# Balthazar (2018)

> A new police commander teams up with an exasperating yet brilliant man who can make the dead speak to crack complex murder cases.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/71770

## Facts

- Seasons: 5
- Episodes: 38
- Episode runtime: 52 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: crime, mystery, drama
- Created by: Clothilde Jamin, Clélia Constantine
- Network: TF1
- Cast: Tomer Sisley, Hélène de Fougerolles, Philypa Phoenix, Gabriel Caballero, Yannig Samot, Côme Levin, Pauline Cheviller, Aminthe Audiard
- TMDB rating: 7.6/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9293466/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: sardonic, tense, melancholic, witty

## What critics say

Viewers rate Balthazar positively, with the strongest appreciation for the chemistry between the brilliant but exasperating investigator and the new police commander, and steady quality across its run.

## Synopsis

Balthazar (2018-2023) is a French national-television police procedural series created by Clothilde Jamin and Clélia Constantine for TF1. New police commander Hélène Bach (Hélène de Fougerolles) is handed a run of complex murder cases and must learn to work alongside Raphaël Balthazar (Tomer Sisley), a brilliant but exasperating investigator who can make the dead speak. Their uneasy partnership drives each case, with the rest of the team, including Fatim (Philypa Phoenix), Jérôme Delgado (Yannig Samot) and Eddy (Côme Levin), filling out the squad around them. Each episode is built around a fresh homicide, its interviews, and the clues the dead provide, while Hélène's personal life and the team's rivalries give the stories an emotional undercurrent. The five-season run offers a mix of case-driven tension, sardonic humor and a melancholic undertone. Fans of The Mentalist and other crime series with an unconventional investigator will find resonance here, as the series blends procedural mystery with a supernatural hook and gritty French police drama.

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