# Balthazar
**Balthazar** is a French crime thriller television series created by Clélia Constantine and Clothilde Jamin, broadcast on TF1 from December 6, 2018 to February 23, 2023. It stars [Tomer Sisley](https://www.edgepedia.org/tomer-sisley) as Raphaël Balthazar, a brilliant and eccentric forensic pathologist who helps the police solve complex murders, and Hélène de Fougerolles as Police Commander Hélène Bach, who must learn to work with him.[1](https://www.allocine.fr/series/ficheserie_gen_cserie%3D23123.html) • [2](https://thetvdb.com/series/balthazar) • [3](https://tf1pro.com/programmes/episode/balthazar-derniere-demeure)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Created by | Clélia Constantine and Clothilde Jamin[1](https://www.allocine.fr/series/ficheserie_gen_cserie%3D23123.html) |
| Lead actors | Tomer Sisley (Raphaël Balthazar), Hélène de Fougerolles (Hélène Bach), Constance Labbé (Camille Costes), Yannig Samot (Jérôme Delgado)[1](https://www.allocine.fr/series/ficheserie_gen_cserie%3D23123.html) • [2](https://thetvdb.com/series/balthazar) |
| Broadcast | TF1, France; first aired December 6, 2018; last aired February 23, 2023; status Ended[2](https://thetvdb.com/series/balthazar) |
| Format | 5 seasons, 38 episodes, about 52 minutes each; crime thriller in French[4](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/balthazar) • [2](https://thetvdb.com/series/balthazar) |
| Season lengths | Season 1: 6 episodes; Season 2: 10; Season 3: 8; Season 4: 8; Season 5: 6[4](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/balthazar) |
| Reception | IMDb 7.6/10 (about 2.8k votes); AlloCiné audience 3.8/5 from 1,266 ratings[4](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/balthazar) • [1](https://www.allocine.fr/series/ficheserie_gen_cserie%3D23123.html) |
| Availability (US) | Streaming on Acorn TV, AcornTV Amazon Channel, Spectrum On Demand, Acorn TV Apple TV channel, and free on Hoopla; digital purchase from $39.96[5](https://www.moviefone.com/tv-shows/balthazar/ufd1HXBNrxdxoYoV6UpwH3/where-to-watch/) |
## Spoilers
### Premise
Raphaël Balthazar is described as the most gifted forensic pathologist of his generation: charming, handsome, and irreverent, he fascinates as much as he exasperates, often in defiance of norms and conventions. Police Commander Hélène Bach, an overworked mother recently arrived at the criminal brigade (la Criminelle), must collaborate with this extraordinary personality, and together they face the most complex murders.[1](https://www.allocine.fr/series/ficheserie_gen_cserie%3D23123.html) A library review of the first series adds that beneath Balthazar's constant smiling, joking, and eating lies deep pain stemming from his wife's murder fifteen years earlier.[6](https://westmontlibrary.org/bookrecs/2021/11/15/balthazar-series-1/)
The opening episode, "De chair et de sang," sets up the partnership: Judge Darrodeau and his wife are found murdered in their suburban Paris house, and the only survivor is their six-year-old daughter, catatonic and unable to speak, the sole potential witness. Balthazar joins Captain Bach on the case.[7](https://www.itv.com/watch/balthazar/2a5877/2a5877a0001) • [8](https://www.tf1.fr/tf1/balthazar)
### Seasons and broadcast
The series ran five seasons on TF1. Season 1 (6 episodes) aired in December 2018; Season 2 (10 episodes) in November and December 2019; Season 3 (8 episodes) in November and December 2020; Season 4 (8 episodes) in March and April 2022; and Season 5 (6 episodes) in January and February 2023, ending on February 23, 2023.[2](https://thetvdb.com/series/balthazar) The fifth season was also scheduled on French television from Thursday, February 29, 2024, from 21:05.[9](https://www.francetvpro.fr/contenu-de-presse/65288242)
