There are tons of police shows, and quite a few good ones, but this could be the best one.
This show has been called "The French Law and Order," a reference to the iconic American police/legal show of the 90s and 00's. That is a fair comparison, although Engrenages is better.
I called this a police drama as that is the more common expression, but that is technically incorrect.
There are police shows, such as 19-2, Southland, etc. that focus on law enforcement officers, usually uniformed or patrol officers, or SWAT teams, etc. Although this show has that component, it is not a major part of the show.
Then there are detective shows. Law and Order SVU, The Bridge, Luther, Line of Duty, True Detective. It's all about solving a mystery and catching a criminal.
Then there are legal dramas. There's Silk, Suits, Boston Legal, The Night Of, etc.
Engrenages is between the three. In that sense, it is similar to Law and Order (the original) but few other shows. But unlike Law and Order, the cases last more than one episode. This show is not a procedural, it is a serial, meaning, they don't get new cases and close them in 44 minutes. It takes them a season.
This show shows all the layers of the cake. It takes the time to show us the criminals and their crime, the detectives and their investigation, the prosecutor and his case, the judge and his rulings and finally the legal defense team and their strategy. Other shows focus on one - starting with a dead body and ending with an arrest or starting with an arrest and ending with a trial. This one goes all the way, from crime to judgment.
It's not just the scope of the show that makes it great, it's the interactions of all these cogs and gears. This show doesn't present these parts in slices, i.e. it's not "part 1, crime, part 2 investigation" - it's all interconnected. There are crimes committed during the investigation, suspects are arrested and released, cops dance on the grey area of the law and so do lawyers, private and public life get mixed, personal and professional gets blurry and there simply are no easy answers.
It's funny, sad, thrilling and enraging.
A must watch. This show is golden age quality.
This show has been called "The French Law and Order," a reference to the iconic American police/legal show of the 90s and 00's. That is a fair comparison, although Engrenages is better.
I called this a police drama as that is the more common expression, but that is technically incorrect.
There are police shows, such as 19-2, Southland, etc. that focus on law enforcement officers, usually uniformed or patrol officers, or SWAT teams, etc. Although this show has that component, it is not a major part of the show.
Then there are detective shows. Law and Order SVU, The Bridge, Luther, Line of Duty, True Detective. It's all about solving a mystery and catching a criminal.
Then there are legal dramas. There's Silk, Suits, Boston Legal, The Night Of, etc.
Engrenages is between the three. In that sense, it is similar to Law and Order (the original) but few other shows. But unlike Law and Order, the cases last more than one episode. This show is not a procedural, it is a serial, meaning, they don't get new cases and close them in 44 minutes. It takes them a season.
This show shows all the layers of the cake. It takes the time to show us the criminals and their crime, the detectives and their investigation, the prosecutor and his case, the judge and his rulings and finally the legal defense team and their strategy. Other shows focus on one - starting with a dead body and ending with an arrest or starting with an arrest and ending with a trial. This one goes all the way, from crime to judgment.
It's not just the scope of the show that makes it great, it's the interactions of all these cogs and gears. This show doesn't present these parts in slices, i.e. it's not "part 1, crime, part 2 investigation" - it's all interconnected. There are crimes committed during the investigation, suspects are arrested and released, cops dance on the grey area of the law and so do lawyers, private and public life get mixed, personal and professional gets blurry and there simply are no easy answers.
It's funny, sad, thrilling and enraging.
A must watch. This show is golden age quality.