Maigret

I know that I may be opening myself up to some fierce criticism but I absolutely am mezmerized by Bruno Cremer's portrayal of French detective, Maigret.

His subtlety makes me wonder what he is up to and then Bam!!! He'll open up into a fit of rage at a fellow detective or criminal. I love watching him smile and wish that he would give a more emotional reaction when he is pleased.

I missed the interaction with his wife about half way through the series. They were very 'human' snipets' of a very well protected set of emotions. Anyhow, as a couple they were cute!

I am on my third run through the series, consecutively. No gaps, just straight from the last episode to episode one!

I saw sad to find out that he had passed in 2010. For me a great actor portraying one of the greats in mystery/suspense.

An excellent detective series for any nation, and yet I've seen a lot of them, ancient or modern.

Quickly, what differentiates this Maigret 1991 from other detective series is the atmosphere, the weightlessness and above all the reality that sticks to the skin of this universe.

Maigret is a gruff bear, certainly, but he has the gift of empathy: he loves people (even delinquents) and that can be seen on the screen.

Everyone has a chance with him: he takes his time to live with them, to live in the dirt, to live in the filth of this world in which he appears like a breath of air.

I like Bruno Cremer in this series because he is both human and the God of this world.

I'm more than tired of the series that we see too often in videos on demand, in which the houses don't have an ounce of dust, in which everything is smooth, all the actors are beautiful and all the investigations are solved with DNA.

No, that's not the truth.

The truth, the reality, is rather in the darkness and filth depicted by this series.

For me, it is masterful.

Love this series. Watching these episodes on Talking pictures tv. We never got the chance to see the French version of Maigret when it was originally made in the 1990s. Bruno Cremer captured the character of the inspector perfectly. Bruno's Maigret can be witty, amusing and grumpy if people irritate him. He is very fond of his food and drink. Sadly we have got to the last episode in the series.i will really miss it.

British tv sadly at present is just about box ticking controlled by the looney left. Watching this series captures just how good a tv series can be.

I'm not familiar with other French tv programs or if they are all up this high standard.

I'm a big fan of Simenon's Maigret. I've read several of the novels and seen all of the movies from Pierre Renoir to Jean Gabin and Charles Laughton. I have seen the very limited Rupert Davies clips on YouTube and I wish there were more to see. Davies looks a lot like Gabin. I didn't care for the Richard Harris Maigret and at first Michael Gambon left me cold but I've changed my opinion somewhat after a second viewing of that series. About a year ago I discovered the episodes featuring Bruno Cremer. I was unfamiliar with Cremer other than seeing him in the excellent Sorcerer film (I think people avoided because of the title). I immediately fell in love with the series. Cremer to me is the Maigret that reminds me the most of the one in the novels. His physical appearance is right (to me). His ability to quietly observe and hone in one the trivial details that almost always are crucial to solving the mysteries. His intuition almost from the start at what or who is behind the crimes and his friction with the judges is the Maigret I recognize. I understand criticism of the slow-moving aspects of the series. But I enjoy watching the patience of this brilliant investigator. The criticism that he's more involved than a man of his rank should be is the exact quality of the author's character and the reason he's disliked by many of his fellow officers and by the judges who think he's too involved. I now have all of the DVD sets in my collection but I continue to watch the episodes in order on MHz Choice that streams on my ROKU players. I'm glad I discovered this great series and if you're a true fan of Simenon and Maigret you would be advised to check it out even if you're not a fan of subtitles. It's worth the effort. In fact, it's worth checking out MHz Choice. I've watched other very entertaining shows on that streaming channel as well from France and other countries.

I am a huge fan of the MhZ International Mystery series where you can catch this show every few weeks. They alternate with Italian, German, Swedish, and in the past Norwegian mysteries. Jules Maigret is the kind of dad you would like to have had growing up. He is intelligent, sophisticated, speaks French, and quite handsome for a big guy. What makes the show hilarious is that he is the only one in each series who has any wisdom whatsoever. The other characters dance around him like complete imbeciles trying to trick him while he smokes his pipe and think that he isn't paying attention. He is a French Sherlock Holmes, without a side kick, though now his nephew has joined in on the action lately and it seems he will stay. The nephew is interested in girls more than crime though and pulls out the machismo whenever he appears to be slacking off, to impress his uncle. His uncle is not impressed though but as a devoted family member tries to teach him the trade. If you love classic film, Masterpiece theater, and generally watch British humor or mysteries on PBS, you have to look for MhZ International programs and find this. They are on Facebook as well.