**Season 5 storyline.** The final season picks up after the fourth: all members of the team face the consequences of their actions. Balthazar, wanted by every police force in France, is on the run in an unexpected place; Camille, Delgado, and Olivia have been suspended; Eddy and Fatim manage the forensic institute (IML) as best they can; and Maya, still in prison, has given birth to Balthazar's child. Alexandre, Balthazar's brother and worst enemy, has not said his last word. In the first episode, "Marionnettes," Balthazar is living happily in Marrakech, still believed responsible for murders committed by his brother, until he learns his colleagues lost their posts for helping him flee and for failing to catch a bloodthirsty Paris criminal known as "le Marionnettiste." The arrival of a particularly diabolical killer forces Balthazar out of hiding.[9](https://www.francetvpro.fr/contenu-de-presse/65288242)
## Cast and production
Tomer Sisley leads as Raphaël Balthazar, with Constance Labbé as Camille Costes, Yannig Samot as Jérôme Delgado, Hélène de Fougerolles as Hélène Bach, Pauline Cheviller as Lise Castel, Philypa Phoenix as Fatim, Côme Levin as Eddy, Leslie Medina as Maya, and Caterina Murino as Olivia Vésinet.[2](https://thetvdb.com/series/balthazar) • [3](https://tf1pro.com/programmes/episode/balthazar-derniere-demeure)
Directors across the run include Vincent Jamain (7 episodes), Jérémy Minui (4), Mona Achache (4), Frédéric Berthe (2), and Tomer Sisley himself (2 episodes, credited December 5, 2019). Writers with the most episode credits are Nicolas Clément, Clothilde Jamin, and Julie-Anna Grignon, with 13, 13, and 12 episodes respectively.[2](https://thetvdb.com/series/balthazar)
## Reception and availability
On IMDb the series holds a 7.6/10 rating from roughly 2,800 votes, and [JustWatch](https://www.edgepedia.org/justwatch) lists a 77% rating.[4](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/balthazar) On AlloCiné, press critics gave 3.3/5 from 6 reviews and viewers 3.8/5 from 1,266 ratings.[1](https://www.allocine.fr/series/ficheserie_gen_cserie%3D23123.html) A library review recommended the series for fans of forensic mysteries, noting that it is character-driven and not especially violent onscreen, though it contains some gruesome moments in victim states and autopsy scenes.[6](https://westmontlibrary.org/bookrecs/2021/11/15/balthazar-series-1/)
In the United States, the series streams on [Acorn TV](https://www.edgepedia.org/acorn-tv), the AcornTV Amazon Channel, Spectrum On Demand, the Acorn TV Apple TV channel, and free on Hoopla, and can be purchased digitally starting at $39.96 on Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, and Google Play Movies.[5](https://www.moviefone.com/tv-shows/balthazar/ufd1HXBNrxdxoYoV6UpwH3/where-to-watch/) In France it is available on TF1+ and Netflix, with VOD rental on Canal VOD from €1.49.[1](https://www.allocine.fr/series/ficheserie_gen_cserie%3D23123.html)
In December 2025, AlloCiné reported that after *HPI* and *Astrid et Raphaëlle*, another flagship French series, Balthazar, would receive an English-language adaptation.[1](https://www.allocine.fr/series/ficheserie_gen_cserie%3D23123.html)
## References
1. [Balthazar - Série TV 2018, AlloCiné](https://www.allocine.fr/series/ficheserie_gen_cserie%3D23123.html)
2. [Balthazar, TheTVDB.com](https://thetvdb.com/series/balthazar)
3. [Balthazar - Dernière demeure, TF1 Pro](https://tf1pro.com/programmes/episode/balthazar-derniere-demeure)
4. [Balthazar - watch tv show streaming online, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/balthazar)
5. [Balthazar - Where to Watch, Moviefone](https://www.moviefone.com/tv-shows/balthazar/ufd1HXBNrxdxoYoV6UpwH3/where-to-watch/)
6. [Balthazar Series 1, Westmont Public Library](https://westmontlibrary.org/bookrecs/2021/11/15/balthazar-series-1/)
7. [Balthazar - Series 1 - Episode 1, ITVX](https://www.itv.com/watch/balthazar/2a5877/2a5877a0001)
8. [Balthazar (Série), TF1+](https://www.tf1.fr/tf1/balthazar)
9. [Balthazar Saison 5, France TV Pro press kit](https://www.francetvpro.fr/contenu-de-presse/65288242)
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*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*
*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*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license