Of course, watching films and TV shows in a language you are learning is a nice, easy, cosy way of keeping your ear in when you’re feeling lazy.
But it’s also a great way to get exposure to vocabulary and cultural insights that you may not otherwise come across.
There are even ways to make your “sessions” more productive, by using an extension like Language Reactor, importing the content to LingQ or just applying some of the strategies Lindsay Does Languages recommends in this Ultimate Guide to Language Learning on Netflix.
The round up below are five of my favourite French shows on Netflix right now. To give you an idea of whether you will enjoy each one too, I’ve summarised what it’s about, what it’s good for, and other content it’s similar to, that you may already know and love.
This is the story of…
…a con-artist in modern-day Paris (played by Omar Sy) who models himself on the literary character, the “gentleman thief” Arsène Lupin created by Maurice Leblanc in the early 20th century. Lupin’s antics are in aid of avenging his father’s unjust fate. At the same time, he drifts further from his son after he and his partner separate.
It’s good for…
…an insight into one corner of France’s literary heritage, the Arsène Lupin series. It also builds in more modern themes, such as the disadvantages and struggles faced by immigrants from France’s former colonies.
The shots of Paris are stunning, and the language, while being authentic, is also relatively easy to understand as Sy’s character speaks slowly and clearly. There are also plenty of two-person dialogues, which are easier to follow than the fractured and overlapping dialogue in group scenes.
If you liked…
…the modern-day Sherlock Holmes series, with its mix of contemporary and historical, literary allusions and seeing intelligence triumph, then you will probably enjoy this too.
This is the story of…
…a real-life Parisian family who run a luxury real estate business. We watch them through the highs and lows of working with your nearest and dearest, as they all grow professionally and personally.
It’s good for…
…getting to know different districts in Paris and the kind of language used by well-to-do millennials in a domestic and professional setting. As you have three generations in the family, you are also exposed to phrases used by people of different ages.
If you liked…
…this is a tough one because I should be saying something like Buying Sunset here, but I have no interest in watching that in English and still enjoyed The Parisian Agency. If you think you’d enjoy watching three grandsons getting their funky and young-at-heart mamie onto dating sites while finding themselves professionally then this one’s for you. Another inspiring element of this story is that the parents were teachers until they had young children and decided to change careers so that they could spend more time together.
This is the story of…
…a group of stand up comedians working in Paris. We see comedians at different stages of their careers: the total newbie creating a completely new career en cachette, the overnight success adjusting to a sudden breakthrough and the one who’s lost their lustre and is spinning off the rails.
It’s good for…
…feeling like you have sat through an evening of stand up in French and actually understood it. You know how you can’t help laughing a bit louder, when you hear a joke in another language, to show that your language skills are good enough to get it? There are lots of opportunities for that…
If you liked…
…shows that centre around friendship, love and self-realisation, like Love or Superstore, then this might appeal.
This is the story of…
…an actors’ agency in Paris. Every episode sees numerous crises averted, as the competitive agents manage their capricious clients and invariably come out on top.
It’s good for…
…professional but natural-sounding that could take you from office to premiere.
If you like…
…French cinema in general then you will probably enjoy seeing the stars act hammed up versions of “themselves” – the luvvies and divas that the agents represent.
This is the story of…
…a family who move out of the kosher butcher trade and into selling cannabis.
It’s good for…
…crude humour and clever parodies of drug-lord dramas.
If you liked…
…Breaking Bad – but can take a sizeable side dish of slapstick – then you should enjoy this too. It’s the same slippery descent from an ordinary life to the pits of narcotics and organised crime, but with a lot more poo jokes.
So those are my top picks. What do you think of these, if you’ve seen them, and what else would you recommend? Please comment below to help this community line up their next French show.
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