Must a detective series set in France require a French cast?
This is, by my count, the third version of Maigret focusing on the brilliant and prickly French detective created by prolific Belgian writer Georges Simenon. Set in Paris, all three versions featured British actors playing Maigret – Rupert Davies in the 1960s black and white version, Rowan Atkinson in the 2016 version, and now, Benjamin Wainwright in the new version on PBS. If you like your French mysteries populated with French-speaking actors, then you may find not having to keep up the action with English subtitles off-putting. Still, the Paris settings are authentic and every now and then someone will actually mutter a French word. (This series reminds me of another very successful British creation, Zen, featuring the British Rufus Sewell as the Italian detective.)
I haven’t seen Davies in the role, and only a few with Atkinson. If you haven’t seen either of those actors, then beginning with Wainwright is a great start. He manages to capture the physicality of Maigret – scruffy hair and beard and that ubiquitous thick overcoat, even when it’s sweltering outside. He walks like someone with a purpose, his deep brown eyes not missing anything along the way. Like so many brilliant detectives he’s had a troubled past and is still working to put those demons to rest. But there’s a very human side of Jules Maigret, which Wainwright nails, whether it’s comforting his wife, Louise, after she has a miscarriage, or managing to empathize with a killer, getting him to give up a weapon and confess.
Shown L-R: Justin Cavre (Rob Kazinsky), Berthe Janvier (Shaniqua Okwok), Jules Maigret (Benjamin Wainwright), Joseph Torrence (Blake Harrison), Andrea Lucas (Kerrie Hayes), Karim Lapointe (Reda Elazouar) Courtesy Playground Entertainment and MASTERPIECE.
Maigret is backed up by a loyal, experienced team. Sergeant Andrea Lucas (Kerrie Hayes), is always at his side, whether interviewing a witness or confronting a suspect. Blake Harrison plays Sergeant Joseph Torrence, who often crosses the line when pursuing a lead. As Maigret’s driver, Detective Berthe Janvier (Shaniqua Okwok) typically has Maigret clutching the dashboard, but when a chase requires speed, he’s on board. The computer expert, Detective Karim LaPointe (Reda Elazouar), hasn’t met a cellphone or computer he can’t hack. The fly in the ointment is Inspector Justin Cavre (Rob Kazinsky), envious about Maigret’s promotion, he takes every opportunity to thwart Maigret’s authority.
Maigret’s wife, Louise (Stefanie Martini), is a psychiatric nurse whose support allows her husband to pursue the job he loves, even if it interferes with a date night. Because of her ability to understand a killer’s psychology, Maigret often uses her as a sounding board. She also tries to help him understand a recurring dream he has about his childhood.
Shown L-R: Mathilde Kernavel (Nathalie Armin), Jules Maigret (Benjamin Wainwright) Photographer: Gabor Kotschy Courtesy Playground Entertainment and MASTERPIECE.
Three two-part episodes, six total, are now available on PBS. Although Maigret has just been promoted to chief inspector, for La Crim, the elite police unit responsible for investigating all serious crime in and around Paris, he’s still proving that he’s up to the job. In “The Lazy Burglar,” Maigret and his team are tasked with investigating a series of bank robberies. Prosecutor Mathilde Kernavel (Nathalie Armin), wants results fast and is upset when Maigret seems distracted by the murder of Honoré Cuendet, a two-bit burglar. Maigret has a history with Cuendet and his mother and believes that the brutal manner in which Cuendet was killed warrants La Crim’s attention.
In “Maigret’s Failure,” the team is searching for a social media influencer who has disappeared when he’s called off to investigate death threats against a billionaire. Turns out that Maigret has history with the wealthy man, going back to their childhoods. Ferdinand Fumal still blames Maigret for being involved in the times he was bullied. Is Fumal really being threatened, or does he have a scheme to undermine Maigret? Balancing both cases proves to be a challenge and Maigret makes some decisions he will later regret.
“Maigret Comes Home” finds the detective inspector going back to Saint-Fiacre where he grew up and his father managed the state. Countess Sophie (Rachel Shelley) still lives on the estate, but asks Maigret for help, saying she doesn’t trust anyone around her. Maigret arrives to help Sophie save her home. But will he arrive too late to save her? And is that what that recurring dream is about? While Maigret is away, his team will continue to pursue someone who killed a young student, heir to a perfume company. Cavre believes he has the murder wrapped up, but Maigret knows the real killer is still at large. In the end, Maigret will risk everything he loves to save Saint-Fiacre and close the murder case.
By the time you are deep into the first episode, you will forget the actors are speaking English and just enjoy the characters, the plot, and the scenery.
Top: Jules Maigret (Benjamin Wainwright)
Courtesy Playground Entertainment and MASTERPIECE.
