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 "excerpt": "Liaison is a 2023 Apple TV+ six-part Anglo-French espionage thriller created by Virginie Brac, directed by Stephen Hopkins, starring Vincent Cassel and Eva Green as former lovers fighting cyberattacks on post-Brexit Britain; critically panned at 42% on Rotten Tomatoes.",
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 "markdown": "# Liaison\n\n**Liaison** is a six-part French-British espionage thriller released on Apple TV+ on February 24, 2023. Created and written by the French television writer Virginie Brac and directed by Stephen Hopkins, it stars [Vincent Cassel](https://www.edgepedia.org/vincent-cassel) and [Eva Green](https://www.edgepedia.org/eva-green) as Gabriel Delage and Alison Rowdy, two former lovers who must work together against international cyberattacks threatening the United Kingdom while confronting the buried secrets of their past relationship.<sup>[1](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/originals/liaison/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/liaison-compelling-high-grade-espionage-thriller)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[3](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/liaison)</sup> It was the first Anglo-French production on Apple TV+ and the service's first original made in both French and English.<sup>[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/liaison/s01)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[5](https://9c519110712a1cc5ffdf-b1b745d17d9877b298ac94fd86f5428e.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/ChannelGuideE-Feb2023.pdf)</sup>\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Release | February 24, 2023, on Apple TV+<sup>[1](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/originals/liaison/)</sup> |\n| Format | Six episodes of about 53 minutes; thriller in French and English<sup>[3](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/liaison)</sup> |\n| Creator and director | Written by Virginie Brac; directed by Stephen Hopkins<sup>[1](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/originals/liaison/)</sup> |\n| Lead roles | Vincent Cassel as Gabriel Delage, Eva Green as Alison Rowdy<sup>[2](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/liaison-compelling-high-grade-espionage-thriller)</sup> |\n| Supporting cast | Peter Mullan (Richard Banks), Gérard Lanvin (Dumas), Daniel Francis (Albert Onwori), Irène Jacob (Sophie Saint-Roch)<sup>[6](https://assets.corusent.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Programmation-detaillee-Series-Plus-H25.pdf)</sup> |\n| Critical reception | 42% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer from 24 reviews; 54% audience score; 6.5/10 on IMDb<sup>[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/liaison/s01)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[3](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/liaison)</sup> |\n| Production countries | France and the United Kingdom<sup>[3](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/liaison)</sup> |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Premise and plot\n\nThe story begins in Damascus, where a hacker and his collaborator steal sensitive information, including material taken from [Bashar al-Assad](https://www.edgepedia.org/bashar-al-assad)'s iCloud, and flee toward Europe to reveal what they have uncovered.<sup>[7](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/feb/24/liaison-review-eva-greens-spy-thriller-is-a-total-mess-of-a-tv-show)</sup> Their journey takes them through encounters with Russian mercenaries and a border crossing into Turkey before they reach France and Britain.<sup>[7](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/feb/24/liaison-review-eva-greens-spy-thriller-is-a-total-mess-of-a-tv-show)</sup>\n\nThe theft sets off a contest between the French and British governments, which are on unfriendly terms in the series' post-Brexit setting. Within the French presidency, the advisers Sophie Saint-Roch and Didier disagree over how to extract the Syrians and seize the stolen data: Sophie favors the official route through the DGSE intelligence agency, while Didier prefers off-the-books contractors whose connection to France can be denied if they are caught. Gabriel Delage, a roving French agent who takes such jobs despite his stated \"moral prejudice\", is drawn into the operation.<sup>[7](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/feb/24/liaison-review-eva-greens-spy-thriller-is-a-total-mess-of-a-tv-show)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/liaison-compelling-high-grade-espionage-thriller)</sup>\n\nIn Britain, the National Cyber Security Centre comes under attack, with London's transport system and flood defenses among the targets, and the government scrambles to respond. Alison Rowdy, a [Westminster](https://www.edgepedia.org/westminster) political aide working for the minister Richard Banks, turns out to have a hidden past connection to Gabriel, which drives the personal storyline that runs beneath the espionage plot.<sup>[7](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/feb/24/liaison-review-eva-greens-spy-thriller-is-a-total-mess-of-a-tv-show)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/liaison-compelling-high-grade-espionage-thriller)</sup> Apple's own synopsis describes the series as combining espionage and political intrigue with \"a story of passionate and enduring love\".<sup>[1](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/originals/liaison/)</sup>\n\n## Production\n\nVirginie Brac, previously showrunner of the French crime series *Engrenages*, created the series, and Stephen Hopkins, whose earlier credits include *Predator 2* and early episodes of the spy drama *24*, directed it.<sup>[1](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/originals/liaison/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[8](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/tvfilm/liaison-review-apple-tv-unrealistic-scenarios-eva-green-vincent-cassel-b1058875.html)</sup> Gub Neal and Jean-Benoît Gillig served as executive producers.<sup>[1](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/originals/liaison/)</sup> The production is a France-United Kingdom co-production, and the action moves among Syria, France, Britain, and Brussels.<sup>[3](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/liaison)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[9](https://www.digitaltrends.com/movies/liaison-review/)</sup> The Standard's review noted that scenes move from London to Dunkirk to the Middle East with brisk pacing.