Learning a language is useful, but don’t forget how entertaining the process can be. You can reach many of your goals by watching French TV shows to learn French from the comfort of your home. If you’re into binge-watching a miniseries, digging deep into a documentary, or just need a few minutes of French every day, relax with a snack and take in some of our favorite recommendations.
Watching French TV shows can be a satisfying way to celebrate your progress toward learning French and a way to connect with a variety of cultures and dialects. And, of course, it’s a great way to relax and enjoy your language-learning journey!
Table of Contents
French TV shows on Netflix
Take a look at what we think are some of the best French TV shows on Netflix right now. Some are recent and always popular, while others are hidden gems that will have a different flair than you might be used to.
Dix pour Cent (Call my Agent!), 2015-2020
Genre: comedy drama
Rating: TV-MA
Language level: intermediate-advanced
This French série (series) stars Camille Cottin and Thibault de Montalembert as part of a stunning ensemble cast. Featuring a group of talent agents in Paris and the famous and sometimes-entitled stars they work with, this dramatic comedy series comprises 24 episodes across four saisons (seasons). Fans love its wit and believability and appreciate the cameo appearances by real French acteurs et actrices (actors and actresses) throughout the series. You can get to know a lot about what France is known for with the Parisian setting.
Throughout the episodes, you can learn vocabulary and phrases related to the entertainment industry and show business. Relationships abound between friends and colleagues, so you’ll hear lots of informal speech and slang between adults, but also plenty of formal and business speech. Turn on the French subtitles to improve your comprehension.
Drôle (Standing Up), 2022
Genre: comedy
Rating: TV-MA
Language level: advanced
Drôle is a comedy-drama series with six épisodes (episodes) about four aspiring stand-up comedians hoping to bring the laughs and launch their careers in Paris. Journey with stars Mariama Gueye, Younes Boucif, Elsa Guedj, and Jean Siuen through the financial struggles and relationship ups and downs of youth. Fans love the personnages (characters) who face realistic challenges in one of the world’s most amazing cities.
Expand your vocabulary related to young adult life in the city, and French spectacles d’humoriste (stand-up comedy). If you want to learn French, TV shows like Drôle can challenge your comprehension with a lot of casual speech between friends, including uninhibited profanity and adult humor often found in comedy shows.
Lupin, 2021-current
Genre: action/crime thriller
Rating: TV-MA
Language level: advanced
There are currently 17 episodes, called chapitres (chapters), in this suspenseful series starring Omar Sy, Ludivine Sagnier, and Soufiane Guerrab. The main character is motivated by revenge and inspired by the famous French character Arsène Lupin—a gentleman thief. The drame (drama) that follows is a web of danger, double-crossing events, chases, and ransoms.
This series will challenge your French as some of the intense dialogues are shouted over car chases, fight scenes, and background noise. The main character and his father, as seen in un retour en arrière (a flashback) are from Sénégal, which helps you understand accents from French-speaking countries in Africa.
L’Agence: l’immobilier de luxe en famille (The Parisian Agency: Exclusive Properties), 2020-current
Genre: reality TV
Rating: TV-14
Language level: intermediate-advanced
Don’t forget about non-fiction French TV shows to learn French fast! This téléréalité (reality) series is about a family of real estate professionals who serve the richest customers and the most exclusive locations. There are 29 episodes over four seasons that not only follow the property search and sales experiences but also the members of the family as they navigate the business.
Each episode is filled with gros plan (closeup) monologues and interviews with both the agents and their clients, as well as their dialogues and commentaires (commentary) as they visit the impressive properties. You’ll surely learn French words related to unique characteristics of the properties as well as ways to discuss homes and living spaces.
Tales of Africa, 2019
Genre: animated folktales
Rating: TV-PG
Language level: beginner-advanced
This animated series of six courts-métrages (short films) is based on traditional contes (stories) from Africa. You’ll get to hear traditional tales from Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Benin, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Sénégal. They come from oral tradition and feature talking animals, explanations of life, and cultural traditions that live on to this day.
The stories feature a lot of past tense speech and simple vocabulary, and the characters speak slowly and clearly, even though some of the animal and spirit voix (voices) might be tricky for beginners. You’ll learn a lot of vocabulary about life and the cultures of the six countries of origin. The only sous-titres (subtitles) available are in English, so it’s a great opportunity to practice your listening skills without the written support available.
La Forêt (The Forest), 2017
Genre: crime/drama
Rating: TV-MA
Language level: intermediate-advanced
Miniseries strike a balance between the length of French movies and full French TV shows as they are less of a commitment. This six-episode limited series stars Samuel Labarthe, Suzanne Clément, and Alexia Barlier. A mysterious loner teams up with local law enforcement to search for a missing teenager. Each episode has a cliffhanger and a new revelation, keeping you fully engaged in the plot while you’re learning French.
Fans appreciate being able to binge the entire series in a weekend but encourage new viewers to pay attention to the nuances of the characters, plots, and subplots.
Marseille, 2016-2018
Genre: drama
Rating: TV-MA
Language level: intermediate-advanced
This drama will keep you guessing for two eight-episode seasons. Set in the bustling port city of Marseille, this drama stars Gérard Depardieu as Robert Taro, longtime mayor of Marseille. As he prepares to shift power to his successor, the plot explodes in betrayal, revenge, and corruption. Filmed in Marseille, the series may inspire you to visit with its footage of its waterfront, coastlines, and busy city life.
Les 7 vies de Léa (The 7 lives of Lea), 2022
Genre: mystery/fantasy
Rating: TV-MA
Language level: intermediate-advanced
It’s a strange day for 17-year-old Léa when she not only discovers human remains but then wakes up 30 years in the past and inhabits a series of bodies, allowing her to try to solve the mystery of Ismaël’s death.
