{ "id": "ep7bm5vb9k", "slug": "criminal-france", "title": "Criminal: France", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv", "label": "Scripted television and comedy series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.drama-prestige-series", "label": "Drama and prestige series (individual series)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.drama-prestige-series" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.drama-prestige-series.crime-and-thriller-series", "label": "Crime and thriller series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.drama-prestige-series.crime-and-thriller-series" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.drama-prestige-series.crime-and-thriller-series.police-and-detective-procedurals", "label": "Police and detective procedurals", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.drama-prestige-series.crime-and-thriller-series.police-and-detective-procedurals" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.weu.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.drama-prestige-series", "label": "Western Europe · 2001 to 2020: Drama and prestige series (individual series)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.drama-prestige-series", "path": [ { "id": "geo.weu", "label": "Western Europe", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t2001", "label": "Western Europe · 2001 to 2020", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t2001" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t2001.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t2001.culture" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t2001.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t2001.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t2001.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t2001.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv", "label": "Scripted television and comedy series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.drama-prestige-series", "label": "Drama and prestige series (individual series)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.drama-prestige-series" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Criminal: France is the 2019 French-language installment of Netflix's Criminal interrogation-room anthology, three episodes (Émilie, Caroline, Jérôme) directed by Frédéric Mermoud, created by George Kay and Jim Field Smith, starring Margot Bancilhon with guests Nathalie Baye, Jérémie Renier, and Sara Giraudeau.", "snippet": "Criminal: France is the 2019 French-language installment of Netflix's Criminal interrogation-room anthology, three episodes (Émilie, Caroline, Jérôme) directed by Frédéric Mermoud, created by George Kay and Jim Field Smith, starring Margot Bancilhon with guests Nathalie Baye, Jérémie Renier, and Sara Giraudeau.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.drama-prestige-series.crime-and-thriller-series.police-and-detective-procedurals", "markdown": "# Criminal: France\n\n**Criminal: France** is a 2019 French-language police procedural miniseries released on Netflix, consisting of three episodes that each take place almost entirely inside a police interrogation room in Paris. It is the French installment of *[Criminal](https://www.edgepedia.org/criminal-tv-series)*, a twelve-episode anthology split across four countries, alongside *Criminal: UK*, *[Criminal: Germany](https://www.edgepedia.org/criminal-germany)*, and *Criminal: Spain*.[1](https://www.netflix.com/fr/title/81020513) • [2](https://www.allocine.fr/series/ficheserie_gen_cserie%3D24522.html)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Original release | September 20, 2019, on Netflix[3](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81020513) |\n| Format | 3 episodes, each named after the suspect being interrogated; runtimes of 37 to 42 minutes[1](https://www.netflix.com/fr/title/81020513) |\n| Creators | George Kay and Jim Field Smith, showrunners of the whole *Criminal* anthology[3](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81020513) |\n| French director | Frédéric Mermoud[4](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/criminal-france) |\n| Regular cast | Margot Bancilhon, Laurent Lucas, Stéphane Jobert, Anne Azoulay, Mhamed Arezki[3](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81020513) |\n| Guest stars | Nathalie Baye, Jérémie Renier, Sara Giraudeau[3](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81020513) |\n| Ratings | IMDb 7.2/10 (about 5,000 votes); JustWatch user score 60%[5](https://www.justwatch.com/fr/serie/criminal-france) |\n| Streaming | Available on Netflix and Netflix Standard with Ads; not carried on Disney+, Prime Video, or Apple TV+[6](https://stream-tracker.com/en/serie/criminal-france-2019) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Premise and format\n\nThe series belongs to an anthology whose defining constraint is that the interrogation is the only dramatic device. Each episode is set in a single interview room, over the course of one police custody period (garde à vue), where a new suspect accompanied by a lawyer faces two members of the same large police station; the rest of the team watches and comments from behind a one-way mirror in an adjoining room.[7](https://www.lemonde.fr/culture/article/2019/09/20/television-criminal-ou-l-art-d-acculer-un-suspect-aux-aveux_6012459_3246.html) The camera moves between the interview room and the officers observing on the other side of the mirror, occasionally into a corridor, but never leaves the police station.[8](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/sep/20/criminal-review-police-procedural-netflix-david-tennant)\n\nNetflix describes the format as a stripped-down, cat-and-mouse drama focused on the mental conflict between officer and suspect.[3](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81020513) The French synopsis frames it the same way: dark cases unravel in a Parisian police interrogation room as suspects and investigators face off in an intricate choreography.[1](https://www.netflix.com/fr/title/81020513)\n\n### Episodes\n\nThe three episodes are titled after the suspect in each case:[1](https://www.netflix.com/fr/title/81020513)\n\n1. **Émilie** (39 min). As a victim recounts her experience of the Bataclan attack, which killed her boyfriend, the police become convinced she is not telling them everything. The episode draws on the November 2015 Bataclan concert hall massacre, a collective trauma the anthology's academic coverage identifies as the inspiration for the French opening episode.[1](https://www.netflix.com/fr/title/81020513) • [9](https://www.detect-project.eu/2020/03/16/criminal-netflix/) Sara Giraudeau plays the victim.[10](https://www.lemonde.fr/culture/article/2019/10/01/heritages-gardes-a-vue-et-comedie-musicale-les-series-a-voir-cette-semaine_6013691_3246.html)\n2. **Caroline** (37 min). After a construction site accident, the team interrogates the project manager, a brilliant woman whom the victim had openly criticized. [Nathalie Baye](https://www.edgepedia.org/nathalie-baye) plays Caroline Solal.