Siriani arrives in the town to try to learn why the murder rate is six times the national average, and why the vast majority of them are occurring in a strange forest located nearby.
This is an imaginative series, with beautiful dark imagery and scenery, wonderful acting, and a mind-blowing plot.
We hope that you check out some of these Netflix series if you’re interested in improving your French.
