Paris Police 1900

I watched the first two episodes and found it enjoyable. Some reviewers comments reflect the cinematic effects and they are good. Several times there are scenes that reflect famous French paintings.

The story is decent and fits the Belle Epoch at the end of the third Republic. The characters are also good with actors finding their feet

Worth watching.

Positive it has a golden story. A beautiful cinematography and scenario, a substantial budget for a French production.

Alas, sometimes it has a wobbly plot although it doesn't get in the way overall. A good casting except the one who plays inspector Jouin who is really below the others and limits the series! Jérémie Laheurte isn't a bad actor at all - average at the best - yet he hasnt enough talent and acting skills to lead a big budget TV show like this one. Looking at its sucessuful British counterpart, Peaky Blinders or its American cousin, Boardwalk Empire. It takes a heavy actor level for carry a such a promising series.

The French producers could've hired some top francophone thespian like Matthias Schoenaerts or Gaspard Ulliel as the leading role actor.

Or others less known outside France like Pierre Niney, Niels Schneider or François Civil, they'd have more dramatic resources and screen presence to lead the show than Laheurte. Missed oportunity.

Pardon!

Extremely well documented. It's tough. It's rough. It's raw.it's not for sensible soul. It shows deepest and terrible human behaviors and acts including political strategy. I love when French are able to do such amazing series!!

A stunning historical crime drama - set in early 1900s Paris which mixes the meta-narratives of political turmoil, populist anti-semitism, police corruption, misogyny and murder against an ensemble of engaging, nuanced characters and some stunning set design and cinematography. A drama that doesn't shy away from the very seedy-side of turn of the century life, but which also captures the incredible technological and social change that was occurring at this time. The two lead police characters are of course the ultimate oil and water mix (hence the LA Confidential vibes) and the show also features strong female leads as well. A thoroughly binge-worthy drama that gets better with each episode. Tuning into season 2 now!

At the dawn of the twentieth century there is political turmoil in Paris. The president has died in scandalous circumstances and various unpleasant groups, including anti-Semites and anarchists, are vying for power. Police chief Louis Lépine is brought out of retirement in order to help the authorities maintain control. Against this background the body of a young woman is found in a trunk floating in the River Seine. Ambitious young officer Antoine Jouin takes a lead in the investigation and frequently finds himself in danger. Meanwhile Meg Steinheil, the woman involved with the late president, is enlisted to spy on one of the main anti-Semitic groups.

I really enjoyed this French series; it nicely intertwines factual and fiction. Not being familiar with French history I couldn't always tell which was which; I knew of the infamous 'Dreyfus affair' but was surprised to read that the death of the president is also likely to be true! The combination of a murder mystery and political scheming leads to plenty of excitement; protagonists are frequently in extreme danger; sometimes from people they think they can trust. There is a great atmosphere created by the way the series is filmed; the cast does a solid job. As is often the case these days the series was preceded by a warning about offensive discriminatory language usually this means there will be the occasional racist term but here there are long anti-Semitic diatribes; these are necessary to show just how vile certain characters are but certainly shocked. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to fans of dramas in a historical setting.

These comments are based on watching the series in French with English subtitles.