Pictures courtesy of Netflix
After an extensive tease during the Next On Netflix 2025 event, the French programs are designed to be a cornerstone of Netflix’s offering and possibly travel globally. We have compiled a comprehensive preview of all the scripted and unscripted shows and the movies scheduled to drop in 2025 on the platform.
2025 has already seen some big French releases, such as Ad Vitam, which has made its way onto Netflix’s all-time most-watched list, and more recently, the French rom-com series Shafted.
New French Comedy Shows Coming to Netflix in 2025
Young Millionaire
Episodes: 8
Genre: Comedy / Runtime: 35 minutes
Cast : Abraham Wapler, Malou Khebizi, Calixte Broisin-Doutaz, Sara Gançarski, Jeanne Boudier, Florian Lesieur
Did you know that, in France, game and lottery winnings can’t be cashed in unless you are 18? That is one of the sticking points for coming-of-age comedy Young Millionaire, created by Igor Gotesman, who already wrote and codirected 2024’s Fiasco.
Four teenagers based in Marseille, all aged 17, decide to try their luck at the lottery on Friday the 13th and walk away with a €17 million jackpot. The issue: only a discreet new friend, Victoire, is aged 18 and able to pocket the money… and the least of the group’s problems with the upcoming end-of-year exams and their own family life. The mix of teen comedies and high-concept hijinks should be one to look forward to, with Gotesman’s talents to maximize his twists and mastermind spectacular sequences.
Astérix & Obélix (Astérix et Obélix : Le Combat des Chefs)
Episodes: 5
Genre: Animated, Comedy / Runtime : 30mn
Voice cast: Alain Chabat, Gilles Lellouche, Anaïs Demoustier, Laurent Lafitte, Jean-Pascal Zadi, Jérome Commandeur…
Release on Netflix: April 30th
Possibly the most anticipated project on the French lineup this year, Le Combat des Chefs is the first foray of Netflix France into premium animated miniseries. Cowritten and codirected by Alain Chabat (a French comedy legend who also directed the best-reviewed and most popular live-action Astérix film, Mission Cleopatra) alongside Fabrice Joubert, Pierre-Alain Bloch and Benoît Oullion, this new miniseries adapts one of the classic books in the Astérix series, 1966’s Le Combat des Chefs, with a modernized sensibility and a lot of current pop-culture references.
The adventure starts with the amnesia suffered by the local druid, who is the maker of a magic potion ensuring the invincibility of Astérix and his village; from there, a challenge is posed by the Roman emperor to face the best gladiators in order to take over the village once and for all. More than a beloved IP and Chabat’s trademark humor, the show also boasts out-of-the-box 3D creativity, so it looks like the makings of a successful entry in the Astérix franchise, which is still producing live-action and animated movies.
New French Drama Shows Coming to Netflix in 2025
Under A Dark Sun (Qui Sème Le Vent)
Genre: Drama, thriller, family
Cast : Ava Baya, Isabelle Adjani, Thibault de Montalembert, Guillaume Gouix, Louise Coldefy, Claire Romain, Nicolas Vaude, Simon Ehlarcher
This new series, announced last fall, is a mix between popular summer sagas that were ratings juggernauts on television in the 1990s and 2000s and twisty, pulpy thrillers. Starring French icon Isabelle Adjani and Thibault de Montalembert (Call My Agent!), the show follows a young struggling mother getting a job at a flower production facility in Southeast France. But when the family owner is found dead, all seems to point to her guilt and she shockingly discovers he had mentioned her in her will; the fight against a wealthy family keen on preserving their secrets can begin. Shot last summer in Southeast France, in the same area as Young Millionaire, we can reasonably expect this show to follow in the footsteps of the Harlan Coben adaptations and launch this summer globally.
