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A scene from the Belgian TV crime series “Public Enemy.” Courtesy of MHz Choice

I believe “Public Enemy: Season One” is the first Belgian crime series I’ve covered, and it’s a pretty good intro to the country’s production of police procedurals. Chloe (Stephanie Blanchoud) is a big-city detective who has run afoul of the brass. That’s why she’s assigned to escort a serial child killer, Guy Beranger (Angelo Bison), who has served 20 of his 30-year sentence, to his parole placement – novitiate to the monks at a small-town monastery. She also has to stick around for quite a while to oversee security. Chloe is probably the worst choice for the gig for reasons we gradually learn during the season.

The village locals are up in arms about having this notorious scumbag in their midst; many of the monks are equally displeased. The villagers fear for the safety of their children.

When you’ve seen enough Nordic Noir style series you tend to see certain formulas to the stories. Public Enemy is one that definitely feels familiar, but instead of familiarity breeding content, this time it offers an engrossing experience.

When federal police investigator Chloe Muller (Stéphanie Blanchoud) is given the task to protect Guy Beranger (Angelo Bison) a convicted child murderer, she begrudgingly takes the case. Released on parole to the Vielsart Abbey, it isn’t long before there is a public outcry from the nearby village. Matters are made worse when a local child is murdered, and he automatically the prime suspect. But is all as it seems?

Bringing together a male and female police duo seems to be a favourite of Nordic Noir series, and for the most part it works well. One of my favourite variations is The Bridge/The Tunnel because of the engaging characters. With Public Enemy,...