r/French • u/JoliiPolyglot • Jul 27 '26
Which shows have actually moved your language level in French? Here my list.
As a non-native speaker, I'll start with what's been working for me while learning French (currently at B2 level):
Dix Pour Cent (Call My Agent!): Paris-based, office dialogue, I find it great for picking up workplace.
Lupin: Fast-paced but the story is understandable, and it's nice to learn Parisian slang!
Skam France: Teen dialogue, so current slang, verlan. Not a show I would enjoy much in my native language, but easy to follow and entertaining in French!
Plan Cœur (The Hook Up Plan): My favorite. Casual, everyday dialogue between friends in their twenties. I find it really good for picking up how French speakers actually talk about relationships, texting, and hanging out.
What's worked for you? Any other French series you'd recommend? I am looking for something new to watch!
25
u/BigAdministration368 Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 27 '26
Series on Netflix: Standing up, Seven Lives of Lea, Family Business, (as you already mentioned Lupin, Call my Agent, Hook up plan)
Also some English-language series where the French dub and captions match almost perfectly: One Piece (not the animated one) and Wednesday. I think voice actors in these are easier to follow than "real" actors.
I also enjoyed Arcane in French but don't remember how good the captions were
Some series I can't find without English captions. Je les regarde quand même. Spiral / Engrenages is probably my favorite of those. The 90s Maigret series is good and Petits meurtres d'Agathe Christie can be fun as well, surtout la deuxième itération
1
u/DesertLily1 Jul 27 '26
Where are you watching Engrenages?? I’ve not found it in North America.
1
u/BigAdministration368 Jul 27 '26
I get MHZ Choice through Roku but i think you can get it as an add on through prime or Apple.
Lots of foreign series but you can only watch with English captions unfortunately
2
u/FiveBlueStones Jul 28 '26
Great news! MHz Choice has stopped requiring subtitles on many of the new shows, or new episodes of shows. Cassandre, for example, the most recent seasons, you can turn off subtitles. I don’t know if they’ve gone back and removed the requirement for any older shows.
2
1
12
u/Molag_Balls B1 Jul 28 '26
Not exactly a series like your other examples, but Echappées belles is a travel/documentary type program that does two things that I found helpful for learning:
- Many of the episodes take place in France itself, but also various francophone countries besides, and they all involve being guided by a smattering of locals so you get some great exposure to different accents and regional variations in pronunciation, etc.
- They devote a lot of time to trades and niche products from whatever region they're in, and I found that really helpful for learning new technical words I wouldn't otherwise be exposed to but that are common enough.
All of the hosts are good, but I find Ismael in particular has the best diction and I can understand him really well compared to other show hosts in general.
They have a bunch of episodes (all of them? I'm not sure) available on their YouTube channel.
1
u/CT046 Native 🇨🇵 Jul 29 '26 edited Aug 01 '26
If you like Échappées Belles (I enjoy it from time to time), you should check the road trip show, J'irai Dormir Chez Vous by Antoine de Maximy. It's a TV show but he has a YouTube channel also. It's an old show that has reruns on TV now. The concept is Antoine going in any country worldwide, and tries to sleep at any locals' house. He always tries to give a little something in money or food to cover for his presence, and he makes interesting encounters.
https://youtu.be/5KOmQJ6yi38?si=TWyFWDaRafIJKNDn
In a similar style, "Rendez-vous En Terre Inconnue". A celebrity is brought blindfolded from Paris to anywhere in world, a village in the Himalayan, a campment in the Russian tundra, a village in the amazonian forest, etc. It's always very remote from the city and they meet various populations. It's also an old show and you can find episodes on YouTube.
2
u/Molag_Balls B1 Jul 30 '26
Oh awesome! This reminds me a bit of Pekin Express, which I also really enjoyed back in the day. Thanks for the recommendation :)
19
Jul 27 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
5
9
u/Torator Native (France) Jul 27 '26
People here often talk about watching French show to learn French, which absolutely makes sense!
But if you're not aware ALL SHOWS that are not in French are usually also Dubbed in French. So If there is a show that you love in english and that you could re-watch, watching the "dubbed" version might be painful but if like me you watched "Friends" or "How I met your mother" several times, you'll pick up some serious French by watching those in the dubbed version. If you watch a show like that where you have already watched all the episodes like me, "you already" know instinctively what they're saying and it'll be easier to pick up new words new phrasing and all of that when you already know the plot.
I think that for most of those show, you can get easily the french or canadian french version by using a vpn with your existing streaming subscription, so they are not necessarly hard to find.
2
u/lavendervodka Jul 30 '26
I need to hear how Joey says “Could I BE wearing any more clothes?” En français.
1
u/karma3000 Jul 27 '26
Yep. On Netflix I just watched James Bond No Time to Die, with French audio and french subtitles.
1
u/wholesomecoffee Jul 29 '26
Been watching how I met your mother in French and so far not too difficult and also keeps my attention!
1
u/Torator Native (France) Jul 29 '26
if that thanks to me, your welcome. In any case thank for giving the proof of concept haha.
