You wait years for one decent French TV series to come along, then three turn up together. Philharmonia is an over the top melodrama about an orchestra, or more crucially about their new conductor. Something is wrong with Helene (Marie-Sophie Ferdane) despite the chic outfits and hair. Playing out over six episodes, the only slightly boring bits are when the orchestra starts to play. We just want to get back to the back biting and intrigue. Lots of twists and turns. Oh yes, and a weird young lead violinist. Superb.
Also on All 4 comes A Deadly Union, a six part crime melodrama set on the French Riviera where the sun always shines. Forget the predictable plot and just watch the scenery. Lannick Gautry plays the police detective out to solve the death of the bride. Alexia Barlier is Alice, his ex just returned for the wedding. There are secrets galore, all conspiring to thwart the investigation.
Finally The Last Wave has just started on BBC 4 is a supernatural fantasy involving some good looking surfers. Very early days, so not sure if I will stick with it.
Two weeks later, I did. Mainly because the location photography was so gorgeous. The sensational location is the Landes in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine in south western France. And notable for surfing, sand dunes and the glorious beaches. The story was just intriguing enough to keep me watching. It turns out to be a type of modern science fiction. The last part of the penultimate episode was particularly spectacular when something happens that is one of those memorable moments. Here the special effects are pretty stupid but gob smacking. I was waiting for the twist at the end of the final episode, like all good scifi should have, and thank goodness we got one. Well done France for three great series.
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