Every Friday, TMINE lets you know when the latest TV shows from around the world will air in the UK
Lots of lovely new tele on the way announced this week – Sky even acquired CITVC (China)’s Heroes in Harm’s Way and then stuck it up for us to watch without telling anyone. But not everything had premiere dates.
Netflix developing: adaptation of Robert E Howard’s Conan the Barbarian books
French TV
Canal+ cancelsBaron Noir, renews Les Sauvages(The Savages)
France 2 green lights: lawyer’s epiphany drama Le code (The Code), with Daniel Njo Lobe, Christiane Millet, Naidra Ayadi et al
France 3 green lights: Pays Basque crime drama J’ai menti(I Lied), with Camille Lou, Thierry Neuvic, Marylin Lima et al, and unexpected dead mother crime drama Jugée coupable (Found Guilty), with Garance Thenault, Pierre-Yves Bon, Jérôme Anger et al
UK TV
BBC green lights: pilot of fitness instructor comedy Peacock, with Thomas Gray, Steve Stamp, Allan Mustafa et al
In France: Aired on Canal+ in April In the UK: Available on Sundance Now
All good things end eventually. Sometimes they finish naturally, sometimes they’re forced to stop. And sometimes they just decide to do something odd. Like The Bureau.
Probably Britain’s finest ever spy show was The Sandbaggers, a marvellously daring combination of office politics, realpolitik and verisimilitude.
It tragically lasted a mere three seasons because its talented creator, Ian Mackintosh, mysteriously disappeared in the middle of the third season. The show’s quality dropped afterwards – if not markedly, at least noticeably – with other talents simply unable to do what Mackintosh uniquely could do.
France’s answer to The Sandbaggers is Le Bureau des Légendes (The Bureau), an equally thrilling but decidedly modern spy thriller about which I’ve written considerably over the years:
I’ve compared the two shows a considerable amount over the years, but I was somewhat hoping that The Bureau would finish on a slightly higher note than The Sandbaggers, as we entered what would appear to be the final season. The show has largely improved every season, from an already superb starting point, but its creator, Eric Rochant, has decided enough is enough and has decided to move on to make his (much deserved fortune) in the US.
Yet, here I am, forced to make the same comparison as always, because while season 5 of The Bureau is largely as brilliant, and possibly even better than previous seasons, Rochant decided to hand over the reins to the final two episodes to noted French director Jacques Audiard (A Prophet, Rust & Bone, Dheepan). And while these are actually pretty good by most standards, the show’s quality drops – if not markedly, at least noticeably.
By my God, those first eight episodes…
Spoilers aplenty after the reminder (in French) of what happened in seasons one to four, the (subtitled) trailer for season 5 and the jump. If you haven’t seen the previous seasons – or this season – you’re probably better off waiting until after you have. Remember: the only place you can now watch all five seasons in the UK is Sundance Now, since the first two aren’t on Amazon Prime any more (at least, not for free).
