{ "id": "epkp6q7fn0", "slug": "la-revolution", "title": "La Révolution", "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.science-fiction-horror-and-supernatural", "label": "Science fiction, horror, and supernatural", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.drama-prestige-series.science-fiction-horror-and-supernatural" } ], "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": "La Révolution is a 2020 French Netflix alternate-history horror series by Aurélien Molas and Gaïa Guasti: in 1787, Joseph Guillotin discovers the Blue Blood virus infecting the aristocracy; 8 episodes, canceled after one season.", "snippet": "La Révolution is a 2020 French Netflix alternate-history horror series by Aurélien Molas and Gaïa Guasti: in 1787, Joseph Guillotin discovers the Blue Blood virus infecting the aristocracy; 8 episodes, canceled after one season.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.drama-prestige-series.science-fiction-horror-and-supernatural", "markdown": "# La Révolution\n\n**La Révolution** is a French television series created by Aurélien Molas and Gaïa Guasti for Netflix, released on October 16, 2020. It is an alternate-history horror drama set in 1787, two years before the [French Revolution](https://www.edgepedia.org/french-revolution), in which a mysterious virus called the Blue Blood spreads through the aristocracy and drives nobles to murder ordinary people, triggering a rebellion.[1](https://www.allocine.fr/series/ficheserie_gen_cserie%3D25147.html) • [2](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/80992775) The series ran for one season of eight episodes before Netflix canceled it in January 2021.[1](https://www.allocine.fr/series/ficheserie_gen_cserie%3D25147.html) • [3](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/la-revolution-season-2-canceled-at-netflix/)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Format | French series, 1 season, 8 episodes of about 46–50 minutes; genres listed as drama, horror, and historical[1](https://www.allocine.fr/series/ficheserie_gen_cserie%3D25147.html) • [4](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/la-revolution) |\n| Release | October 16, 2020 on Netflix; first trailer published July 14, 2020[2](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/80992775) • [5](https://www.allocine.fr/article/fichearticle_gen_carticle%3D1000110875.html) |\n| Premise | 1787: Joseph Guillotin, the future inventor of the guillotine, investigates murders and uncovers the Blue Blood virus among the aristocracy[2](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/80992775) |\n| Main cast | Amir El Kacem (Joseph Guillotin), Marilou Aussilloux (Elise de Montargis), Lionel Erdogan (Albert Guillotin), Isabel Aimé Gonzalez Sola (Katell)[1](https://www.allocine.fr/series/ficheserie_gen_cserie%3D25147.html) |\n| Directors | Julien Trousselier (episodes 1–2), Jérémie Rozan (episodes 3–5), Edouard Salier (episodes 6–8)[6](https://www.plarideljournal.org/download/8142/?tmstv=1755517541) |\n| Cancellation | A planned second season was not made; the cancellation was reported on January 15, 2021[3](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/la-revolution-season-2-canceled-at-netflix/) |\n| Reception | AlloCiné press score 2.0/5 against a viewer score of 3.0/5; IMDb carried a 6.5/10 at the time of cancellation[1](https://www.allocine.fr/series/ficheserie_gen_cserie%3D25147.html) • [3](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/la-revolution-season-2-canceled-at-netflix/) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Premise and setting\n\nThe story takes place in the [Kingdom of France](https://www.edgepedia.org/kingdom-of-france) in 1787. Joseph Guillotin, a physician who would later give his name to the guillotine, investigates a series of mysterious murders and discovers a new virus, the Blue Blood. The disease spreads within the aristocracy and pushes the nobility to attack the common people, and the outbreak becomes the beginning of a revolt. The series frames itself with the question of whether the French Revolution happened the way history records it.[2](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/80992775) • [1](https://www.allocine.fr/series/ficheserie_gen_cserie%3D25147.html)\n\nThe narrative literalizes the old metaphor of the noble as a parasitic being: infected aristocrats become truly blue-blooded superhuman figures with zombie- and vampire-like traits who feed on the people. An academic analysis describes the series as transposing an outbreak event and posthuman existence into the late 18th century, presenting an alternate origin for the Revolution of 1789.