Néro
Episodes: 8
Genre: Adventure, thriller, period / Runtime: 50 mins
Cast: Pio Marmaï, Olivier Gourmet, Alice Isaaz, Louis-Do de Lencquesaing, Camille Razat
Teased at the Next on Netflix event with behind-the-scenes footage, Néro follows Pio Marmaï as a cynical assassin in XVIth century France, where social tensions bubble as a historic drought is underway. Betrayed by his former master, he is dead set on retrieving his daughter Perla, who was raised as an orphan. The series will depict Néro facing a dilemma between saving his loved ones or saving the world from ruthless enemies. Following in the footsteps of other large-scale French adventure shows such as Paramount+/France Télévisions co-production Zorro, the series also boasts well-known comedians such as Olivier Gourmet and Alice Isaaz.
Les Lionnes
Genre: Crime drama
Cast: Rebecca Marder, Zoé Marchal, Naidra Ayadi, Pascale Arbillot, Jonathan Cohen, Olivier Rosemberg, François Damiens, Sami Outalbali
Olivier Rosemberg and Jonathan Cohen in Family Business, who have respectively cocreated and produced upcoming show Les Lionnes. Credit : Emmanuel Guimier/Netflix.
Also announced last fall, no logline exists for Les Lionnes, who has also been shooting in the South of France with an ensemble cast including up-and-coming actress Rebecca Marder (The Crime Is Mine). Produced by star comedian Jonathan Cohen (who also will appear in the show as a guest star), the Netflix show is described as a thriller with a slight comedic edge, about four women who resort to bank robbing to solve their money problems and have to face the consequences. The show is also the first creation for writers Olivier Rosemberg and Carine Prévot, who collaborated before on the writing staff of Family Business, also starring Cohen.
Blood Coast (Pax Massilia) Season 2
Genre: Thriller, Crime Drama/ Runtime: 50 mins
Cast: Tewfik Jallab, Jeanne Goursaud, Idir Azougli, Olivier Barthélémy, Lani Sogoyou, Samir Boitard
Blood Coast season 1 – Picture: Netflix
After a successful launch in December of 2023, French director and creator Olivier Marchal quickly got back in business with Netflix. The creator of long-running crime dramas such as Braquo for Canal+ reassembled his cast, including star Tewfik Jallab (Paris Has Fallen), to shoot new episodes of the edgy, action-oriented cop drama last December in Marseille and its area. The show is still set for 2025, though we wouldn’t expect it until way later in the year. Marchal has also been in post-production on his new movie Bastion 36, set to be released in late February 2025 (see below).
Tout Pour La Lumière
Episodes: 90
Genre: Soap opera, drama / Runtime: 20 mins
Release on Netflix: Q3/Q4 2025
A unique partnership between leading broadcaster TF1 and Netflix, this Netflix original daily drama has been conceived specifically for the French market. To be shot in La Ciotat and Marseille later this year, the episodes will be available on Netflix in France five days before they air on TF1 and replay platform TF1+. Details are scarce on the show, which is described as a family drama against the backdrop of a contemporary arts and dance school.
Tour de France: Unchained (Season 3)
Genre: Docuseries / Runtime: 45 minutes
Release on Netflix: ~June 2025
Last summer, the launch of season 2 of the docuseries on the road cycling event Tour de France has been consistently rated within the top 10 of European countries. Enough of a reason for the French team to order more episodes of the Quad Box-produced program, which will follow several teams and staff behind the scenes of the 2024 edition. The all-access show is being coproduced by Tour de France organizer Amaury Sports Organisation; expect a launch next summer as the 2025 gets underway.
Love Is Blind France
Genre: Unscripted dating show
Hosts: Teddy Riner, Luthna Plocus
Picture Credit: Netflix
After popular versions and remakes, Love Is Blind is set to be launched in France this year. The competition will be hosted by French judo champion Teddy Riner and his wife Luthna Plocus, who took the stage during the Next On Netflix French event to tease what was upcoming. The show, who has been reported to shoot in Sweden and Morocco, has been picky on casting and the hosts revealed they learned a lot from the candidates and their journey. No cast or premiere date has been set, but this is a format that has done exceptionnally well globally, so it might be a hit with French and European subscribers alike.
