[Favourite of the Month][Spoiler-free review] The fabulous Audrey Fleurot (Les combattantes, Spiral) is back in HPI. The brilliant 8 x 52-minute third season of French private channel TF1's record-breaking comedy/crime drama starts this thursday with episode 1.
Created for TF1 by Alice Chegaray-Breugnot and Nicolas Jean — two of the creators of La Mante — with Stéphane Carrié (1), HPI established itself as a ratings juggernaut in France and Belgium during spring 2021 and confirmed its status with the second season. The series is sold in more than 90 territories. Audrey Fleurot plays Morgane Alvaro, a mother of three (from two different fathers) with a disdain for authority and a 160 I.Q. that makes her HPI (Haut Potentiel Intellectuel, hence the title). She was a cleaning lady at the commissariat de Lille until Commissaire Céline Hazan noticed her abilities and offered her a consultant job in the team of Commandant Adam Karadec.
The actors alongside Audrey Fleurot are excellent: Mehdi Nebbou, who worked for Steven Spielberg or Ridley Scott and appeared on German TV in Allmen and Tatort and in the U.S. drama Homeland, plays Commandant Karadec. Céline Hazan is played by Marie Denarnaud (Les papillons noirs, La malédiction du volcan). The other regulars are Bruno Sanches (Gilles Vandraud), Bérangère McNeese (Daphné Forestier), Cypriane Gardin (Théa), Noé Vandevoorde (Eliott), Cédric Chevalme (Ludovic Mullier) and Christopher Bayemi (Luther) as Dr. Bonnemain. Clotilde Hesme (Lupin) plays Commandant Roxane Ascher. Swiss actor Jérémy Lewin joins the regular cast as Brigadier Timothée Guichard.
In 2019, almost 8m viewers watched Le Bazar de la Charité on TF1 so HPI could have been a hit on the sole popularity of the versatile Audrey Fleurot. Her chemistry with Mehdi Nebbou is fantastic and they make their characters irresistible. Their talents are aptly served by the quality of both the production and the writing, which ensure a balance between humour and the cases of the week. The eagerly awaited third season, filmed between July 2022 and March 2023, starts with an incredible two-part story. In Symétrie radiale, Morgane Alvaro works as a cleaning lady again and she has not given any news to her colleagues for several months. At the police station, everybody misses her. Gilles and Daphné cannot help showing some dislike towards Céline's new recruit, Brigadier Guichard.
Morgane's obnoxious employer, Émilie Fontaine, complains that she's the victim of a mysterious tormentor. Morgane offers her to investigate in order to find who's behind her predicament. Things get complicated when Émilie vanishes. With Anne Azoulay (Émilie Fontaine), Pierre Rochefort (Maxime Fontaine), Ludovic Lecaille (Lorenzo), etc. In 18 carats, the ex-police consultant is in big trouble as she must face Karadec but also an old adversary. The great French actor Rufus returns as Henri. With Nicolas Martinez (Judge Caron), Anne Azoulay (Émilie Fontaine), Pierre Rochefort (Maxime Fontaine), Ludovic Lecaille (Lorenzo), Pauline Parigot (Laëtitia Keller), etc. Scenario (Episodes 1 & 2) and story arc by Alice Chegaray-Breugnot and Julien Anscutter. Directed by Mona Achache.
Produced by Septembre Productions and Itinéraire Productions with TF1. Co-produced by Be-Films, RTBF (Télévision belge), Umedia, Pictanovo and RTS Radio Télévision Suisse. Filmed with the support of Région Hauts-de-France. Jean Nainchrik, Anthony Lancret and Pierre Laugier are the line producers. Frank Delpech exec produces. Produced by Anthony Lancret, Pierre Laugier and Bérengère Legrand. Music by Yannis Dumoutiers. Cinematography by Emmanuel de Fleury. Editing by Bertrand Maillard. Main title design by Brett & Cie (Crimes parfaits). Graphic animations by La Brigade du Titre. Visual effects by Super 35 Productions and Umedia.
Supported by the Tax Shelter du Gouvernement Fédéral de Belgique and the investors of the Tax Shelter, with uFund. High Intellectual Potential (the international title of HPI) is distributed by Newen Connect.
