''Marseille'' is a French

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

streaming television Streaming television is the digital distribution of television content, such as TV shows, as streaming media delivered over the Internet. Streaming television stands in contrast to dedicated terrestrial television delivered by over-the-air a ...

series created by

Dan Franck Dan Franck (born 17 October 1952 in Paris) is a French novelist and screenwriter. His novel ''La Séparation'' won the 1991 Prix Renaudot, and was made into a movie, ''La Séparation''. Works *''Apolline'', Seuil, 1997, *''Bohèmes'' Calmann ...

starring

Gérard Depardieu Gérard Xavier Marcel Depardieu, CQ (, , ; born 27 December 1948) is a French actor, filmmaker, businessman and vineyard owner since 1989 who is one of the most prolific thespians in film history having completed over 250 films since 1967 al ...

. The series is the first French language original production for

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

, which ordered the project to series on 10 July 2015. The eight-episode first season premiered worldwide on Netflix on 5 May 2016. A second season was ordered on 6 June 2016. Production for the second season commenced on 18 April 2017. The second season debuted in February 2018. Netflix cancelled the show after 2 seasons.

Plot

After 20 years as mayor of

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fra ...

, Robert Taro (Depardieu) enters into a war of succession with his former protégé turned rival Lucas Barres ( Benoît Magimel). Both men are members of the "UPM" party, based on the centre-right UMP (Union for a Popular Movement). A betrayal ignites a bitter war between a master politician and his hungry young protégé in this sweeping tale of corruption, seduction and revenge. Then, the battle for the heart of Marseille heats up as right-wing nationalists gain power and a shadowy conspiracy targets the city's beloved

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

team.

Cast and English dubbing

Main characters

Side characters

Episodes

Season 1 (2016)

Season 2 (2018)

Release

The show's first season released worldwide on Netflix on 5 May 2016, and the first two episodes have aired on TF1. The second season was released on Netflix on 23 February 2018.

Critical reception

In France, the series received a mostly negative reaction from the press. Pierre Sérisier, writing for ''

Le Monde ''Le Monde'' (; ) is a French daily afternoon newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average circulation of 323,039 copies per issue in 2009, about 40,000 of which were sold abroad. It has had its own website si ...

'', called it an "industrial accident". Télérama gave the series a "red card", while Alain Carrazé on Europe 1 referred to it as something from "the 90s" with "cartoonish and ridiculous dialogue". However, reception outside France was more positive.

References

External links

* {{Netflix original ended series (2012–2018) French-language Netflix original programming Television shows set in Marseille 2016 French television series debuts 2018 French television series endings French political drama television series Television series about organized crime Works about organized crime in France