Rhythm + Flow France (Season 4)
Genre: Unscripted, musical competition
Cast: SCH, SDM
One of the other proven successes of Netflix France is that it will see a new set of French rappers competing for the top spot this year. Star coach Aya Nakamura bowed out of the new season, which was recently officially announced as pitting two teams of rappers against each other, with coaches SCH and SDM returning to coach each team. No timetable has been set for the premiere.
New French Movies Coming to Netflix in 2025
Honeymoon Crasher (Lune de Miel avec ma Mère) N
Director: Nicolas Cuche
Genre: Comedy / Runtime: 95 mins
Cast : Michèle Laroque, Julien Frison, Rossy de Palma, Gilbert Melki, Margot Bancilhon, Jake François, Kad Merad
Release on Netflix: February 12th
Outside of The Hook-Up Plan/Plan Coeur, the French lineup of Netflix did not historically feature many rom-coms in their programming. The upcoming Valentine’s Day specials on the platform make it perfect to reveal the French entry: a raunchy comedy featuring a mother and son pretending to be a couple and going ahead with a honeymoon after the son is left at the altar abruptly. The cast features bankable French comedian Michèle Laroque and an appearance from French comedy superstar Kad Merad, which makes it likely to enhance the profile of the comedy for local subscribers.
Bastion 36
Director: Olivier Marchal
Genre: Crime, drama / Runtime: 124 mins
Cast: Victor Belmondo, Tewfik Jallab, Yvan Attal, Juliette Dol, Soufiane Guerrab
Release on Netflix: February 28th
Victor Belmondo, Tewfik Jallab and Juliette Dol in Bastion 36. Credit : Laurent le Crabe/Netflix.
Also involved in Pax Massilia, Olivier Marchal has reunited with his longtime studio Gaumont to write and direct this new crime drama set within the French police arcanes. It stars Victor Belmondo as Antoine Cerda, a young member of a French elite antigang unit, who is reassigned in another unit after a blame from his hierarchy. But when two of his former colleagues end up dead within 24 hours, Cerda will start uncovering a deep-seated rivalry within police units and launch his own dangerous investigation. As a mix of intense action scenes, dialogue full of bravado, and moral quandaries, the new movie plays well within the arena in which Olivier Marchal has become known.
Banger
Director: So Me (Bertrand de Langeron)
Genre: Comedy, Musical / Runtime: TBD
Cast: Vincent Cassel, Laura Felpin, Alexis Manenti, Mister V, Déborah Lukumuena, Nina Zem, Nicolas Maury, Philippe Katerine, Kavinsky, Paul Mirabel, Panayotis Pascot, Manu Payet, Alice Moitié
Release on Netflix: April 2nd
Mister V, Vincent Cassel, and Laura Felpin star in the satire.
Netflix France describes the first feature film of video director and renowned French graphic artist SoMe (officiating for the label Ed Banger) as “a cross between Zoolander, the Coen brothers and the Splendid” (editor’s note: a cult ensemble of French comedy performers who dominated French box-office in the 1980s). It stars Vincent Cassel as a one-hit-wonder DJ named Scorpex, who is intent on a comeback.. he comes in the form of a French intelligence officer (Laura Felpin) who will make him infiltrate a mafioso crew running the Paris nightlife… and potentially confront with rival star DJ Vestax (YouTube star Mister V). The satirical comedy promises cameos from the French electronic scene and a soundtrack made by Belgian veterans 2 Many DJs.
