For a week, from March 17 to 24, 2023, the world of the small screen vibrated to the rhythm of the Series Mania festival in Lille. Among the fifty series presented, we recommend 8 of them which particularly caught our attention.
Each year, the Series Mania festival enchants series fans from all over the world, for a week, in Lille. The opportunity to discover international works, which can rarely be seen on our French screens, with 24 countries represented including India, Israel and Senegal. Anglophone and Francophone productions are also widely promoted, with previews of highly anticipated series such as The Power Or The Drops of God (which unfortunately we could not see).
Like last year, after hours of viewing and dozens of episodes swallowed up, we have selected our 8 favorites from Series Mania 2023 for you.
Latecomers
One evening, Frank and Sarah meet in a bar. Then begins a beautiful love story between these two new lovebirds. Australian series with small episodes of only 10 minutes, Latecomers features characters with disabilities as rarely on the small screen. And it’s no secret: the people involved were involved at every stage of production, including casting. The series thus brilliantly proves how the representation of people with disabilities in their own terms is the key to everything. We loved this funny and touching romance, which notably features a hilarious first date in a grocery store. sex toy and does not hesitate to approach sexuality brilliantly. Latecomers is an antivalidist series as we would like every day on our screens.
Distribution unknown in France.
Need love
Marco Delgado is a porn actor at the end of his career, who is struggling to make ends meet. When he collapses on a set, the medical verdict is clear: he simply needs love. With this improbable pitch, Need love manages the feat of mixing a slightly trashy humor and a strong emotional statement. If this French comedy seems to be heading towards a more classic romance afterwards, the series remains a pleasant discovery, of which we can’t wait to know the outcome. Special mention to Laetitia Vercken (Orders) and Anouk Villemin, two wonderful actresses who light up the entire plot with their crazy energy.
Need for Love will be available from May 11 on OCS.
Barzakh
On paper, if we had been told that an Indian and Pakistani series would be one of our major favorites of the festival, we would not necessarily have believed it at first sight. But these prejudices fall immediately at the sight of Barzakh, whose mystical atmosphere simply leaves you speechless. The production focuses on the story of a wealthy hotel owner, who is about to marry for the third time. As he invites his children to attend the ceremony, the event could well revive old wounds…
On the border between the fantastic and the tale, Barzakh is our most beautiful surprise of Series Mania 2023. The plans, of immense beauty, are similar to skilfully composed tableaux, in which evolve, among others, the brilliant Fawad Khan (Miss Marvel). Strange mixture between the decorations of Twin Peaks and the family tragedies of Succession, this series approaches family love with an atmosphere close to magical realism. Brief, Barzakh is a constant experience, which we hope to see the continuation of in France one day.
Distribution unknown in France.
Nolly
Helena Bonham Carter (The Crown), heroine of a series of the great Russell T. Davies (Doctor Who, Years and Years), about the world of television. Suffice to say that we were impatiently awaiting this English production. And we were absolutely not disappointed. Based on the true story of Noele Gordon, Nolly develops the story of this small-screen celebrity, known for her role in the soap opera Crossroads. Returned without explanation at the height of her success, in 1981, the actress therefore experienced the ups and downs of a ruthless environment. Nolly is therefore embodied by a Helena Bonham Carter in top form, served by a very lively realization, in constant movement. Cherry on the cake : Nolly is a mini-series in only 3 episodes.
Distribution unknown in France.
Split
Anna is a stuntwoman on set. As she takes part in a new film, she gradually falls in love with the actress she has to dub, Eve. For her who thought she was happy, in a relationship with a man, this mutual attraction reverses her whole vision of the world. Will she be able to get out of heterosexuality to confront this burning desire? First series of journalist and author Iris Brey, Split is part of the continuity of his writings on the female gauze on the screen. Behind the camera, there is an almost entirely female team, and it shows. This France TV Slash production is simply intoxicating. Rarely have women’s bodies been filmed with such sensitivity and respect, in close-ups of mad sensuality. We are therefore dying to discover the rest, and quickly!
Broadcast soon on France TV Slash.
Everyone Else Burns
The Lewises are an ultra-religious family, convinced that the end of the world will soon befall their roof. David is thus impatiently awaiting a promotion from his parish, while his wife, Fiona, is tired of these diktats to follow constantly. Aaron, their son, transcribes his haste for the Apocalypse through atrocious drawings. And for her part, Rachel, her sister, dreams of going to university… Everyone Else Burns quickly established itself as the best series in the selection devoted to comedies. Completely quirky, with a dark satirical humour, this English nugget develops a hilarious variation on religious excesses. A success, which made us laugh several times during the viewing.
Distribution unknown in France.
Under control
Here is probably our biggest favorite of this entire 2023 edition of Series Mania. In Under control, we follow Marie, a humanitarian propelled Minister of Foreign Affairs to the French government. But when hostages are held by terrorists in the Sahel, she will have to do everything to keep the situation under control (or pretend). Finally, we hold our Veep à la française, our totally incorrect political comedy, with ultra incisive and intelligent humour, like Parliament had already begun to develop it.
Under control manages to draw comic potential, including from absolutely tragic situations, in particular thanks to the talent of its actors like Léa Drucker and Laurent Stocker (Influence games). We haven’t laughed so much at a French series for a long time, and we still want more. Special mention also to Polar Parksoon on Arte: a completely absurd thriller that summons Fargo Or The City of Fear.
Broadcast soon on Arte.
Little Bird
The series have a political power, it is undeniable. Little Bird powerfully reminds us of this by revealing a whole little-known and absolutely heartbreaking part of Canadian history. In the late 1960s, the government orchestrated a “roundup” to snatch thousands of children from Aboriginal communities. In this fiction inspired by real events, Esther engages in a burning quest for identity, to find her family. The story is moving, the realization is aerial, the narration is mastered over two historical periods… In short, Little Bird touches the heart with this essential story, to never forget our past.
Distribution unknown in France.
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