French TV

Every Friday, TMINE lets you know when the latest global TV shows will air in the UK

Quite a lot of acquisitions this week, with Universal Channel picking up The Resident (US: Fox), Sky1 grabbing hold of S.W.A.T. (US: CBS), 5USA acquiring Training Day (US: CBS) and Walter Presents shockingly acquiring a dark Scandi thriller Elven (The River) (Norway: TV3) – who saw that coming?

Premiere dates have been a bit harder to come by, mind, but here’s three to tickle your fancy.

Striking Out (Ireland: RTÉ One; UK: 5Select)
Premiere date: Tuesday, February 13

Channel 5’s new 5Select channel is launching with Irish legal thriller Striking Out, which has been renewed for a second season in its home country. Here’s the Wiki plot rundown, since I ain’t seen it.

Striking Out follows the suddenly tumultuous professional and personal life of Dublin-based solicitor, Tara Rafferty (Amy Huberman), and her fledgling legal firm. With the help of Ray Lamont (Emmet Byrne), her street smart and opinionated client-turned-assistant, Meg Riley (Fiona O’Shaughnessy), a tech guru and private detective, Pete (Brahm Gallagher), the easy-going owner of the café where she makes her new office, and Senior Counsel Vincent Pike (Neil Morrissey – yes, that one), Tara’s mentor and friend, Striking Out follows Tara in her often surprising, sometimes poignant cases – their findings, fallouts, and resolutions.

Spanning from grandeur of the Four Courts to the beehive of Grand Canal, Striking Out is a snapshot of contemporary life in Ireland. Over time Tara’s cases pit her in direct conflict with influential families and the legal and political establishment, and also challenge her own ethics as she navigates her new life, fighting the urging of Eric and his and her family to return to the way things were. She isn’t alone in the battle, though. With support from her new team, Tara finds that this unexpected road is actually more rewarding

Gone (NBC (US)/TF1 (France)/Vox (Germany); UK: Universal Channel)
Premiere date: Monday March 19, 9pm

A TV show that has even less of a fixed abode than Absentia, Gone has only just started airing in the likes of France and Germany, which is why I haven’t seen it. That and it sounding rubbish, despite both Leven Rambin and Chris Noth being in the cast. So here’s the spiel:

Based on the Chelsea Cain novel One Kick, Gone tells the story of Kit “Kick” Lanigan (Leven Rambin), the survivor of a famous child-abduction case, and Frank Novak (Chris Noth), the FBI agent who rescued her. Determined never to fall victim again, as an adult Kick has trained herself in martial arts and the use of firearms.

She finds her calling when Novak persuades her to join a special task force dedicated to solving abductions and missing persons’ cases. Paired with former army intelligence officer John Bishop (Danny Pino), along with other team members, Maya Kennedy (Tracie Thoms) and James Finley (Andy Mientus), the team work to solve cases and bring victims home.

No English-language trailers that I could find, but if you don’t mind some Spanish, there’s this one:

And if you can cope with a little French, there’s these for the first two episodes:

Alexa & Katie (Netflix)
Premiere date: Friday, March 23

Sigh. Not seen this one, either, but it’s Netflix. Probably won’t see this since it’s for kids:

Alexa & Katie follows two best friends eagerly anticipating the start of their freshman year of high school. Despite the fact that Alexa is undergoing cancer treatment, her outgoing personality and enthusiasm for life never falter, especially with her loyal, quirky, and awkwardly adorable best friend Katie by her side. At times they’re left feeling like outsiders, during a period when what seems to matter most is fitting in.

The comedy series stars Paris Berelc, Isabel May, Tiffani Thiessen, Emery Kelly, Eddie Shin, Jolie Jenkins and Finn Carr.

There’s no trailer yet. Soz.