A Very Secret Service
A Very Secret Service (French: Au service de la France) is a French comedy-drama series created by Jean-François Halin and produced by Gilles de Verdière.[1]
| A Very Secret Service | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Comedy, drama |
| Created by | Jean-François Halin |
| Written by |
|
| Directed by | Alexandre Courtès |
| Starring |
|
| Theme music composer | Nicolas Godin |
| Country of origin | France |
| Original language | French |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 24 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Producer | Alexandre Courtès |
| Running time | 21-31 minutes |
| Production company | Mandarin TV |
| Release | |
| Original network | Arte |
| Original release | October 29, 2015 – July 19, 2018 |
| External links | |
| Au service de la France | |
Premise
In 1960, young André Merlaux eagerly accepts a cryptic summons to take a position as a trainee officer with the French Secret Services (based on the Service de Documentation Extérieure et de Contre-Espionnage). He will be watched over by the operations director Moïse, and reluctantly mentored by senior colleagues Moulinier (in charge of African affairs), Jacquard (Algeria), and Calot (Eastern Bloc). It is the height of the Cold War and the position of France as a Great Power is in crisis, faced with independence challenges from the colonies of French West Africa, above all the fight over the independence of Algeria. French society is changing at home as well, with a rising counterculture exemplified by growing feminism and New Wave cinema.
Cast and characters
Main cast
- Hugo Becker as André Merlaux
- Wilfred Benaïche as Colonel Maurice Mercaillon
- Christophe Kourotchkine as Georges Préjean "Moïse"
- Mathilde Warnier as Sophie Mercaillon
- Karim Barras as Jacky Jacquard
- Bruno Paviot as Roger Moulinier
- Jean-Édouard Bodziak as Jean-René Calot
- Marie-Julie Baup as Marie-Jo Cotin
Secondary characters
- Joséphine de La Baume as Miss Clayborn
- Antoine Gouy as Henri Lechiot / Hervé Gomez / Schmid
- Philippe Resimont as Father Jean
- Julie Farenc as Nathalie
- Khalid Maadour as Moktar
- Stéphanie Fatout as Irène Mercaillon
- Axelle Simon as Marthe
- Baptiste Sornin as Planton, reception desk employee
Development
Principal photography for the first series took place between October 2014 and February 2015 in Île-de-France and Morocco.[2]
The series recalls OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies in style and tone, although it is slightly more serious (writer Halin was also credited for the screenplay of both OSS 117 films, and one of the three Les Guignols authors).[3] The show uses historical events as background or foreground for its action, similar to Mad Men (such as the Algerian war of independence and the first French nuclear test, Gerboise Bleue).
Arte's president of fiction, Olivier Wotling, confirmed a second season to Le Figaro's TV Magazine on July 3, 2016.[4]
In a March 2019 interview with the French language outlet PureMédias, Hugo Becker expressed doubt regarding the likelihood of a third season, stating that the series had reached "the end of the arc," and adding that while "there might be material... the story is complete and I think that's fine." .[5]
Episodes
Season 1 (2015)
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Le Tsèt" "The Tsèt" | Alexandre Courtès | Jean-François Halin, Claire Lemaréchal & Jean-André Yerles | 28 October 2015 |
| 2 | "Il y a Allemand et Allemand" "There's German and German" | Alexandre Courtès | Jean-François Halin, Claire Lemaréchal & Jean-André Yerles | 28 October 2015 |
| 3 | "Un peu de soleil" "A Bit of Sun" | Alexandre Courtès | Jean-François Halin, Claire Lemaréchal & Jean-André Yerles | 28 October 2015 |
| 4 | "L'Algérie, c'est la France" "Algeria, it's France" | Alexandre Courtès | Jean-François Halin, Claire Lemaréchal & Jean-André Yerles | 28 October 2015 |
| 5 | "Le Prunier" "The Plum Tree" | Alexandre Courtès | Jean-François Halin, Claire Lemaréchal & Jean-André Yerles | 5 November 2015 |
| 6 | "Une Femme moderne" "A Modern Woman" | Alexandre Courtès | Jean-François Halin, Claire Lemaréchal & Jean-André Yerles | 5 November 2015 |
| 7 | "VG 42" "VG 42" | Alexandre Courtès | Jean-François Halin, Claire Lemaréchal & Jean-André Yerles | 5 November 2015 |
| 8 | "Mission Monôme" "Mission Monôme" | Alexandre Courtès | Jean-François Halin, Claire Lemaréchal & Jean-André Yerles | 5 November 2015 |
| 9 | "Plume Invisible" "Invisible Plume" | Alexandre Courtès | Jean-François Halin, Claire Lemaréchal & Jean-André Yerles | 12 November 2015 |