Astérix & Obélix: Le Combat des Chefs (Asterix & Obelix: The Big Fight), April 2025
Genre: animated/children
Rating: TV-Y7
Language level: beginner-advanced
Another installment featuring the wildly popular French characters Astérix and Obélix, the inspiration of countless bandes dessinés (comics), movies, and French TV shows. Set in ancient Gaul, a small village has always been able to defend itself against the Roman conquerors through the magic potion concocted by Getafix. Suddenly the druid forgets the recipe and the villagers lack their super strength. Will they come up with a plan? Find out when the first episode premieres in April 2025.
French TV shows on other streaming platforms
Continue watching French TV shows to learn French through other streaming platforms. There are paid and free shows available on Hulu, Prime Video, YouTube, and elsewhere.
HPI Haut Potentiel Intellectual (High Intellectual Potential), 2021-2023
Genre: comedy/detective
Rating: TV-MA
Language level: intermediate-advanced
This French-Belgian series, available on Hulu with French audio and English subtitles, would be a delight for fans of the English-language remake High Potential, also streaming on Hulu. The series follows a quirky mom with a high IQ as she accidentally transitions from a career as a cleaning lady to a consultant for a police station. She helps to solve murders and digs into her own mystery.
Lambert contre Lambert: Au Nom de Vincent (Lambert vs. Lambert: Over His Dead Body), 2023
Genre: documentary/medical/legal
Rating: TV-MA
Language level: intermediate-advanced
This four-episode documentaire (documentary) is available on Hulu in the original French audio with English subtitles. It follows the story of Vincent Lambert, the center of a controversial case in France with battles surrounding end-of-life decisions. Vincent lived in a vegetative state for 11 years until his passing in 2019. The documentary format includes interviews, news clips and footage, and dramatic retellings of the events of the case.
Mixte, 2021
Genre: comedy/drama
Rating: 13+
Language level: intermediate-advanced
This Amazon Prime Original from 2021 is set in 1963 France where a group of girls joins an all-boys high school for the first time. Starring Pierre Deladonchamps, Nina Meurisse, and Maud Wyler, this series delights fans with its soundtrack, storytelling, and nostalgia. To practice the difference between tu vs. vous, you can compare the students of Voltaire with their old-fashioned French slang and casual speech, alongside the formal speech of their professors and school staff. Both French and English subtitles are available on Amazon Prime Video.
Engrenages (Spiral), 2005-2020
Genre: detective/crime
Rating: TV-MA
Language level: intermediate-advanced
Described as dark and unsettling, this series follows investigations of crimes in Paris through various perspectives. Organized crime, conspiracy, and anarchy form a spiral of criminal complication. Starring Caroline Proust, Audrey Fleurot, and Thierry Godard, the series is available through subscription on France’s Canal+, or MHz Choice-Prime Video Channels.
Un Village Français (A French Village), 2009-2017
Genre: historical drama
Rating: TV-14
Language level: intermediate-advanced
A fictional French village is within the German occupation zone during WWII. Fans of historical fiction will appreciate the stories of survival and resistance told through the eyes of the French villagers. You can stream the series free with ads on Plex.
Trotro, 2004
Genre: animated/family/children
Rating: TV-Y
Language level: beginner-intermediate
Don’t discount the benefits of watching French TV shows made for young children. Trotro is a children’s series about l’âne (the donkey) Trotro, a preschool donkey who learns about life through various experiences, like learning to get dressed, go to the store, play nicely with friends, and ride a scooter.
The Bénédicte Guettier creation is available in bite-sized episodes or compilations on YouTube. There are transcripts available to help you pay close attention to Trotro’s adventures. Though the show’s audience is the youngest French speakers, even advanced learners can tune in for practice with authentic spoken speech and childlike imagination. If you enjoy Trotro, check out Petit Ours Brun, also available on YouTube.
How watching TV shows can help your French
Immersion is the best way to master comprehension of a new language. Aside from using a program like Rosetta Stone, you’ll want to read, watch, and listen to as much French as possible. Watching French TV shows can help you learn French faster—not to mention it’s a lot of fun.
Connect what you see with what you hear
The orthographe (spelling) of French can be fairly compliquée (complicated), with silent letters and similar sounding groups of vowels. An entertaining show with subtitles can help your brain match written French with spoken French, noticing pronunciation, liaisons between words, and the general cadence of speech.
Notice grammar structures in context
If you’re studying the superlative in French, your next move can be to watch a French TV show to notice the superlatives that you hear in context. You can make mental note of the times that they match the structures of French grammar rules and follow your curiosity if you find any exceptions.
Learn new vocabulary
If a picture is worth a thousand mots (words), a French TV show can offer even more visual support. This supercharged context is ideal for learning new words from all French parts of speech. Switch the subtitles back to English and compare the translations to gain an understanding of how ideas are expressed.
Control the speed and repeat conversations
Check the settings for the ability to turn down the audio speed. You may comprehend authentic speech better until you can listen confidently at full speed. You can also repeat sections of the video as many times as you need. This powerful tool isn’t as easy with in-person conversations unless you have a very sympathetic conversation partner to speak French with you.
Experience different regional accents and dialects
With a variety of shows from around the world, you can hear a wider range of accents and regional dialects, as well as the French slang of different generations. Explore the dialects and cultures of various TV show settings.
Supercharge your comprehension with French TV shows
Streaming subscriptions are always adding new content, so depending on your availability, check out their “watch next” or “you may also like” suggestions. Watching French TV shows may give your comprehension a radical boost of confidence. Use it as a springboard for enjoying French films, books, sporting events, concerts, music, and musical theater from the comfort of your own home. You’ll be more than prepared for your next travel opportunity or for making small talk with native speakers about common interests.
0 Commentaires