The 10 Best French Crime Dramas Of All Time

Once upon a time, we all got into a lather at new crime drama from Scandinavia and the Nordic countries. The Killing, The Bridge, Trapped… we lapped them up on BBC Four every Saturday night, in love with the bleak-but-beautiful landscapes, the tormented characters and the supreme interior design.

But thanks to the rise of competing outlets – from streamers like Netflix to Walter Presents’ output – we’ve been introduced to crime series from around the world.

One of those places is France and, during the past decade, we’ve watched some real quality. With the new second series of Astrid: Murder In Paris about to get underway, we thought we’d run down our favourite Gallic crime dramas.

1 Spiral (Engrenages)
Where to watch in the UK: ITVX
Once a staple of BBC Four, British viewers can now watch all eight series of this superior procedural if they subscribe to ITVX. It follows the work and the private lives of Paris police officers and lawyers and judges at the Palais de Justice, Paris. It introduced to a wide range of excellent characters – from Caroline Proust’s determined Laure Berthaud, Grégory Fitoussi’s Pierre Clément, Audrey Fleurot’s Joséphine Karlsson, Gilou, Tintin and many more.

READ MORE: ALL OUR NEWS AND REVIEWS OF SPIRAL

2 Paris Police 1900/1905
Where to watch in the UK: BBC iPlayer
A sprawling, engrossing series – with 1905 recently finishing on BBC Four – it transports us to the dawn of the 20th century in the squalid French characters. The city is rife with nationalists, royalists and anti-Semites, anarchists, as well as corruption from all corners, immorality and a police force struggling to keep a lid on things.

READ MORE: ALL OUR NEWS AND REVIEWS OF PARIS POLICE

3 Astrid: Murders In Paris (Astrid et Raphaëlle)
Where to watch in the UK: All4/Walter Presents
A proper procedural, mystery-of-the-week series. Police archivist Astrid Nielsen, who is autistic, is co-opted by a rule-breaking detective, Raphaelle Coste, to help solve intractable cases. And series two is about to start…

READ MORE: ALL OUR NEWS AND REVIEWS OF ASTRID MURDER IN PARIS

4 Witnesses (Les Témoins)
Where to watch in the UK: N/A
Back in 2015, we were introduced determined Normandy-based detective Sandra Winckler (Marie Dompnier). For two series she investigated some disturbing murder cases and – hot on the heels of The Killing, The Bridge and Spiral – this felt like a worthy successor.

READ MORE: ALL OUR NEWS AND REVIEWS OF WITNESSES

5 Lupin
Where to watch in the UK: Netflix
Inspired by the adventures of Arsène Lupin, gentleman thief Assane Diop (Omar Sy) sets out to avenge his father for an injustice inflicted by a wealthy family. An old-fashioned heist story, it was slick and fun, but with real heart.

READ MORE: OUR REVIEW OF LUPIN

6 The Disappearance (Disparue)
Where to watch in the UK: N/A
Often referred to as the French Broadchurch, The Disappearance told the story of the Morel family who fall apart when their 17-year-old daughter fails to return home from a night out. As the hours pass and the police investigation builds, The Disappearance explores every parent’s worst nightmare. At the time, it attracted record viewing figures for BBC Four.

READ MORE: ALL OUR NEWS AND REVIEWS OF THE DISAPPEARANCE

7 The Crimson Rivers (Les Rivières pourpres)
Where to watch in the UK: All4/Walter Presents
Based on the novel Blood Red Rivers and its 2000 film adaption, there have now been four series of this riveting procedural. In it, we follow Commissioner Pierre Niemans (Olivier Marchal) who teams up with his former student Camille Delaunay (Erika Sainte) to solve crimes.

8 Vanished By The Lake (Le mystère du lac)/Killer By The Lake (Le tueur du lac)
Where to watch in the UK: All4/Walter Presents
The first series followed detective Lise Stocker (Julie De Bona), who returns to her hometown and investigates the disappearance of a teenager in a case that ignites old memories. Three years, Lise and Clovis are now by another lake, in Annecy, and face the challenge of a new family life with their nine-month-old son Tom as the couple takes on a demanding new investigation. The lesson? Don’t go to any lakes in France.

9 The Forest (La Forêt)
Where to watch in the UK: Netflix
Sixteen-year-old Jennifer disappears one night from her village in the Ardennes. Captain Gaspard Deker leads the investigation with local cop Virginie Musso, who knew the girl well. They are helped by Eve, a lonely and mysterious woman.

10 Balthazar
Where to watch in the UK: Acorn TV
This series (number one in its native France) introduces us to Raphaël Balthazar, the most gifted forensic pathologist of his generation, and someone who knows how to make the dead speak. He imagines the ghosts of the deceased people he has seen, asking them questions about how they would have died, their private lives, or what they should do. He becomes the teammate of police commander Hélène Bach (played by Hélène de Fougerolles). Both face the most complex murder investigations while he secretly tries to solve the murder of a person close to him.

Astrid: Murder In Paris: From Friday 31st March, 9pm, More4

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