[7](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/09571558211063334) The action is set largely in the county of Montargis, a territory that does not actually exist, though the anger of the people rising against the aristocracy reflects real tensions of the period.[8](https://programmetv.ouest-france.fr/actualites/television-la-revolution-habile-melange-des-genres-a-regarder-sur-netflix-7017446)\n\n## Production and influences\n\n**Creation.** Aurélien Molas, previously the writer of the series *Maroni* and *Une île*, created the show with Gaïa Guasti.[9](https://www.tf1info.fr/culture/le-kestuf-du-cast-de-la-revolution-vendredi-16-octobre-2020-sur-netflix-c-est-une-serie-tres-audacieuse-2167290.html) • [1](https://www.allocine.fr/series/ficheserie_gen_cserie%3D25147.html) Molas said the idea came to him while reflecting on Napoleon's maxim that history is a fabric of lies on which people agree.[10](https://www.lefigaro.fr/culture/la-revolution-le-hors-sujet-assume-par-la-serie-de-netflix-20201016) To sell the project to Netflix, he and producer François Lardenois prepared an 80-page dossier with comic-book and storyboard sections, far exceeding the 10-to-15-page format then rumored to be required.[11](https://www.premiere.fr/Series/News-Series/La-Revolution-Netflix-La-source-d-inspiration-etait-vraiment-Kingdom)\n\n**Influences.** Molas named the Korean series *Kingdom* as the true source of inspiration, and the stated ambition was to make a French *Kingdom*, combining the fantastic with the historical.[11](https://www.premiere.fr/Series/News-Series/La-Revolution-Netflix-La-source-d-inspiration-etait-vraiment-Kingdom) Reviewers also drew comparisons to Christophe Gans's film *Le Pacte des loups* (2001), which had similarly mixed French history, the fantastic, and legend; Molas acknowledged that the film was present in the cinematic memories he drew on during development.[12](https://www.cineserie.com/news/people/interviews/la-revolution-netflix-saison-2-influences-genese-le-createur-nous-devoile-les-secrets-de-la-serie-3797126/)\n\nThe series was part of Netflix's early push into French originals after the platform launched in France in 2014; by the early 2020s France had become one of Netflix's largest foreign investment markets, and *La Révolution* was among the domestic series produced in that period.[13](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/26438941.2023.2292405)\n\n## Reception\n\nFrench critics were largely negative. AlloCiné recorded a press score of 2.0 out of 5 from ten reviews, against a viewer score of 3.0 from nearly 2,000 ratings.[1](https://www.allocine.fr/series/ficheserie_gen_cserie%3D25147.html) *Le Parisien* called the series overloaded with hemoglobin, inconsistencies, and clichés, with an unconvincing cast and a disjointed plot.[14](https://www.leparisien.fr/culture-loisirs/series/la-revolution-sur-netflix-pourquoi-c-est-rate-16-10-2020-8403440.php) *Le Monde* judged it a fiasco, alternating hysterical grand-guignol phases with long flat dialogue stretches, and *Télérama* called it a \"consternating\" historico-fantastic Z-series that questioned Netflix's strategy for French productions.[15](https://www.allocine.fr/article/fichearticle_gen_carticle%3D18693846.html) *Première* was more positive about the craft, praising the remarkable aesthetics of the costumes, sets, and lighting.[15](https://www.allocine.fr/article/fichearticle_gen_carticle%3D18693846.html) English-language reviews were split: Decider gave a \"stream it\" verdict, calling the show indulgent, bloody, and mysterious, while [The A.V. Club](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-a-v-club) graded it C− and located its weakness in the writing rather than the cast.[3](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/la-revolution-season-2-canceled-at-netflix/) • [16](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/la-revolution/)\n\n## Cancellation and afterlife\n\nNetflix canceled the series after its single season; the news was reported in January 2021, following the earlier cancellation of the French horror series *Marianne*.[3](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/la-revolution-season-2-canceled-at-netflix/) • [17](https://www.premiere.fr/Series/News-Series/La-Revolution-annulee-par-Netflix--pas-de-saison-2) A 2024 AlloCiné report noted that despite the cancellation, *La Révolution* remained one of the most-watched French programs on the platform, four years after its release.