# Liaison
**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.[1](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/originals/liaison/) • [2](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/liaison-compelling-high-grade-espionage-thriller) • [3](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/liaison) It was the first Anglo-French production on Apple TV+ and the service's first original made in both French and English.[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/liaison/s01) • [5](https://9c519110712a1cc5ffdf-b1b745d17d9877b298ac94fd86f5428e.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/ChannelGuideE-Feb2023.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | February 24, 2023, on Apple TV+[1](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/originals/liaison/) |
| Format | Six episodes of about 53 minutes; thriller in French and English[3](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/liaison) |
| Creator and director | Written by Virginie Brac; directed by Stephen Hopkins[1](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/originals/liaison/) |
| Lead roles | Vincent Cassel as Gabriel Delage, Eva Green as Alison Rowdy[2](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/liaison-compelling-high-grade-espionage-thriller) |
| Supporting cast | Peter Mullan (Richard Banks), Gérard Lanvin (Dumas), Daniel Francis (Albert Onwori), Irène Jacob (Sophie Saint-Roch)[6](https://assets.corusent.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Programmation-detaillee-Series-Plus-H25.pdf) |
| Critical reception | 42% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer from 24 reviews; 54% audience score; 6.5/10 on IMDb[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/liaison/s01) • [3](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/liaison) |
| Production countries | France and the United Kingdom[3](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/liaison) |
## Spoilers
### Premise and plot
The 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.[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) Their journey takes them through encounters with Russian mercenaries and a border crossing into Turkey before they reach France and Britain.[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)
The 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.[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) • [2](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/liaison-compelling-high-grade-espionage-thriller)
In 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.[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) • [2](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/liaison-compelling-high-grade-espionage-thriller) Apple's own synopsis describes the series as combining espionage and political intrigue with "a story of passionate and enduring love".[1](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/originals/liaison/)
## Production
Virginie 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.[1](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/originals/liaison/) • [8](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/tvfilm/liaison-review-apple-tv-unrealistic-scenarios-eva-green-vincent-cassel-b1058875.html) Gub Neal and Jean-Benoît Gillig served as executive producers.[1](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/originals/liaison/) The production is a France-United Kingdom co-production, and the action moves among Syria, France, Britain, and Brussels.[3](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/liaison) • [9](https://www.digitaltrends.com/movies/liaison-review/) The Standard's review noted that scenes move from London to Dunkirk to the Middle East with brisk pacing.[8](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/tvfilm/liaison-review-apple-tv-unrealistic-scenarios-eva-green-vincent-cassel-b1058875.html)
The 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.[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) • [5](https://9c519110712a1cc5ffdf-b1b745d17d9877b298ac94fd86f5428e.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/ChannelGuideE-Feb2023.pdf) A 2025 report on Apple's French investments cited *Liaison* as an example of the platform's premium European programming.[11](https://www.movistarplus.es/comunicacion/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/RESUMEN-DE-MEDIOS-29-1-2025.pdf)
## Reception
Critical 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".[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/liaison/s01) 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.[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) [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.[12](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/02/23/arts/apple-tv-hot-streak-ends-with-half-baked-liaison/)
French 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.[13](https://www.allocine.fr/series/ficheserie-29528/critiques/presse/) 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.[2](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/liaison-compelling-high-grade-espionage-thriller) Among viewers, the series reached an IMDb rating of 6.5 from about 7,000 votes.[3](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/liaison)
The 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.[3](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/liaison)
## References
1. [Liaison, Apple TV Press](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/originals/liaison/)
2. [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)
3. [Liaison (2023), JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/liaison)
4. [Liaison: Season 1, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/liaison/s01)
5. [Channel Guide, February 2023 (Apple TV+ original series listing)](https://9c519110712a1cc5ffdf-b1b745d17d9877b298ac94fd86f5428e.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/ChannelGuideE-Feb2023.pdf)
6. [Programmation détaillée Séries Plus H25, Corus Entertainment](https://assets.corusent.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Programmation-detaillee-Series-Plus-H25.pdf)
7. [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)
8. [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)
9. [Liaison review, Digital Trends](https://www.digitaltrends.com/movies/liaison-review/)
10. [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)
11. [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)
12. [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/)
13. [Critique presse Liaison, AlloCiné](https://www.allocine.fr/series/ficheserie-29528/critiques/presse/)
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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 › Spy and political thrillers*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 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