<sup>[8](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/tvfilm/liaison-review-apple-tv-unrealistic-scenarios-eva-green-vincent-cassel-b1058875.html)</sup>\n\nThe series was positioned as a milestone for Apple TV+'s European output: it was the platform's first French production and its first bilingual French- and English-language original.<sup>[10](https://www.numerama.com/pop-culture/1272410-pour-le-24-02-liaison-la-premiere-serie-francaise-dapple-tv-est-aussi-leur-premier-echec.html)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[5](https://9c519110712a1cc5ffdf-b1b745d17d9877b298ac94fd86f5428e.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/ChannelGuideE-Feb2023.pdf)</sup> A 2025 report on Apple's French investments cited *Liaison* as an example of the platform's premium European programming.<sup>[11](https://www.movistarplus.es/comunicacion/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/RESUMEN-DE-MEDIOS-29-1-2025.pdf)</sup>\n\n## Reception\n\nCritical response was mixed to negative. On Rotten Tomatoes, the season holds a 42% Tomatometer from 24 reviews and a 54% audience score; the critics' consensus says the series \"generates some spark from Vincent Cassel and Eva Green's pairing but generally underwhelms as an anemic addition to the espionage genre\".<sup>[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/liaison/s01)</sup> The Guardian's Rebecca Nicholson called it \"a total mess\", criticizing a convoluted plot and hammy romantic scenes while acknowledging that the premise of vulnerable national infrastructure and post-Brexit Anglo-French friction was promising.<sup>[7](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/feb/24/liaison-review-eva-greens-spy-thriller-is-a-total-mess-of-a-tv-show)</sup> [The Boston Globe](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-boston-globe)'s Matthew Gilbert found the six-parter \"consistently half-baked\", with dialogue that rarely rose above plot signposts, though he credited Cassel and Green with charisma and chemistry.<sup>[12](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/02/23/arts/apple-tv-hot-streak-ends-with-half-baked-liaison/)</sup>\n\nFrench critics were similarly divided. AlloCiné's aggregation of nine press reviews gives an average of 2.5 out of 5: *Le Figaro Magazine* called the series \"a genuine puzzle, as ambitious as it is effective\", while *Télérama* found the political thriller weighed down by labored twists and caricatured characters.<sup>[13](https://www.allocine.fr/series/ficheserie-29528/critiques/presse/)</sup> The Sight and Sound review by Guy Lodge was more favorable, describing the show as \"compelling high-grade hokum\" and a strong vehicle for Eva Green's performance as the series' central enigma.<sup>[2](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/liaison-compelling-high-grade-espionage-thriller)</sup> Among viewers, the series reached an IMDb rating of 6.5 from about 7,000 votes.<sup>[3](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/liaison)</sup>\n\nThe episode 6 listing on Apple's press site labels the finale \"An Eye for an Eye\" a series finale, and Apple's press releases did not bill the show as a limited series.<sup>[3](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/liaison)</sup>\n\n## References\n\n1. [Liaison, Apple TV Press](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/originals/liaison/)\n2. [Liaison: a compelling high-grade espionage thriller, Sight and Sound (BFI), Guy Lodge, 24 February 2023](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/liaison-compelling-high-grade-espionage-thriller)\n3. [Liaison (2023), JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/liaison)\n4. [Liaison: Season 1, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/liaison/s01)\n5. [Channel Guide, February 2023 (Apple TV+ original series listing)](https://9c519110712a1cc5ffdf-b1b745d17d9877b298ac94fd86f5428e.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/ChannelGuideE-Feb2023.pdf)\n6. [Programmation détaillée Séries Plus H25, Corus Entertainment](https://assets.corusent.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Programmation-detaillee-Series-Plus-H25.pdf)\n7. [Liaison review, The Guardian, Rebecca Nicholson, 24 February 2023](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/feb/24/liaison-review-eva-greens-spy-thriller-is-a-total-mess-of-a-tv-show)\n8. [Liaison on AppleTV+ review, The Standard (Evening Standard)](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/tvfilm/liaison-review-apple-tv-unrealistic-scenarios-eva-green-vincent-cassel-b1058875.html)\n9. [Liaison review, Digital Trends](https://www.digitaltrends.com/movies/liaison-review/)\n10. [Liaison : la première série française d'Apple TV+, Numerama](https://www.numerama.com/pop-culture/1272410-pour-le-24-02-liaison-la-premiere-serie-francaise-dapple-tv-est-aussi-leur-premier-echec.html)\n11. [Resumen de medios, 29 January 2025 (Apple TV+ France investment report)](https://www.movistarplus.es/comunicacion/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/RESUMEN-DE-MEDIOS-29-1-2025.pdf)\n12. [Apple TV+ hot streak ends with half-baked 'Liaison', The Boston Globe, Matthew Gilbert, 23 February 2023](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/02/23/arts/apple-tv-hot-streak-ends-with-half-baked-liaison/)\n13. [Critique presse Liaison, AlloCiné](https://www.allocine.fr/series/ficheserie-29528/critiques/presse/)\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 › Spy and political thrillers*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 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",
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 "credit": "\"Liaison\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/liaison. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.",
 "credit_md": "\"[Liaison](https://www.edgepedia.org/liaison)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/liaison](https://www.edgepedia.org/liaison). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).",
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 "speakable": "Liaison is a 2023 Apple TV+ six-part Anglo-French espionage thriller created by Virginie Brac, directed by Stephen Hopkins, starring Vincent Cassel and Eva Green as former lovers fighting cyberattacks on post-Brexit Britain; critically panned at 42% on Rotten Tomatoes."
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