TV PROGRAM | France 2 | 9:05 p.m. The “Made in France” series continues the fashion for sagas on luxury houses. The underside of a French leather goods house, the scene of a love triangle…
The fascinating world of luxury and fashion continues to inspire screenwriters and fascinate viewers. After the success of series like The New Look et The House more recently on Apple TV+, not to mention Cristobal Balenciaga et Becoming Karl Lagerfel on Disney+, it’s France 2’s turn to immerse us in this glamorous universe with its new original creation Made in France.
Made up of six 52-minute episodes, this comedy of manners, broadcast from this Wednesday, January 15, takes us behind the scenes of the luxury leather goods house Valières. The story of Made in France begins when Rita, 50, discovers that her mechanic husband Olivier has cheated on her with Olympe, 38, a brilliant executive at Valières. Determined to confront her rival, Rita arrives at the company’s headquarters, but finds herself hired as Olympe’s assistant!
Brought together in spite of themselves, these two women who are completely opposed to each other will have to coexist and overcome their differences. Throughout the episodes of Made in Francethey will have to manage the whims of star designer Arane, an advertising campaign that turns into a scandal and even a fire! But between betrayals, secrets and reversals, Rita and Olympe will also learn to overcome their prejudices and reinvent themselves.
Made in France, “tasty series” and ode to “the excellence of French creation”
Carried by a five-star cast led by Cécile Bois, Thierry Neuvic and Antonia Desplat, Made in France offers us a colorful dive into the cozy world of luxury leather goods. Because it is above all a comedy. France 2 has indeed announced a “tasty series of six episodes”, which “reinvents the eternal story of the love triangle by situating the arena of its story in the world of fashion”. “Leaning towards the comedy of manners, Made in France also proves to be a heritage series”, indicates the channel which also wants to evoke “the excellence of French creation”, as explained by Anne Holmes, director of French fiction at France Télévisions and the producers Marie Dupuy of Angeac and Lolita Franchet (Barjac Productions).
Each episode of Made in France has a loopy plot linked to the world of leather goods, and more precisely to the creation and manufacturing of the new Valières bag. And “behind the appearance and the excellence, two magnificent portraits of women emerge, imbued with audacity and sorority”.
What is the series worth? Made in France ? Critics’ opinions
“In front Made in Francewe laugh, we cry, we are moved by all the situations without ever blaming any of the characters. A tour de force, far too rare in French fiction”, praises Ouest-France, when Télé 7 Jours adds that in addition, “we also reflect through the points of view of the husband, his wife and his mistress” .
Télé Loisirs also welcomes a “comedy with a backdrop of adultery, particularly successful thanks to the sincerity of its performers and a skilfully balanced storyline”. According to the magazine, Made in France “questions different themes with universal resonances, such as the place of each person in society – and particularly those of women – as well as the complexity of the feeling of love”.
Allo Ciné, for its part, judges the new series “effective”. In addition to good actors, in particular Cécile Bois who “perfectly plays this scorned wife who decides to take her revenge in her own way”, the specialized site highlights “very well written” dialogues which “thus make the story pleasant and easy to follow”. Small downside all the same: “the clichés obviously bring comedy to the story… but can also appear as winded”. What Télérama, much more severe as usual, sums up as “a beautiful sorority story, spoiled by crude plot tricks”.
