Ali Amrani, Joséphine Karlsson, Gilou, Laure Berthaud and Arnaud Beckriche
All good things must come to an end, even Spiral, BBC Four’s hit French crime drama.
The Bridge and The Killing maybe more famous, but Spiral precedes them both by several years – its first run originally aired in the UK in the summer of 2006 and gained a small if loyal group of fans. They believe that despite the hype surrounding other shows, the Gallic hit remains the best foreign series to air on the channel.
Entitled Engrenages (which translates as Gears) in its native country, Spiral has taught viewers all about France’s judicial system, which differs from our own; the police work hand-in-hand with judges who have the power to drive investigations in certain directions, long before a trial date is set.
“Spiral” – The Maelstrom [MOVIE REVIEW]
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Caroline Proust (Laure Berthaud) in “Spiral.” Photo courtesy of Photo courtesy of Caroline Dubois / Son et Lumière /
Canal+
Still atop the
New York Times list of must-see TV, “Spiral” (“Engrenages”), the police drama from France, launches its eighth and final season on January 5 on MHz Choice, with a release of a new episode each week. Marine Francou supervised the writing staff on what was her plotline for this season. She doesn’t disappoint.
As explained in the review of Season 7, “Spiral” is an intense look at the French justice system from all the intermeshed points of view. Beloved and complicated judge advocate Roban is no longer part of the team. His forced retirement has removed him from the central role he played in years past when adjudicating the solution of the crimes the police of the Second District were tasked with solving.
As we creep blinking out of our homes into a vaccine-enabled version of normality, some semblance of order should return to the world of arts and entertainment. In that spirit, and with the usual caveats, here are 21 reasons to look forward to 2021. Television Line Of Duty Filming on series six of the BBC’s blockbuster drama about a police anti-corruption was curtailed by the pandemic. It has now finished so it won’t be long before we’re once again gripped by questions both large (is Adrian Dunbar’s Superintendent Ted Hastings really H, the criminal mastermind the team have been chasing for years) and small (why does Martin Compston’s Cockney accent never slip?). This season’s star turn comes from Kelly Macdonald as DCI Joanne Davidson. Date: March.