France's Leading TV Guide — Now in English

Your Gateway to French Television

Whether you're an expat in France, a tourist planning your trip, or a global TV fan discovering French series on Netflix — TV.fr helps you navigate the rich and sometimes bewildering world of French television.

Best French Series to StreamHow French TV Works

📖 English Articles & Guides

🎬 Paris Filming Locations Guide

Guide

30+ iconic locations from Lupin, Emily in Paris, Amélie, and more — with addresses and walking itineraries.

📰 Press & Media Coverage

Press

TV.fr in the news — featured across 540+ publications including AP News, USA Today, and Barchart.

📺 What's Worth Watching on French TV Tonight

Full schedule (in French) →

A curated selection of tonight's highlights across France's main channels — picked and explained for international viewers.

TF121:10

HPI

Crime / Comedy

France's #1 rated show. A gifted cleaning lady helps police crack cases with her extraordinary intellect. Think Sherlock meets Working Girl — with 12 million viewers per episode.

🌍 Available on BritBox (UK), PBS (US)

France 221:05

Les Randonneuses

Drama

Six women from different walks of life embark on a grueling mountain hike that forces them to confront their secrets. A character-driven French drama at its finest.

Canal+21:00

Le Bureau des Légendes

Spy Thriller

Widely regarded as the greatest spy series ever made. Follow French intelligence agents as they navigate a world of deception, double lives, and moral ambiguity. Often compared favorably to le Carré.

🌍 Available on Sundance Now, AMC+, Apple TV+

M621:10

Top Chef

Reality / Cooking

The French edition of Top Chef — fiercer competition, Michelin-starred judges, and genuinely extraordinary cuisine. A cultural institution in France.

🏆 Best French Series to Stream Internationally

The golden age of French television is here. These are the series international audiences love most — all available with subtitles or dubbing on global streaming platforms.

1

Lupin

⭐ 7.5/10
Netflix2021–AdventureThrillerParis

Omar Sy as a modern-day Arsène Lupin. The most-watched non-English series in Netflix history, with 70M+ households in 28 days.

2

Call My Agent! (Dix pour cent)

⭐ 8.2/10
Netflix2015–2023ComedyDramaIndustry

A Parisian talent agency juggles celebrity egos and personal chaos. Real French stars play themselves in hilarious cameos. Adapted in 7 countries.

3

The Bureau (Le Bureau des Légendes)

⭐ 8.6/10
Sundance Now / AMC+2015–2020SpyThrillerGeopolitics

France's answer to le Carré. Deep-cover intelligence agents, moral dilemmas, and geopolitical intrigue. Former real spies call it the most realistic spy show ever made.

4

Emily in Paris

⭐ 6.9/10
Netflix2020–ComedyRomanceParis

An American marketing exec navigates Parisian life, love, and couture. A guilty pleasure that doubled tourism to the Latin Quarter.

5

Spiral (Engrenages)

⭐ 8.3/10
Various2005–2020LegalThrillerCrime

15 years and 8 seasons of the grittiest legal thriller on television. A raw, unflinching portrait of the Parisian justice system.

6

A Very Secret Service (Au Service de la France)

⭐ 8.1/10
Netflix2015–2018ComedySpyRetro

A bumbling recruit joins 1960s French intelligence. Think Austin Powers meets The Americans — dry, absurdist, and brilliantly French.

See the Full Top 50 French Series →

📡 How French TV Works — A Guide for International Viewers

France has a unique broadcasting system: 27 free-to-air channels via TNT (Télévision Numérique Terrestre), plus premium services like Canal+. Here's what you need to know about the major channels — and their closest equivalents in the English-speaking world.

TF1
Free (TNT)~20% market share

France's most-watched channel. Entertainment, news, prime-time drama (HPI, Balthazar), and major sports. Think of it as France's ITV or ABC.

France 2
Free (Public)~14% market share

The BBC of France. Quality drama, investigative journalism, political coverage, and cultural programming. Home to Call My Agent! and Les Revenants.

France 3
Free (Public)~9% market share

Regional focus with national reach. Local news, nature documentaries, and the epic historical drama Un Village français. Strong regional identity.

Canal+
Premium (subscription)~3% market share

France's HBO. Home to the country's best original series (Bureau des Légendes, Engrenages, Paris Police 1900) plus exclusive film and sports rights.

M6
Free (TNT)~10% market share

France's commercial alternative. Top Chef, reality TV, American series in French, and a younger-skewing audience. Think Channel 4 or Fox.

Arte
Free (Franco-German)~3% market share

A unique Franco-German cultural channel. Documentaries, art-house cinema, European drama, and intellectual programming. Often bilingual. A hidden gem.

Explore the Full French Broadcasting Landscape →

🗣️ French TV Vocabulary — Essential Terms

Navigating TV.fr's French pages is easier than you think. Here are the key terms you'll encounter:

Programme TVThe main feature of TV.fr
TV schedule / TV listings
Ce soirAs in "programme TV ce soir"
Tonight
DemainTomorrow's schedule
Tomorrow
En directCurrently airing
Live
ÉmissionIndividual TV show
Show / Programme
SérieScripted television series
Series / TV show
ChaîneTV channel
Channel
ReplayWatch after broadcast
Catch-up / On demand
Journal télévisé (JT)The main 20:00 news bulletin
Evening news
Prime time (première partie de soirée)Usually 21:00–23:00 in France
Prime time
AudiencesHow many people watched
Ratings / Viewership
RediffusionPreviously broadcast episode
Rerun / Repeat

About TV.fr

TV.fr is France's comprehensive online television guide. We provide real-time programme schedules for all major French channels, audience ratings and analytics, editorial content about French television culture, streaming comparisons, and in-depth guides for anyone interested in the French audiovisual landscape.

While our main site is in French, we're building this English section to help international audiences discover and navigate the world of French television. Whether you're looking for the next great series to binge, planning a Paris trip around filming locations, or trying to understand what's on TV in your hotel room — we've got you covered.

🇫🇷 Visit TV.fr (French)🎬 Paris Filming Locations Guide

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These pages are in French, but worth exploring — most browsers offer built-in translation.

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