Spiral / Engrenages TV Show

Known in France as Engrenages, Spiral is a French-language TV show that aired from 2005-2020. Pulsing with brutality and violence, and focusing on aspects of Parisian life that few tourists ever see, it's considered one of the best police dramas ever made.

The show was commissioned by France's Canal+ and spanned 8 seasons during its 15-year run. The French name, Engrenages, translates literally as "gears", which aptly describes how each season's storylines mesh together to create a web of intrigue that leads the Paris detectives from clue to clue and villain to villain.

As well as its gritty realism and willingness to shed the notion that Paris is somehow romantic, the show's highlights include 2 very strong female leads, complex plots that put most American cop dramas to shame, some wonderfully-choreographed set pieces, a soundtrack that's free of trashy pop songs, and an absence of "wokeness" and political bias.

Other highlights include some fine cinematography (especially in the later seasons) and a string of courtroom scenes that offer an opportunity to peek inside some of the French capital's beautiful municipal buildings. The interiors are often stunning.

Spiral / Engrenages: Seasons 1-8

Spiral explored a number of themes during its 15-year tenure, many of which will be familiar to viewers acquainted with police procedurals. But what makes Spiral different to the likes of The Wire and Bosch is that it feels more like a window onto reality than a show dreamed up by a writers' room. It has not been created to satisfy a particular audience or demographic: it's a reflection of reality, and reality is seldom the same as what's depicted on mainstream American TV shows.

The opening season does a good job of introducing the show's main characters and peculiarities of the French judicial system. It exposes the rampant corruption that permeates some of France's major institutions, and reminds us that French police can be every bit as brutal and thuggish as the criminals they chase.

Season 2 culminates with a convoy of Moroccan gangsters driving down to southern Spain to receive a shipment of drugs from Tangier; season 3 features a Mexican serial killer and a gang of Albanian pimps; season 4 invites viewers into the sordid world of domestic terrorists. Season 8 offers a subtle, understated au revoir and throws in a nice romantic scene at the very end. Bravo!

Spiral / Engrenages: Racist?

The majority of reviews for Spiral are positive. Sure, a few people are put off by the sometimes excessive gore and violence, but most seem to agree that the show presents an accurate depiction of life in the seedy banlieues of Paris. One review caught my interest. Published on a website set up by Cambridge University students, it suggested that elements of Spiral are racist.

So, do the above comments warrant serious consideration, or is the author (a woman) simply seeing what she wants to see? Let's investigate. First, there's the claim that most of the show's criminals are black. This is patently untrue. Throughout almost all of the show, criminals are usually white or of North African descent.

In season 1, there's an especially nasty Romanian individual who used a rock to smash the dead girl's face to pulp. Season 3's criminals include a Mexican serial killer, a psychopathic Albanian pimp and a Catalonian with a Basque surname who we meet just after he'd dismembered one of his victims. Season 4 focuses on a troupe of domestic terrorists headed by a Greek. In the final scene at police HQ, the bomb is detonated by a white girl.

But black criminals do appear in seasons 5 and 6. In season 5 we have Karen "Oz" Hoarau (played to perfection by French-Ivorian comedian Shirley Souagnon), a vile murderess who kidnaps a mother's daughter shortly before stabbing the pregnant lead detective in the stomach. And season 6 introduces us to the Camara brothers, a pair of thugs who also happen to be pretty astute businessmen with the savoir faire to play and outsmart the system.

Next is the claim that the "only representations of people of colour" are as "unsympathetic criminals". This is silly. The lead detective's lover in seasons 2 and 4 is a French-Egyptian cop; one of the strongest characters in season 5 is a young, honorable judge played by a French-Senegalese actress; and one of the key detective roles in season 8 is assigned to an actor of Tunisian, Algerian and Moroccan descent.

Spiral / Engrenages: Final Thoughts

Spiral is by no means a perfect TV show, but it's pretty much as good as you'll get if you're in the market for a police drama. All the right elements are there: mystery, violence, deplorable villains, stressed-out cops, and (thanks to the flame-haired lawyer) a splash of glamour.

Edit: I recently re-watched several episodes from a few different seasons and the show felt as fresh and engaging as ever. It really is worth watching. Highly recommended.