# A Very Secret Service (2015)

> In 1960 at the height of the Cold War, a newcomer joins the French Secret Service and must outwit both foreign enemies and his own bureaucracy.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/56883

## Facts

- Seasons: 2
- Episodes: 24
- Episode runtime: 24 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: comedy
- Created by: Jean-François Halin, Claire Lemaréchal, Jean-André Yerlès
- Network: ARTE, ARTE
- Cast: Baptiste Sornin, Wilfred Benaïche, Hugo Becker, Joséphine de la Baume, Jochen Hägele, Mathilde Warnier, Marie-Julie Baup, Axelle Simon
- TMDB rating: 7.7/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4367560/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: mild
- Tone: deadpan, irreverent, playful, breezy

## What critics say

Audiences rate this French Cold War spy parody positively for its acting, period set design and costumes, and its sharp comedic take on bureaucracy.

## Synopsis

A Very Secret Service (2015-2018) is a French espionage comedy series created by Jean-François Halin, Claire Lemaréchal and Jean-André Yerlès for ARTE. Hugo Becker plays André Merlaux, a newcomer who joins the French Secret Service in 1960 at the height of the Cold War. Wilfred Benaïche plays the Colonel, his exasperated superior, while Joséphine de la Baume appears as Clayborn and Jochen Hägele as Captain Otto Schmidt, both adding friction across the border. Each episode follows Merlaux as he tries to complete ordinary missions while dodging foreign agents and the endless paperwork, petty rivalries and tangled chains of command that define the agency. The series runs for two seasons of twelve episodes each, with short twenty-four minute installments that favour gags and escalating mishaps over a single continuous arc. Its tone is deadpan and irreverent, with a playful parody of spy thriller conventions and a sharp eye for the absurdity of institutional life. Richly detailed period costumes and set design give it a stylish look. Fans of OSS 117, Get Smart and The Americans will find resonance in its blend of cold war atmosphere and satirical wit, delivered in French with a comic sensibility.

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