| 10 | "Le Code Taupe" "Code Name Mole" | Alexandre Courtès | Jean-François Halin, Claire Lemaréchal & Jean-André Yerles | 12 November 2015 |
| 11 | "Le Plan Quinquennal" "The Five-Year Plan" | Alexandre Courtès | Jean-François Halin, Claire Lemaréchal & Jean-André Yerles | 12 November 2015 |
| 12 | "Au Service de ma France" "In the Service of My France" | Alexandre Courtès | Jean-François Halin, Claire Lemaréchal & Jean-André Yerles | 12 November 2015 |
Season 2 (2018)
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | "Tétanos et Fièvre Jaune" "Tetanus and Yellow Fever" | Alexis Charrier | Jean-François Halin, Claire Lemaréchal & Jean-André Yerles | 28 June 2018 |
| 14 | "Autodéterminés" "Self-Driven" | Alexis Charrier | Jean-François Halin, Claire Lemaréchal & Jean-André Yerles | 28 June 2018 |
| 15 | "Quand l'eau est à 12 degrés, on doit s'attendre à ce qu'elle soit froide" "When the Water's at 12 Degrees, Expect It to be Cold" | Alexis Charrier | Jean-François Halin, Claire Lemaréchal & Jean-André Yerles | 28 June 2018 |
| 16 | "Le singe est dans la fusée" "The Monkey Is in the Rocket" | Alexis Charrier | Jean-François Halin, Claire Lemaréchal & Jean-André Yerles | 12 July 2018 |
| 17 | "Le Pouche" "The Coup" | Alexis Charrier | Jean-François Halin, Claire Lemaréchal & Jean-André Yerles | 12 July 2018 |
| 18 | "Elle est pas verte, Gerboise Verte" "The Green Gerbil Isn't So Green" | Alexis Charrier | Jean-François Halin, Claire Lemaréchal & Jean-André Yerles | 12 July 2018 |
| 19 | "Quel rapport avec l'Afrique ?" "What's Africa Got to Do With It?" | Alexis Charrier | Jean-François Halin, Claire Lemaréchal & Jean-André Yerles | 19 July 2018 |
| 20 | "John, Jacky, Yvonne et le Général" "John, Jacky, Yvonne and the General" | Alexis Charrier | Jean-François Halin, Claire Lemaréchal & Jean-André Yerles | 19 July 2018 |
| 21 | "Tovaritch Merlaux" "Tovaritch Merlaux" | Alexis Charrier | Jean-François Halin, Claire Lemaréchal & Jean-André Yerles | 19 July 2018 |
| 22 | "C'est beau la Pologne" "Poland Is a Lovely Place" | Alexis Charrier | Jean-François Halin, Claire Lemaréchal & Jean-André Yerles | 26 July 2018 |
| 23 | "Non mort de la taupe morte" "The Non-Death of the Dead Mole" | Alexis Charrier | Jean-François Halin, Claire Lemaréchal & Jean-André Yerles | 26 July 2018 |
| 24 | "Code étendu en Algérie" "Code Extended to Algeria" | Alexis Charrier | Jean-François Halin, Claire Lemaréchal & Jean-André Yerles | 26 July 2018 |
Release
It was commissioned by Arte, where it premiered in 2015,[6] and was later distributed worldwide by Netflix on 1 July 2016.[7] The second season appeared on Netflix in August 2018.
Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an average audience score of 100%.[8] On Metacritic, the series holds an average audience score of 7.8 out of 10, based on 2,733 user reviews.[9]
Steve Greene of IndieWire wrote that despite a "certain level of absurdity", the show was a "pretty well-calibrated balance between homage and parody".[10]
References
- "MIPCOM Hot Pick: A Very Secret Service". TBI Vision. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
- "" Au service de la France ", une série d'espionnage en tournage pour Arte" [A Very Secret Service, a spy series being filmed for Arte]. Arte. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
- "Au service de la France dézingue les années de Gaulle" [A Very Secret Service takes apart the de Gaulle years]. Telerama. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
- "Au service de la France: une saison 2 sur les rails". Le Figaro télé. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
- "Hugo Becker ("Osmosis") : "Même un projet de grande ampleur peut être fait de façon artisanale"". ozap.com (in French). Retrieved 2020-09-21.
- Middleton, Richard. "Mandarin's Secret Unpeeled in Belgium". C21. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
- Lawson, Richard; Busis, Hillary. "What's New on Netflix in June—and What to Watch Before It Disappears". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
- A Very Secret Service, retrieved 2021-01-30
- Au service de la France (Comedy), Hugo Becker, Wilfred Benaïche, Christophe Kourotchkine, Karim Barras, Mandarin Films, Mandarin Television, 2015-10-28, retrieved 2021-01-30CS1 maint: others (link)
- Greene, Steve; Greene, Steve (2018-08-02). "'A Very Secret Service' Review: Netflix's French Spy Comedy is 'The Office' by Way of 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy'". IndieWire. Retrieved 2021-01-30.