Are you looking for an excuse to watch MORE television? Consuming more movies, TV shows and podcasts is a great way to learn a new language. French TV shows help you pick up new words, phrases, puns and slang. They also show you how people actually speak the language in a conversation.
In this article, we’ll outline the top French TV shows for learning French. These are just some of the great French language-learning resources available on this site.
Call My Agent!
Call my Agent! follows four agents who work at a Parisian talent firm. It’s a comedy drama that’s hilarious at times and very dramatic at other times. It takes you behind the scenes of an agency to show you what really goes on when their film star clients have a crisis.
Learning tips:
Netflix provides English subtitles. Even if you don’t need to use them, we recommend you watch the first few episodes with them on. Why? Because subtitles will help you to keep up with the storyline. They’ll also help you pick up a few phrases and words as you go along.
Spiral
Spiral is a legal and police procedural drama that centres on the tough Parisian criminal justice system. Also known as Gears, it’s been described by Hulu as “a dark series with constant and increasing tension.”
We like the sound of that! A top French TV shows for anyone interested in learning French.
Learning tips:
You can pop your English subtitles on when watching Spiral on Hulu. We really recommend you do that until you’re comfortable with French. Once you switch the subs off, see if you keep up with the plot!
Black Spot
Black Spot (also known as White Zone) is a French thriller series. The action takes place in an isolated small town bordered by forest. The murder rates are scarily high – six times higher than the national average, in fact! The show follows an out-of-town prosecutor and town sheriff as they investigate a woman’s murder. The victim’s body is discovered hanging in a tree.
Learning tips:
Once again (and especially because Black Spot’s storyline is quite complex), we recommend switching English subtitles on. This is just until you’ve got to grips with both the language and the plot.
Marseille
Marseille was the first ever French-language original series on Netflix. It’s another one that makes our list of top French TV shows for learning French. Major homegrown star Gerard Depardieu stars as the mayor of Marseille for this political drama. It is absolutely chock full of assassinations and backstabbing cops. It sounds absolutely brilliant but – rather sadly – Netflix decided to pull the plug after just two seasons.
Learning tips:
Netflix decided to switch Marseille’s default setting to English dubbing. But since you’re here to learn French we highly recommend that you switch the audio back to the original language. You can then put your English subs on.
As well as immersing yourself in the French language, you’ll also have plenty of time to immerse yourself in the wonderful Marseille scenery.
The Long, Long Holiday
The Long, Long Holiday is an animated series that’s for the whole family (yes, adults, too!). It stars two kids whose lives have been disrupted after the German invasion of Normandy. The drama takes place in the second world war. The children go and see their grandparents for a visit. they end up having to stick around for a long, long time after their father goes off to fight and their mom gets sick.
The show has been variously described as poignant and smart.
Learning tips:
As this is a show aimed at children, the language is pretty simple and easy enough to get to grips with. This means you might not have to switch on the subtitles at all. However, you’ll want to switch to French audio because Netflix’s default settings use the original English dubbed version.
If you have thoughts on our list of top French TV shows for learning French, why not leave a comment below?