[1](https://www.netflix.com/fr/title/81020513) • [4](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/criminal-france)\n3. **Jérôme** (42 min). Well before dawn, the team interrogates a sales director suspected of a violent hate crime, and Audrey plays her last card to win the trust of her colleagues. Jérémie Renier plays Jérôme Lacombe.[1](https://www.netflix.com/fr/title/81020513) • [4](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/criminal-france)\n\nThe twelve gardes à vue across the four country blocks were written around personal and societal issues including the Bataclan attack, workplace accidents, homophobic assaults, migrant trafficking, and domestic violence.[7](https://www.lemonde.fr/culture/article/2019/09/20/television-criminal-ou-l-art-d-acculer-un-suspect-aux-aveux_6012459_3246.html)\n\n## Production\n\nThe anthology was created by the English showrunners George Kay, a writer on *Killing Eve* and *The Hour*, and Jim Field Smith, director of *Endeavour* and *The Wrong Mans*, who coordinated four separate crews of directors, screenwriters, and casts, one per country, with each country's stories written and directed by people from that country.[3](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81020513) • [8](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/sep/20/criminal-review-police-procedural-netflix-david-tennant) • [9](https://www.detect-project.eu/2020/03/16/criminal-netflix/) Frédéric Mermoud directed the French block.[4](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/criminal-france)\n\nFilming began in March 2019, and every episode of the anthology, whatever its country, was shot at the same location, Netflix's production hub at Ciudad de la Tele in Madrid, with an estimated 45-minute episode runtime.[11](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/NEWS/NETFLIX-CRIME-ANTHOLOGY-CRIMINAL-EVERYTHING-WE-KNOW-SO-FAR/) The series was released on September 20, 2019.[3](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81020513)\n\n## Cast\n\nThe regular French team consists of Margot Bancilhon as Audrey Larsen, Laurent Lucas as Olivier Hagen, Stéphane Jobert as Gérard Sarkissian, Anne Azoulay as Laetitia Serra, and Mhamed Arezki as Omar Matif.[3](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81020513) • [4](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/criminal-france) The guest suspects are played by Sara Giraudeau (Émilie Weber), Nathalie Baye (Caroline Solal), and Jérémie Renier (Jérôme Lacombe).[3](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81020513) • [4](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/criminal-france)\n\n## Reception and availability\n\nOn IMDb the miniseries holds a 7.2 out of 10 from about 5,000 votes, and [JustWatch](https://www.edgepedia.org/justwatch) users give it 60 percent; AlloCiné spectators rate it 3.4 out of 5 from 325 notes.[5](https://www.justwatch.com/fr/serie/criminal-france) • [2](https://www.allocine.fr/series/ficheserie_gen_cserie%3D24522.html) Critics reviewing the anthology as a whole highlighted the claustrophobic intensity of the interrogation-room format and the strength of the acting.[8](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/sep/20/criminal-review-police-procedural-netflix-david-tennant)\n\nThe series streams on Netflix, including the ad-supported tier, with French original audio and subtitles in Arabic, German, English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese; it is available to download for offline viewing.[1](https://www.netflix.com/fr/title/81020513) • [6](https://stream-tracker.com/en/serie/criminal-france-2019) Age ratings differ by region: Netflix France lists it as suitable for ages 13 and over, JustWatch France gives 12, and the US listing carries TV-MA.[1](https://www.netflix.com/fr/title/81020513) • [5](https://www.justwatch.com/fr/serie/criminal-france) • [4](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/criminal-france)\n\n## References\n\n1. [Criminal: France, Netflix](https://www.netflix.com/fr/title/81020513)\n2. [Criminal : France – Série TV 2019, AlloCiné](https://www.allocine.fr/series/ficheserie_gen_cserie%3D24522.html)\n3. [Criminal: France, Netflix Media Center](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81020513)\n4. [Criminal: France – watch online, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/criminal-france)\n5. [Regarder la série Criminal: France streaming, JustWatch France](https://www.justwatch.com/fr/serie/criminal-france)\n6. [Criminal: France — available on Netflix and streaming platforms?, Stream Tracker](https://stream-tracker.com/en/serie/criminal-france-2019)\n7. [Télévision : « Criminal », ou « l'art » d'acculer un suspect aux aveux, Le Monde (20 September 2019)](https://www.lemonde.fr/culture/article/2019/09/20/television-criminal-ou-l-art-d-acculer-un-suspect-aux-aveux_6012459_3246.html)\n8. [Criminal review – like Line of Duty at its intense, interrogatory best, The Guardian (20 September 2019)](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/sep/20/criminal-review-police-procedural-netflix-david-tennant)\n9. [Europe in one room, DETECt (16 March 2020)](https://www.detect-project.eu/2020/03/16/criminal-netflix/)\n10. [Héritages, gardes à vue et comédie musicale... les séries à voir cette semaine, Le Monde (1 October 2019)](https://www.lemonde.fr/culture/article/2019/10/01/heritages-gardes-a-vue-et-comedie-musicale-les-series-a-voir-cette-semaine_6013691_3246.html)\n11. [Netflix Crime Anthology 'Criminal': Everything We Know So Far, What's on Netflix](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/NEWS/NETFLIX-CRIME-ANTHOLOGY-CRIMINAL-EVERYTHING-WE-KNOW-SO-FAR/)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Drama and prestige series (individual series) › Crime and thriller series › Police and detective procedurals*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/criminal-france", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/criminal-france.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Criminal: France\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/criminal-france. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Criminal: France](https://www.edgepedia.org/criminal-france)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/criminal-france](https://www.edgepedia.org/criminal-france). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Criminal: France\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/criminal-france. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Criminal: France is the 2019 French-language installment of Netflix's Criminal interrogation-room anthology, three episodes directed by Frédéric Mermoud, created by George Kay and Jim Field Smith, starring Margot Bancilhon with guests Nathalie Baye, Jérémie Renier, and Sara Giraudeau." }