Diane and I watched Patience on PBS and enjoyed it (you can read my review here). Jeff Meyerson suggested that we watch the original French series, Astrid et Raphaëlle. I found it on AMAZON PRIME VIDEO and watched the first episode.
Like Patience, Astrid et Raphaelle focuses on Astrid Nielsen (Sara Mortensen), a woman on the Autism spectrum, who works in the police records department. Astrid is drawn into an active investigation by a frustrated detective, Raphaëlle Coste (Lola Dewaere), who is impressed by Astrid’s ability to see patterns in crimes that no one else does.
The two dissimilar characters develop a partnership that results in solving cases together. Astrid discovers key details that the police investigators miss that Costa can use to identify the perpetrator.
Jeff is right that Astrid et Raphaëlle is better than Patience because of the detail invested in the characters. And Paris has a lot more eye candy than York. I’m going to end up watch both series… GRADE: Incomplete, but trending towards an A
At the risk of having my comments forgotten again, I’ll note that one advantage the PATIENCE pilot had over the ASTRID series (as PBS and perhaps all Anglophone markets have tagged it) was in the somewhat more conventional degree of of Astrid’s neurodivergence could allow for a somewhat more nuanced approach to how Patience has to deal with her fellow humans, from colleagues to criminals. But ASTRID’s pilot was better than PATIENCE’s, I agree, and it will be interesting to see if the Brit version can match the French original.
Todd, I’ll be watch both PATIENCE and ASTRID and appreciating their differences. Both are quality programs.
Glad you liked it. Yes, the scenes of Paris add to the appeal.
The actress who plays Astrid, Sara Mortensen, is the daughter of Norwegian actress Elisabeth Mortensen, who turns up later in the series. I won’t spoil the surprise beyond that.
Jeff, I’ll be watching for Elisabeth Mortensen to show up! Thanks for the recommendation and heads up!
I also liked the way the relationship developed over time. By the third series, Astrid and Raphaelle are not just working together, but actual friends.
Jeff, I plan to watch all five seasons of ASTRID.
George, Astrid et Raphaëlle isn’t available on Prime Video India yet, but I hope it arrives soon. My wife and I love French (or France-set) films and series. We enjoyed Call My Agent! and Emily in Paris.
Prashant, my daughter is a big fan of EMILY IN PARIS. You might want to check out REACHER on AMAZON PRIME Video if it’s available.
George, I’m a big fan of the Alan Ritchson REACHER series and watched S3 as soon as it hit Prime India. By the way, I recommend Matthew Goode’s nine-episode Nordic-like crime drama DEPT.Q. It’s dark, brooding and unsettling, but still quite gripping.
Prashant, DEPT. Q is on our Watch List. I can’t wait for the next REACHER series!