[Spoiler-free review] French channel TF1 is the happy home of HPI, the ratings juggernaut crime-comedy series starring Audrey Fleurot. This month the private broadcaster tries its luck with Master Crimes, a 6 x 52-minute crime/mystery drama from one the makers of HPI.Comedian and actress Muriel Robin stars as Louise Arbus, a (mandatorily) nonconformist criminologist and unorthodox police consultant (of course).
The Bottom line: B-.
Louise Arbus is a brilliant (the best of her time, we're told) though irritating university psychological criminology professor. Arbus used to work with the police until she started doubting about the guilt of Pierre Delaunay, a man sent to prison thanks to her expertise. Commissaire Oscar Rugasira asks Professor Arbus to join him on a crime scene where the murderer has written a sentence from one of her books on the body of his victim: "I'm waiting for the perfect killer".
« Et ne m'interrompez plus jamais pendant un meurtre. »
Louise accepts to collaborate with Captain Barbara Delandre, a no-nonsense police detective in charge of the investigation. She hires four of her students to assist her on the field: Samuel Cythere (a shy young man), headstrong/hacker Mia Delaunay (Pierre Delaunay's daughter), Boris Volodine (Arbus's best student) and influencer Valentine Vallée. Master Crimes is a creation of novelist and screenwriter Elsa Marpeau. In the past, she imagined two of the quirkiest sleuths of pubcaster group France Télévisions for their eponymous hit series... Capitaine Marleau and Alexandra Ehle.
Elsa Marpeau wrote Episodes 1 and 2 with Franck Calderon, producer of Master Crimes with Sophie Exbrayat for UGC Fiction. UGC Fiction is a subsidiary of UGC Series like Itinéraire Productions, one of the prodcos behind HPI. Franck Calderon worked with Muriel Robin on Mon ange (2021), Le premier oublié (2019) and Jacqueline Sauvage, c'était lui ou moi (2018). Actress Anne Le Nen, who plays Captain Delandre, is the wife of Muriel Robin. She played Captain Léa Hippolyte in the crime drama Antigone 34 (2012). Olivier Claverie (Downton Abbey 2, Avocats et Associés) is Commissaire Rugasiras.
« Il n'y a que les imbéciles qui sortent de leur zone de confort. »
When Master Crimes started in Belgium and Switzerland ahead of TF1, viewers quickly compared it to How To Get Away with Murder (2014-2020). The first episodes, a two-part story unlike the rest, rather feel like a a lite version of the Flemish series Professor T. (2015-2018). In fact, Elsa Marpeau devised TF1's adaptation of the latter (Prof T., 2016). It takes 90 minutes to introduce Arbus and her "Scooby Gang" (at the expense of Delandre and Rugasira) in a cliche-esque plot requiring a huge suspension of disbelief. At least, Muriel Robin has some good scenes.
Master Crimes takes shape from the third episode, written by Manon Dillys (Fugueuse, Les Ombres Rouges) and Anthony Maugendre (Tandem). Past the Delaunay case and Barbara's interest for pathologist Théodore Belin, the plots of Episodes 3 to 6 wouldn't look out of place in HPI or another 52-minute crime drama from France. Master Crimes is watchable with a lot of indulgence and a bit of patience. The series relies heavily on the four students but Louise Arbus turns out to be a likeable character and Muriel Robin makes a successful entrance amongst the plethoric French TV investigators.
Also with Victor Meutelet (Emily in Paris, Grand Hôtel) as Samuel Cythere, Astrid Roos (Mia Delaunay), Nordine Ganso (Boris Volodine), Thaïs Vauquières (Valentine Vallée), Michaël Cohen (Théodore Belin), Nicolas Briançon (Spiral) as Pierre Delaunay, Léon Durieux (Grégoire), Ronan Freud (Thomas Delandre), etc. Episodes 4 to 6 written by Manon Dillys, Anthony Maugendre, Charlotte Joulia (OPJ Pacifique Sud, Police de Caractères), Vincent Robert (Police de Caractères, Crimes parfaits), Marc Kressmann (Demain nous appartient, Candice Renoir), Virginie Parietti (Ici Tout Commence), Emmanuelle Michaux (Section de recherches), Coline Assous (Ici Tout Commence) and Fred Monard (Cassandre).
Story arc by Manon Dillys. Series directed by Marwen Abdallah (Cassandre). Co-produced with TF1, Be-Films and RTBF (Télévision belge). With the participation of RTS Radio Télévision Suisse. Music by Yannis Dumoutiers (HPI). Cinematography by Kika Ungaro. Editing by Ludivine Essa and Stéphanie Gaurier. Main title design by Brett & Cie (HPI, Crimes parfaits). The filming of Master Crimes began in October 2022 in Paris and its suburbs (Sceaux, Suresnes, Villecresnes...) Les yeux grands fermés, a TV movie with Muriel Robin aired by TF1 last month, was watched by 3.73 million viewers (18.9%). Master Crimes will premiere in France on November 9th (two episodes per week). The series is distributed by Newen Connect.
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