[5](https://www.allocine.fr/article/fichearticle_gen_carticle%3D1000110875.html) The series has also drawn scholarly attention as a case of transmedial storytelling in French historical fiction and of epidemic discourse in serial narration.[7](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/09571558211063334) • [18](https://ojs.lib.uwo.ca/index.php/transcreation/article/view/16570)\n\n## References\n\n1. [La Révolution – Série TV 2020, AlloCiné](https://www.allocine.fr/series/ficheserie_gen_cserie%3D25147.html)\n2. [La Révolution, Netflix Media Center](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/80992775)\n3. [French Series 'La Révolution' Season 2 Canceled at Netflix, What's on Netflix](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/la-revolution-season-2-canceled-at-netflix/)\n4. [La Révolution – streaming tv show online, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/la-revolution)\n5. [Netflix : annulée en 2020, cette série française a été l'une des plus vues sur la plateforme, AlloCiné](https://www.allocine.fr/article/fichearticle_gen_carticle%3D1000110875.html)\n6. [Background and synopsis, Plaridel Journal](https://www.plarideljournal.org/download/8142/?tmstv=1755517541)\n7. [Anna Isabell Wörsdörfer (2022). What if? Epidemic discourse and serial narration in the alternate history series La Révolution (2020), SAGE](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/09571558211063334)\n8. [La Révolution, habile mélange des genres, à regarder sur Netflix, Ouest-France](https://programmetv.ouest-france.fr/actualites/television-la-revolution-habile-melange-des-genres-a-regarder-sur-netflix-7017446)\n9. [Le Kestuf' du cast de \"La Révolution\" : \"C'est une série très audacieuse\" | TF1 Info](https://www.tf1info.fr/culture/le-kestuf-du-cast-de-la-revolution-vendredi-16-octobre-2020-sur-netflix-c-est-une-serie-tres-audacieuse-2167290.html)\n10. [La Révolution : le hors-sujet assumé par la série de Netflix, Le Figaro](https://www.lefigaro.fr/culture/la-revolution-le-hors-sujet-assume-par-la-serie-de-netflix-20201016)\n11. [La Révolution (Netflix) : \"La source d'inspiration était vraiment Kingdom\", Première](https://www.premiere.fr/Series/News-Series/La-Revolution-Netflix-La-source-d-inspiration-etait-vraiment-Kingdom)\n12. [La Révolution (Netflix) : saison 2, influences, genèse, CinéSérie](https://www.cineserie.com/news/people/interviews/la-revolution-netflix-saison-2-influences-genese-le-createur-nous-devoile-les-secrets-de-la-serie-3797126/)\n13. [Special issue: French television then and now, Taylor & Francis](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/26438941.2023.2292405)\n14. [«La Révolution» sur Netflix : pourquoi c'est raté, Le Parisien](https://www.leparisien.fr/culture-loisirs/series/la-revolution-sur-netflix-pourquoi-c-est-rate-16-10-2020-8403440.php)\n15. [La Révolution sur Netflix : que pense la presse de la série française ?, AlloCiné](https://www.allocine.fr/article/fichearticle_gen_carticle%3D18693846.html)\n16. [La Révolution Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/la-revolution/)\n17. [La Révolution annulée par Netflix : pas de saison 2, Première](https://www.premiere.fr/Series/News-Series/La-Revolution-annulee-par-Netflix--pas-de-saison-2)\n18. [La Révolution (Netflix) comme symptôme du transmédiatisme dans une fiction historique, Transcr(é)ation](https://ojs.lib.uwo.ca/index.php/transcreation/article/view/16570)\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) › Science fiction, horror, and supernatural*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 21, 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/la-revolution", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/la-revolution.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": "\"La Révolution\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/la-revolution. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[La Révolution](https://www.edgepedia.org/la-revolution)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/la-revolution](https://www.edgepedia.org/la-revolution). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"La Révolution\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/la-revolution. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "La Révolution is a 2020 French Netflix alternate-history horror series by Aurélien Molas and Gaïa Guasti: in 1787, Joseph Guillotin discovers the Blue Blood virus infecting the aristocracy; 8 episodes, canceled after one season." }