French pubcaster France 3's detective "semi-anthology" Crimes parfaits continues with the return of a familiar captain... No, not that one.
France 3 is the home of Capitaine Marleau, the megahit created by Elsa Marpeau and starring Corinne Masiero as an offbeat, sharp-minded and quick-witted sleuth without a first name but with a chapka and a parka. Columbo is one of the acknowledged influences of the character. Coincidentally (or not), some cousins to the eccentric female sleuth regularly pop up on the channel. Julie Depardieu stars as a free-spirited and whimsical pathologist in Alexandra Ehle, a series written by its creator... Elsa Marpeau. Before that, Crimes parfaits was launched in 2017 with a couple of episodes starring Isabelle Gélinas as Agnès (no last name), an unconventional police captain dressed like Janis Joplin.
Agnès hates the GPS, cell phones, as well as high tech. She shares her life between two sympathetic men (perfectly aware of the situation). In October 2018, Crimes parfaits introduced viewers to Marleau's newest relative: Police captain Louise Bonne, played by actress and humorist Julie Ferrier. Now Isabelle Gélinas returns as Capitaine Agnès in two episodes penned by Didier Le Pêcheur & Delphine Labouret and directed by Philippe Bérenger (Nicolas Le Floch). Arthur Mazet is back as Thibaud, Agnès's uptight and by-the-book sidekick. Thomas Walch (Max, the pathologist), Franck Adrien (Philippe) and Laurent Fernandez (Micha) are there too.
Christine Citti, an actress well known to French crime drama fans (Les enquêtes d'Éloïse Rome, P.J.), guest stars as Sylvaine Dumont in C'est la taille qui compte. Back from Paris, Sylvaine discovers that her husband has committed suicide. She decides to make it look like a murder in order to frame Lucie Perrin (Lola Dewaere), their neighbour and his mistress. Poor Thibaud must find his boss on a nude beach. He conducts the investigation with her blessing and soon Lucie is under arrest. The presence of Christine Citti turns out to be a missed opportunity. The comedy situations are contrived and the ending epitomizes the pointlessness of this episode. Also with Sophia Johnson (Bleue).
Patrick Catalifo channels the best Columbo murderers in Un meurtre peut en cacher un autre. Damien Perrot, a banker who launders money for a mobster from Ex-Yugoslavia, brutally kills a man with an other death in mind. The episode contains a few bad dialogues and an impressive amount of social comments for 55 minutes. Also with Diane Robert (Géraldine Hugon), Franck Libert (Lucas Hugon), Patrick Albenque (Stazicic), Sophia Johnson (Bleue), Yves Borrini (ORPJ boss), etc. Co-produced by Éléphant Story and France Télévisions, with AT-Production and R.T.B.F. (Télévision belge). With the participation of RTS (Radio Télévision Suisse) and TV5 Monde. Produced by Guillaume Renouil, who exec produces with Gaëlle Cholet. Music by Jean-Pierre Taïeb.
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