User reviews

I'm not sure they understand how to protect anyone, especially themselves. However, they are great at following the clues, most of the time. It does have a great supernatural back drop that succeeds in not swallowing up the actual crimes and character development. But again, wow, do they make some dumb fn decisions. lol " Hey lets go over into this massive creepy fn forest, where people are dropping like flies and poke around with no back up....Should I bring my gun, I don't know...maybe, maybe not." -not actual quote.

Villefranche is a small town without phone reception on the edge of a mysterious forest. The number of inhabitants is dwindling but there's a sharp rise in crime. Police inspector Laurène, once the victim of a crime herself, keeps on discovering fresh corpses.

Think crime drama with more than a little Blair Witch, Pan's Labyrinth and Twin Peaks thrown in.

This series came as a nice surprise. It has that catchy mix of dark, mystery ,fantasy, horror and drama set in a back woods French town. The old lore that keeps you tangled in Villefranche's stories. One not to be missed by fans of the genre!

Quite enjoying this. Good acting and holds your attention.

To the person complaining about the title translation, "white zone" refers to an area with no mobile reception. In English, this area is called a "black spot". Titles aren't always literal translations.

Danish television compiled this into 4 episodes. 4 long, but somehow just not long enough when yearning for more after each episode. Intriguing, dark, mysterious, obvious - yet not at all - leaving you with more questions than answers after each episode. I certainly recommend binging the series. Adding to all this, its filmed in a clever and mind blowing way, with gorgeous scenery. This is some of the best I've watched in a really long time. Mostly watching American or British in general (content, somewhat), this was a mind blowing- and extremely positive - surprise. It's weird, but certainly in a good way. This is actually my first review in here, created the profile as I simply had to tell everyone about how good I thought this actually is.

This French series is set in Villefranche, a remote village where the crime rate in noticeably higher than the national average. As the story begins prosecutor Franck Siriani arrives in town to investigate what is going on; he finds himself working with Major Laurène Weiss of the local Gendarmerie and her small team. They are very different characters; Siriani is allergic to just about everything and Weiss is a tough woman who, when eighteen, cut off two fingers to escape after being chained up, in the vast forest that surrounds the town, by an unknown kidnapper. Each episode tends to include a 'case of the week' as well as ongoing investigations into the disappearance of the mayor's daughter, who went missing six months before the series started, and Weiss's attempts to discover what really happened to her in the forest all those years ago.

I really enjoyed this series; early on I got a real 'Twin Peaks' vibe but thankfully this didn't turn out to be a Gallic rip-off of that great show. Yes we have a town in a heavily forested part of the country where weird, possibly supernatural, things are happening but they are dealt with in a very different way. There is a great sense of mystery in the longer term story lines as well as the episodic stories. The location provides a great atmosphere; especially the forest scenes. The characters are interesting and nicely varied and the cast does a fine job bringing these characters to life. Season two closes with questions unanswered so hopefully we will get a third season some time. Overall I'd definitely recommend this to fans of intriguing and slightly strange mysteries.

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

I just started up episode four. So far, I am enjoying it. The scenery is absolutely beautiful. The one thing that bugs me though is in the first episode they mention that the town they are in doesn't get phone reception yet the police chief is constantly on her cell phone. Weird.

This imaginative TV series proves that France could be the new Eurowood (not only because of the main "character": the forest)! ;-)

Maybe this vote should have been 10 instead of 9? It's hard to imagine, that the next season could be even better than this. But anyway: This is a great "appetizer"! Great actors, great accelerating plot, great location, superb photography! "Expect the unexpected!" Vive La France!!!

Could be some kind of French "Twin Peaks" - on speed! ;-)

The first 3-4 episodes of this show are good, but before we get halfway into the season the plot gets bogged down in needless complexity. Storylines that seemed important now dwindle into nothing, to be replaced by new storylines that don't seem to be going anywhere. Characters suddenly appear for no reason at all. And the biggest weakness is the sheer implausibility of the situations and character motivations. The result is a hot mess, a series that can't seem to figure out what it wants to be - a dark crime drama? A horror/monster series? It's hard to tell. Kudos for the high production values and creepy atmosphere, but spooky synth music and chittering monster noises can't make up for the absence of a coherent and logical storyline.

This is a great show. has the same vibe as DARK. The dubbing is fantastic and the acting is really good.

To me, this could have been so much better if the detectives had acted like they had any training whatsoever. The scenery is beautiful and the mood is creepy. It's an interesting show but the detectives are soooo very stupid it breaks immersion.

If anyone wants to see how detectives, police officers, criminals, prosecutors, waiters and random civilians would NEVER EVER act in real life then that is the show for you. Conversations are too staged, actors would be ok(ish) if the storybook would be a little bit better at least. Stopped watching after a few episodes...

Firstly, how they translated "Black Spot" from "White Zone" in French is beyond me.

It's a crime show like none other you have seen. A police station in a remote French town in a dense forrest in the middle of nowhere France. Apparently, lots of crime there due to the remoteness, so they say in the show.

French film noire. Scenary is gorgeous, unspoiled etc., and, magical. Each show is completely different other than a murder (of the Mayors daughter) that is trying to be solved throughout the episodes.

