The Bureau (TV series)

The Bureau
Also known as	'Le Bureau des Légendes'
Genre	Spy fiction, Drama
Created by	Éric Rochant
Written by	Éric Rochant, Camille de Castelnau, Cécile Ducrocq, Emmanuel Bourdieu
Directed by	Éric Rochant, Mathieu Demy, Laïla Marrakchi, Hélier Cisterne, Jean-Marc Moutout, Samuel Collardey
Starring	Mathieu Kassovitz Sara Giraudeau Jean-Pierre Darroussin Léa Drucker
Country of origin	France
Original language(s)	French
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	20 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Eric Rochant Alex Berger Pascal Breton
Location(s)	Paris Algeria Syria Iran
Running time	52 minutes
Production company(s)	Federation Entertainment TOP - The Oligarchs Productions
Distributor	Federation Entertainment, Kino Lorber
Release
Original network	Canal+
Original release	April 27, 2015 (2015-04-27) – present
External links
Website
Production website

Le Bureau des légendes, known in English-speaking countries as The Bureau, is a French political thriller television series created by Éric Rochant and produced by Canal+, which revolves around the lives of agents of the DGSE, France's principal external security service. Originally aired in France starting on 27 April 2015, the series was first launched in the US and Canada on iTunes on 1 June 2016 as part of a new international "Episodic Cinema" label, quickly reaching the Top 5 after its release.^[1][2] In the United Kingdom, the series was released on Amazon Prime UK exclusively on June 17 2016.^[3][4]

The first season of the show received very positive reviews in France and in the other countries where it was released, and it won several awards. The second season has been universally acclaimed, and hailed by some as evidence that the series may yet prove the best ever produced in France.^[5] It has been renewed for a third season which should air in 2017. ^[6]

Synopsis

Based on real accounts by former French spies and inspired by contemporary events, The Bureau centres on the daily life and missions of spies within France's Directorate-General for External Security, its principal external security service. It focuses particularly on one unit of its Intelligence division, the "Bureau of Legends". This department is charged with the training and the management of deep-cover agents on long-term missions in all geographical areas with important French interests, with particular emphasis on North Africa, Western Africa, the Middle East and Western Asia. Dispatched to key locations all around the world and living under false identities for years, these agents' main mission is to identify and recruit sources of intelligence in relevant sectors of society.

The series focuses on French intelligence officer Guillaume Debailly (Matthieu Kassovitz), codename "Malotru", who returns to Paris after six years as an undercover agent in Damascus. Malotru has to face the challenge of reconnecting with his daughter, his ex-wife, colleagues and even his old self. But his return to “normal” life proves difficult, especially when he is informed that Nadia, who was his love while he was undercover in Damascus, is actually in Paris. The first season follows his attempt to navigate the rules of life as a spy and the increasingly tenuous position he is in with regard to his relationship with Nadia.

The second season, while continuing to explore the web of lies and deception that Debailly is spinning in order to remain in control of his life, also focuses closer on another major character of the first season, Marina Loiseau, who is leaving to Tehran, undercover as a specialist in seismology, in order to recruit sources with intelligence about Iran's nuclear weapons programme.

Broadcasting history

The Bureau originally came to French television in 2015 on the French premium network Canal+ for a ten-episode first season. The series was the best performing new drama on the French premium pay net since Les Revenants in 2012.^[7] It was therefore quickly renewed for a second season which was broadcaster in 2016 and was further renewed for a third season in may 2016.^[8]

In the United States and Canada, the series was first launched on iTunes exclusively where it remained in the Top 5 of the most downloaded TV Seasons for two weeks, with 3 to 4 episodes episodes in the top 100 most downloaded episodes. The series currently has a 4.5/5 viewer rating on iTunes.^[9] In the United Kingdom, the series was released on Amazon Prime UK exclusively on June 17.^[10][11] In Germany, the series was sold to RTL Crime and will be broadcast on their channel in 2016.^[7]

Main cast

Sara Giraudeau and Matthieu Kassovitz lead the main cast of "The Bureau"

• Mathieu Kassovitz as Guillaume Debailly, also known as « Malotru ». After a six-year undercover mission in Damascus, Syria, Debailly returns to headquarters in Paris and reunites with friends and family. One of the focuses of season 1 is the difficulty of re-adapting to normal life. When he learns that Nadia al-Mansour, his lover in Damascus, is in Paris, he breaks the rules and renews contact with her, re-establishing his cover as Paul Lefebvre.
• Sara Giraudeau as Marina Loiseau. Nicknamed "Phénomène" (Phenomenon), she is the central focus of the series' second season, a Bureau agent infiltrating the Iranian nuclear industry.
• Jean-Pierre Darroussin as Henri Duflot, director of the Bureau, a unit within the Directorate-General for External Security
• Léa Drucker as Docteur Balmes, a new recruit and a psychiatrist specialized in behavioural psychology. She assists the agents in manipulating their targets.
• Zineb Triki as Nadia al-Mansour, a Syrian professor of history and Guillaume Debailly's mistress from Damascus. Her relationship with Debailly and her role in the Syrian conflict form the crux of the action of season 1.
• Gilles Cohen as Marc Lauré, aka « MAG », Director of Intelligence within the DGSE and Henri Duflot's direct superior.
• Pauline Etienne (season 2) as Céline Delorme, a regional expert for the Middle East and North Africa.
• Florence Loiret Caille as Marie-Jeanne Duthilleul, Debailly's handler within the Bureau. She becomes Loiseau's handler upon Debailly's return from Syria.

Reception

Awards

Season 1

• Séries Mania Festival 2015:^[12]
  • International Press Jury Award - Best Actor for Mathieu Kassovitz
• French Syndicate of Cinema Critics Award: Best Series ^[13]
• French TV Critics Association Awards (A.C.S.): Best Actor for Mathieu Kassovitz (2015) ^[14]

Season 2

• COLCOA French Film Festival:^[15]
  • TV Series Jury Special Prize
  • TV Series Audience Award
• French TV Critics Association Awards (A.C.S.): Best Production ^[14]

Critical reception

The program was well-received, by audience and critics alike. In its domestic market, the first season of the show received very positive reviews. Le Monde spoke highly of its "mastery of its subject" and of its "rigorous constuction of narrative arches" and lauded "the different and credible tone" of the series.^[16] Le Nouvel Observateur compared the show to Mad Men and congratulated it on "staging that exceptional routine with flair and breathing life into a convincing team of heroes".^[17]

The second season of the series was immensely popular with audiences and critics alike. Télérama called it "captivating, subtly written, staged and acted: a mission accomplished" and Le Figaro stated that "to this day, this series is the best ever made in France".^[18]

The first season of the show was released in the United States via iTunes in June 2016. The New York Times described the series as a "moody, cynical & stylish (...) consistently smart and understated".^[19] Broadwayworld also wrote a positive review of the series, describing it as a "a riveting spy story told with psychological sophistication and cinematic flair".^[20]

Notes

References

External links

• Le Bureau des Légendes at the Internet Movie Database