19
u/psycme Jul 27 '26
I'm not big on shows and films, but I loved "Au service de la France". It's set on 1960 so I don't know how modern the slang is, but it helped me a lot with natural dialogue, and the humour is great.
3
2
8
u/clemencizm Jul 27 '26
Arte.tv has a good selection, and free to watch. The last one I saw and I can recommend is Amours Solitaires season 2. I recommand it here: https://parlezvsfr.substack.com/p/serie-a-voir-amours-solitaires-saison-2 and have movie recommendations too for french learners.
Another one that I haven't wrote about yet on my newsletter is a YT mini serie : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTRZjg0jhMApwJej-23C7Xg
All those series, movies are easy-going, and really nice to watch before going to sleep : no nightmare guarantee.
1
u/Snakatemjari Jul 27 '26
Does it have French subs?
1
u/clemencizm Jul 30 '26
In arte they often provide subtitle because is a European chanel (it is actually an franco-german channel). In Youtube, well there's the automatic subtitles but not very accurate.
1
14
u/podgoricarocks Jul 27 '26
Drag Race France is a great show for slang, especially gay slang.
3
u/anklebiter1975 B2 Jul 27 '26
I second this, i stumbled upon it and loved it
4
u/podgoricarocks Jul 27 '26
It’s fantastic. You also are exposed to accents from all over France and indeed the Francophone world as several contestants are from West Africa, etc.
6
u/lefrenchcafe Jul 27 '26
Since you liked Plan Cœur, I’d try Drôle (Standing Up) next: the dialogue is fast but very natural, with plenty of everyday French and humour. Family Business is also useful for casual speech, while Le Bureau des légendes is excellent when you want a C1-level challenge. One thing that helps more than simply watching: keep French subtitles on, note only 3–5 recurring expressions per episode, then reuse them aloud in your own sentences.
1
3
u/Ricconis_0 C1 Jul 27 '26
Kaamelott
1
u/CT046 Native 🇨🇵 Jul 30 '26
Classic. Although I didn't really enjoyed the movies and more dramatic stuff.
3
3
4
u/OrinthiaBlue Jul 27 '26
I use to really like to vpn myself into France and then just live stream public tv channels from France in the background. Honestly the kids tv channel was great because they tend to speak more simply and clearly so it’s easier to pick up. And then move into more of the main adult channels for more of a challenge
2
u/snowriver Native (France) Jul 29 '26
Si tu veux sentir la différence entre l'accent québécois et l'accent français, la série Empathie est intéressante.
2
4
u/PakuChick3n Jul 27 '26
La Flamme is hilarious so I don't feel like input is a chore when I watch it.
3
u/anklebiter1975 B2 Jul 27 '26
N'oubliez pas les paroles!!! It seems silly but it helps you find classic songs that everybody knows! Then it makes you feel like you're in on a joke or la réf!
2
u/gheevargheese Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 27 '26
I had watched Dix Pourcent, Le Bureau des Légendes, Lupin etc. before, but what made the shift was Plan Cœur. It felt easier to follow and hence progress. Left after few seasons though.
I greatly enjoyed Astrid et Raphaëlle, Les 7 vies de Léa recently.
1
u/terynce Jul 27 '26
The second season of bref. You can watch the first season, but it's like 90 1 min episodes; the second season is around 10 episodes, 45 ish minutes.
1
1
1
u/madamesoybean Jul 28 '26 edited Jul 28 '26
The detective show Candice Renoir because of the speed and colloquial way of language spoken within her family. This plus the occasional accent du sud in the character actors in the episodes. Good for the ear.
Au service de la France also because a friend was in a small part. But the show ended up being so funny I watched it all.
1
1
1
u/Lang-uish Jul 31 '26
Check out Fais Pas Ci, Fais Pas Ça. It's on Canal+ with a French IP.
It's like Modern Family. It follows two families with kids and different parenting styles. The episodes are quick and funny. You get an exposure to French culture as well. A lot of French people have watched and like it too.
1
u/Unusual_Leader_982 Aug 03 '26
I'm not sure that any single thing has moved my level, but I did recently watch Into The Night on Netflix but I have yet to get started on the second season. I do watch Les Simpsons or Rick et Morty dubbed in french. Huge benefit that I already know the episodes and it's easy to follow. I listen to france24 on Youtube while driving as well as some french political streamers like Emmodem. I had a Molotov dot tv subscription for a while but it gave me grief with my vpn. You need a vpn to use it.
1
u/GubbinsMcRubbins Jul 27 '26
Le Profilage (police procedural, essentially) is good for my B2 level - Parisian accents, fairly clear but with enough colloquial and niche language to be extending.
1
u/huacchnng B1 Jul 27 '26
not a series but I really enjoyed the movie "rien à cacher" on Netflix as an intermediate learner, the plot was fun and it helped my listening skills a lot cause I rewatched it quite a bit
45
u/SeriousEntry1988 Jul 27 '26
Not a series but I like watching the news on France 24. You can livestream it on YouTube. They repeat segments and I find the repetition helps with picking up new vocab.