French Lover
Director: Nina Rives
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Cast: Omar Sy, Sara Giraudeau, Pascale Arbillot, Alban Ivanov
If anything out of the French lineup has the potential to be a global hit, it’s this rom-com, sort of a reverse Notting Hill, with Lupin star Omar Sy. As part 4 of the hit show still has to be officially announced, Omar Sy will play a heightened version of himself as irresistible movie star Abel Camara, who bumps into Marion (Sara Giraudeau). Their fateful meeting, unbeknownst to them, will start a tumultuous relationship. The romantic comedy will bet on the star quality of one of the most recognizable faces for Netflix subscribers and is poised for a major launch later this year. It is also the very first feature film of director Nina Rives.
Lost Bullet 3 (Balle Perdue 3)
Director: Guillaume Pierret
Genre: Action
Cast : Alban Lenoir, Stefi Celma, Nicolas Duvauchelle
As antihero Lino (Alban Lenoir) takes the wheel for this third and final installment of the action franchise, Netflix has billed Lost Bullet 3 as the final showdown with sworn enemy Areski (played by Nicolas Duvauchelle). The footage briefly showcased during Next on Netflix gave the scale of gravity-defying practical stunts involving cars, trucks, helicopters, and shattered bus stops. Par for the course, then.
Le Bus: Les Bleus en Grève
Director: Christophe Astruc
Genre: Documentary
Netflix made its bed with watercooler documentaries, with the most successful ones of 2024 being around national scandals such as the Bettencourt case. In the direct lineage of docuseries like Bad Sport and Untold, 2025 will revisit a very unique event in French soccer: the strike decided aboard a bus by the National team during the 2010 World Cup to protest against the exclusion of their star player Nicolas Anelka. French media had revealed the insult directed at his coach, Raymond Domenech, at halftime of a match. The movie promises never-before-heard testimonies of the main players, alongside involved parties at the time, such as Sports Minister Roselyne Bachelot.
Introducing the footage at Next on Netflix, VP of French content Pauline Dauvin has said the documentary feature played more like a true-crime story than a straight sports behind-the-scenes documentary. As the incident triggered a political scandal at the time, much interest and publicity will surely be mobilized around this project when it finally launches later this year.
French series coming to Netflix in 2026 and beyond
Bandi
Creator: Éric Rochant, Capucine Rochant
Genre: Drama, thriller
As part of last Fall’s announcements, Netflix France unveiled a new project by the creator of Le Bureau Éric Rochant and Capucine Rochant. Bandi does not have an official logline but will tell the story of a family set in Martinique who will turn to a life of crime after the death of the matriarch. The first episodes are being directed by Jimmy Laporal-Trésor, and shooting is underway.
Furies (Season 2)
Creator: Cédric Nicolas-Troyan, Jean-Yves Arnaud, Yoann Legave
Genre: Action, drama
Cast: Marina Foïs, Lina El Arabi
Set in the world of Paris crime families and assassins for hire, Furies became the rare French drama original to receive a second-season order last fall, historically the renewals tended to be handed to comedies. The show remained for 6 weeks in the global Top 10 and was a strong performer when it was released. The Empreinte Digitale-produced show is gearing up for production; the lead actresses are expected to return.
GIGN
Creator: Julien Leclercq
Genre: Action, thriller
Cast: Tomer Sisley
Netflix France announced this show last fall, this time without an official logline. It is a new project for long-time Netflix creative collaborator Julien Leclercq, who created and directed most of Ganglands (Braqueurs) for its two seasons, then went on to direct a modern remake of The Wages of Fear with Lost Bullet star Alban Lenoir. The project is set within a fictional team of the GIGN, the elite unit of the French Gendarmerie tasked with special missions on national security, intelligence and counterterrorism. Netflix executives said the show was “a testosterone-heavy action thriller”. It will star Tomer Sisley, a known star for the French public for starring in the long-running procedural Balthazar, but also in the sci-fi show Vortex, which was available on Netflix a couple of years ago, and in the short-lived Netflix series Messiah.
Which French shows or movies are you most excited about? Let us know in the comments below!
