Television Review: Marseille (Season 1, 2016)

Netflix gave the impression of being best adapted among all major 'players' to the business parameters of the Golden Age of Television, in other words, realising that TV series, like other products, must be localised. As a result, it embarked on what until late 2010s was an unimaginable adventure: creating series not in the English language, or produced in countries other than Britain and America, increasingly featuring not only casts but also themes and plots pertaining to those non-English-speaking nations. Perhaps one of the most intriguing examples is Marseille, a French TV series launched in 2016 and concluded in 2018.

As the title suggests, the plot is set in France’s second-largest city, distinguished from the rest of the country by its Mediterranean spirit, but also by unpleasant and highly relevant issues such as corruption, crime, and inter-ethnic tensions. Things had, however, gone well enough for the protagonist, a politician named Robert Taro (Gérard Depardieu), to hold the mayoral position for twenty years. Given the pressures of age and health issues including occasional snorting of cocaine, he is ready to relinquish the city’s helm and hand it over to his long-standing assistant and protégé, Lucas Barrès (Benoît Magimel), who was expected to easily win the upcoming elections. Just before this transition, Taro plans to crown his career with a grand urban renewal project, including the construction of luxury casinos in the city’s port. However, during a crucial meeting meant to approve the project, Barrès suddenly turns against his mentor and votes to torpedo the entire venture. Furious, Taro then decides to run against his protégé, launching a campaign during which he must uncover not only the political, business, and even gangster circles behind Barrès, but also the motives for his treacherous act. Meanwhile, his daughter Rachel (Géraldine Pailhas), working under a false name as a journalist at a local newspaper, investigates the deplorable state of affairs in the local immigrant banlieues and meets two local criminals, unaware that through them she will become linked to the conspiracy against her father.

Marseille may appear to be a French remake of an American TV series at first glance, though it is in fact an original production. Viewers will find in its content considerable, perhaps excessive, similarities to political dramas such as House of Cards, Boss, or The Wire. Although the series’ creator, renowned novelist Dan Franck, may have intended to surpass those models and craft a deadly serious drama about 'deep' themes such as corruption, negative consequences of globalisation and economic crises, as well as the rise of the right in France and Europe, the impression is left that the series has ended up far glossier and less authentic than its transatlantic models. This is primarily due to the impression that a large amount of money has been spent on the series, making Marseille appear far more beautiful and glamorous than it ought to be for a series of this nature. This glamour is evident in the casting, with certain roles portrayed by actors who look as though they have stepped off a fashion runway. A greater issue is the script, which resolves the central mystery using soap-opera solutions from Latin American telenovelas, complete with the inevitably irritating cliffhanger that concludes the first season. What saves the impression, and provides reason to watch another season, is the top-notch professionalism and polished production, as well as the rather affable acting ensemble. This applies to Depardieu, who could master roles like a Marseille-style equivalent of The Wire's Royce blindfolded, but even more so to Magimel, whose portrayal of an unscrupulous politician and sexual manipulator with enigmatic motives ranks among the best television villain roles since Joan Collins played Alexis in Dynasty. This attempt by Netflix to share a slice of the Golden Age of Television with Europe and France may not have been entirely successful, but it could have been far worse.

RATING: 5/10 (++)

(Note: The text in the original Croatian version is available here.)

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