The Rookie: What's The New Tf1 Series Worth?
The police comedy genre is gaining popularity on French television, and TF1 is expanding its offerings in this category. Following "The Negotiator" with François-Xavier Demaison, the network will start airing a new series titled "The Rookie" from Monday, May 6th. Here's what you need to know about this drama led by Thierry Neuvic and Ethann Isidore.
A start with all guns blazing.
In "The Recruit," Thierry Neuvic portrays Captain Vincent Béraud, an exceptional police officer with a somewhat rigid character. In the first episode, he investigates the death of a casino employee in Biarritz and finds himself forced to team up with Kevin, a smooth-talking and clever little con artist.
The character of Emmanuelle (Judith El Zein), who is both Vincent's superior officer and his partner in life, is the origin of this odd collaboration.
The young man recruited as a police assistant takes his new role lightly, much to the chagrin of his partner. The latter struggles with having an unpredictable and out-of-control kid on his hands. A fast-paced first episode sets the scene and the mismatched duo that is the essence of this new comedy.
A feeling of déjà vu
The pitch of "La Recrue" doesn't stand out for its originality. The new series from TF1 is based on an idea that has been used many times before, a pair of protagonists who get along like oil and water. It should be noted that two of the screenwriters working on this new drama have written in a similar vein for the series "L'art du crime" on France 2.
Captain Béraud is a rigid, gruff, and closed-off policeman who finds himself confronted with the younger generation. Despite an inevitable feeling of déjà vu, the series "La Recrue" remains entertaining. Over the course of the 6 episodes of season 1, it even gains depth. We understand that Captain Béraud refuses to work with Kevin because the latter is the same age as his son who mysteriously disappeared.
The policeman, who has not mourned his loss, walls himself off from this boy. Despite his initial rejection, the two characters will learn to get to know each other and to collaborate. The duo will even create sparks during delicate cases set against the backdrop of the Basque Country landscapes...
Effective entertainment
Despite its lack of originality, this new police comedy hits the mark, thanks in particular to its pair of actors.
Thierry Neuvic is impeccable in the role of the stern Captain Vincent Béraud. The 53-year-old actor is a familiar face to viewers. TV series fans may have seen him in Clara Sheller, Mafiosa, La Maison d'en face, and more recently, in the series Infiltrée with Audrey Fleurot on France 2. He has also appeared in an episode of the Fargas series and in the TV movie Illégitime with Guy Marchand, whom he describes as a "cinema dad."
Alongside him, the character of Kevin is played by Ethann Isidore, a 17-year-old French actor revealed by the film Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. After playing Teddy, the little pickpocket ally of Indiana Jones in the movies, he continued filming while he was still a student in his first year at Pothier high school in Orléans. He acts in La recrue on TF1 but also in Fiasco!, the Netflix series with Pierre Niney, François Civil, and Géraldine Nakache.
If you're looking for a pleasant entertainment carried by excellent performers, tune in to TF1 on Monday, May 6, at 9:10 p.m. to discover the first two episodes of La Recrue.
