Meet the next TV series we're recapping: A French Village
The series follows a small French town during and after the Nazi occupation of France.
The fall is well and truly upon us, and that means it's time to launch a new TV recap series for all our intrepid subscribers! Ever since the halcyon days of Babylon Berlin, I've wanted to cover more non-English-language TV here, and I'm really excited to announce that for the rest of the year, Lily and I will be covering the first two seasons of A French Village, a hugely acclaimed French series (of course) about how the Nazi occupation of France reverberates through, um, a French village. It's one of the most acclaimed dramas in the history of French television, and it's only recently become readily available in the US.
A French Village has come to further prominence in the US lately because of Star Wars, of course. Specifically, Tony Gilroy has cited the series frequently when talking about how he developed some of the most gut-wrenching moments in Andor's second season. Also, needless to say, the show's depiction of how the ordinary citizens of this fictional town either collaborate with, acquiesce to, or fight against fascism has proved timely!
We'll be covering two episodes a week through mid-January. The current plan is to alternate who's recapping each week, rather than doing cross-talks, but that might change. We'll feel this out as we go. As always with our recap series, the first installment – which will publish Thursday, October 15 – will be available to everybody, and future recaps will be behind the paywall.
One of the more frequent requests we've gotten over the years has been to recap more non-English-language television. Consequently, we're excited both to write about this show and to discuss it with all of you! The series is most easily accessible on the boutique streaming service MHz Choice, but you can also watch certain seasons for free (with ads) on Tubi, Hoopla, and Plex. It also looks like the first season (and only the first season??) is available on Prime Video for the rest of the month. (MHz, by the way, is a really nifty platform, and if you're looking for a streamer with lots of non-English television, it might be your best option.)
Please join me next week as we begin our journey through Un village français. Check out the trailer! Seems pretty French!
