# Les Misérables (2000)

> A fugitive ex-convict shelters a dying mother's daughter while a relentless policeman hunts him through revolutionary France.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/39644

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 4
- Episode runtime: 90 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama, history
- Created by: Josée Dayan
- Network: TF1
- Cast: Gérard Depardieu, John Malkovich, Christian Clavier, Asia Argento, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Jeanne Moreau, Veronica Ferres, Virginie Ledoyen
- TMDB rating: 7.6/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0230534/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: mild
- Tone: melancholic, earnest, sweeping, tense, sincere

## What critics say

Audiences rated this French television adaptation of Victor Hugo's novel positively, mainly for its faithful storytelling and strong cast.

## Synopsis

Les Misérables (2000) is a French national-television historical drama miniseries created by Josée Dayan for TF1. Adapted from Victor Hugo's classic novel and set against the upheaval of the French Revolution, it follows Jean Valjean (Gérard Depardieu), a man imprisoned for stealing a loaf of bread who emerges nineteen years later with nothing but a fresh start he is not allowed to have. Valjean's life turns when he meets Fantine (Charlotte Gainsbourg), a beautiful, destitute young woman, and later takes responsibility for her daughter Cosette (Virginie Ledoyen). Shadowing him is Javert (John Malkovich), a policeman whose pursuit of the ex-convict becomes an obsession. The engine of the story is the tension between Valjean's quiet attempts to do good and Javert's unrelenting search, with the Thénardiers (Christian Clavier, Veronica Ferres) and Éponine (Asia Argento) adding menace and misfortune to each episode. Told across four ninety-minute episodes, it is a single continuous story rather than a case-of-the-week format. Its tone is melancholic, earnest and sweeping, with moral weight and a deep sense of social injustice. Fans of Les Misérables (1998), The Count of Monte Cristo and Outlander will find resonance in its lavish costume drama and its study of guilt and grace.

## Shows like Les Misérables

- [Napoleon (2002)](https://ember.film/tv/2566)
- [Little Dorrit (2008)](https://ember.film/tv/12646)
- [The Leopard (2025)](https://ember.film/tv/144047)
- [All the Light We Cannot See (2023)](https://ember.film/tv/117888)
- [Lupin (2021)](https://ember.film/tv/81574)
- [The Count of Monte Cristo (1998)](https://ember.film/tv/29609)
- [Capitaine Marleau (2015)](https://ember.film/tv/62736)
- [Barkskins (2020)](https://ember.film/tv/79297)
- [The Story of Perrine (1978)](https://ember.film/tv/39978)
- [The Bonfire of Destiny (2019)](https://ember.film/tv/79302)

---

Site overview: https://ember.film/llms.txt