Spiral | |
---|---|
Created by | Alexandra Clert Guy-Patrick Sainderichin |
Starring |
Caroline Proust Grégory Fitoussi Audrey Fleurot |
Composer(s) | |
Country of origin | France |
Original language(s) | French |
No. of series | 5 |
No. of episodes | 52 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Running time | 52 minutes |
Release | |
Original network | Canal+ |
Original release | 13 December 2005 | – Present
External links | |
Website |
Spiral (French: Engrenages, pronounced: [ɑ̃ɡʁəˈnaʒ]) is a French television police and legal drama series set in Paris. The show follows the lives and work of Paris police officers and the lawyers and judges who work at the Palais de Justice. It was created by Alexandra Clert for the TV production company Son et Lumière.
The first series of eight-episodes started on Canal+ in France on 13 December 2005. The series was shown in the UK on BBC Four during the summer of 2006. It was the channel's first French-language drama series, attracting a modest but loyal audience (around 200,000) and firm critical approval. On 13 September 2009, BBC Four started showing the second series: another eight-part series, partly funded by the BBC, was broadcast from 12 May 2008. The third series was shown from 2 April 2011, and the fourth series from 9 February 2013, both consisting of twelve episodes. Series 5 was filmed in 2013 and broadcast in France in late 2014, and in the UK on BBC Four from 10 January 2015. The sixth series has been ordered.
Spiral has been an export success, with sales to broadcasters in more than 70 countries including, Australia, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Portugal, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. In Australia, the first series was broadcast in 2008 on SBS One, the second series on SBS Two from September 2009 and the third series on SBS Two from mid-2012. Spiral debuted in North America via Netflix in September 2012. All five seasons are currently available on Hulu.
Spiral has received wide-ranging critical acclaim throughout its run, and has been nominated and won several awards. It has been nominated at the Globes de Cristal Awards four times, winning once. It has also been nominated for Best Drama at the BAFTA Awards, and it won the 2015 International Emmy Award for Best Series.