No point in trying to describe this show other than it is weird but in a great way. The cast is just lovely in this, they really match well with the location. You best just watch it and after an episode or two, you will be completely hooked as I was.

Some of the other reviews do a decent job trying to explain this show but fall short, as this review does. JUST WATCH IT and you will thank me.

While I'm new to French crime tv, I'm quickly becoming schooled. I'm just afraid that if this is standard stuff, I can't imagine much else being this good, let alone better. Nevertheless, I'm afraid that the inexplicable translation from Zone Blanche to "Black Spot" (in the US) could result in missed viewers who came up with wrong programs in their searches. This was my favorite discovery of 2017.

The assortment of characters are blended into a very believable ensemble as not one single one of them plays a disposable role. Some, who seem passive throughout, turn out to be critical antagonists eventually--it's a neat trick. The combination of the fantastic fog and woods environment coupled with an overt, but not overplayed, paranormal presence gives the viewer no shortage of suspense and chills. Watch it in a dark room without distractions.

This is what early Twin Peaks was. Undoubtedly, Lynch takes no credit as inspiration for and presumably has no connection with this production but, being a number one Lynch fan for 35 years now, I think this show's creators have outdone themselves and out-Lynched David, himself. This time. 9 stars.

EDIT: Having added S2 I note the following changes. Interpersonal relationships between main characters intensify playing out mostly good. The oddball Siriani tends to gradually grow into his inevitable acceptance of life in Villefranche while Sheriff Weiss and Nonours experience turmoil and threats to their curious buddy-cop relationship. More notable is the much heavier handed treatment of the supernatural component in this season compared to S1. In S1 the ghosts were delicately treated here and there in the landscape, never overdone, but, in S2, producers have ramped the monster arc and Weiss' accompanying obsession onto center stage, which has taken time away from the single episode plots involving the very strange and entertaining curious Villefranche local folk. There is also a short mythical historic arc about first century Roman occupation of the locale intended to tie the paranormal business into current day Villefranche. This doesn't provide much. In all, I feel producers aimed to compose all the various threads to support the main arc of Weiss chasing her monster. This changed the show from an anthology with underlying connecting threads to a single long movie split into episodes. I liked season 1 better. Still, I love the characters, and hope for more from these writers.

Another of the French series in the mould of Revenant,Midnight sun,etc but possibly darker. Although the darker concept does not feel as natural as a nordic noir. Something feels made -up about it but it's still a pretty decent series. It is episodic with a longer story running in the background which might suit some viewers. The set up is strangely similar to Wayward Pines but it's far superior and believable than that. An attempt is made to explain most strange things which is always welcomed unlike some where they are weird for weird's sake!! Keep up the good work!

A powerhouse cast, subtle and intricate writing, and some of the best cinematography I've ever seen in anything. This show it tense and beautiful and perfect.

Basically it makes fun of the American dark crime genre. Soundtrack, atmosphere, style, even clothing and cars. Other than the Cernunnos story, everything is almost a dark Tween Peaks + True Detective parody, with some bonhomme French humor. I enjoyed it.

Another great show out of france.. great story greats actors and actresses. suspense. Beautiful scenery..if Netflix looks at these ratings they should pay attention this is what separates them from the rest and Is the only reason why I pay for Netflix is for the international shows.

Moody and a bit dark with just a touch of supernatural story. I do like European shows and enjoyed this one.

I thought this started off a bit slow and wasn't sure about acting, but the 2nd episode was better than first and by 3rd totally hooked. Great storyline. love the forest....

It is easy on the eyes and displays great production value (ambiance, set designs, camera work, gorgeous images), but as endearing as the main characters are, they all act too dumb for the viewer to get involved into this shaggy tale. This is the classic bad writing issue of shows that grip you at first but peters out fast: no coherence in behavior or storyline. I am watching the series in French with english subtitles (yes, I can read and and hear at the same time) so I know this is not a translation issue. It is just bad story writing. I saw the 2 existing seasons, and I doubt a 3rd season can bring that mess to a reasonable conclusion. Oh, and I downgrade the show by 1 star for this: the guinea pig in the story is mistreated. No one should grab a guinea pig the way Nounours does (by its dorsal hair?! Are you insane or just too dumb, man???). And no guinea pig should be left in a tiny cage without a guinea pig mate to commiserate with.

Rural town crime blended with a surreal story Although I made the effort to watch the two seasons, I could not find any entertainment here, the script has many separated lines of continuity that makes it difficult for the viewer to connect, the pace is slow and dull. At the end of the first season, there is a shocking twist (wow,.. I have not expect that..) , but, again they lose the opportunity and plunge into the second season following the same lame boring format. Looks like there was some Stephen King books portrayal influence when they created some characters. Nice landscape imagery steals the show.

I have never reviewed anything before, but had to talk about this fantastic French series, available on Netflix. No fancy jargon here, just my 2 cents as a lover of good series. This show is hard to properly describe, but I'll try...and being American, I watched the French-language version, relying on subtitles. A Major in the Gendarmerie, Laurene, lives in a small village/town called Villefranche. We see that 20 years ago, she was kidnapped and chained in a place in the forest (which in itself could be a character its own). Her memories aren't quite clear, and this is the major plot of the story. I really don't want to say much more. Each case leads her closer to the truth. This series is clever, beautifully filmed, and keeps you wanting more.