Mercato on Disney+: How much is this detective series with Manon Azem and Arnaud Ducret worth?

What is it about?

“When he is at the airport for the historic arrival of the new star of OM in France, Thomas Chevalier, a police officer of the office with an exemplary career so far, is obliged to intervene to neutralize a madman who is about to attack. football player.

Inadvertently, he injures the player, ending Marcel’s dream before it begins… The fiasco of his intervention leads to a sanction: his immediate transfer to the worst possible destination for this Parisian policeman. With the worst sauce on the butt – Marseille…

There, Thomas has to lead a group with unorthodox methods, which includes Nora Cader, a young police officer who is out of control and different from him in every way. Together with his two deputies Julio Abdelaoui and Ange Colonna, these free electrons have already exhausted more than one group leader and acquired the worst reputation.

No one wants to stick to it. But sanctioned Thomas has no choice. They don’t wear the same shirt, but they do the same job: cops. And they will have to play in the same team, in Marseille.”

broadcast of the first season Mercato The first one was on TF1. The series is also available on Disney+ starting Thursday, June 26, 2024.

who is he with

Arnaud Ducré (Tendre Et Saignant, Visitor from the Future) plays Thomas. Manon Azem (Friendzone, BDE) plays Nora, the Marseilles partner of a Parisian police officer.

Opposite both Foued Nabba (Angers) and Illies Kadri (Julio Abdelaoui), as well as Pierre-Francois Martin-Laval (Commissar Brancherot), aka Pepy.

Mercato was created by Jérémie Marcus and directed by David Hourrègue, Simon Astier and Gaël Leforestier. Season 1 of the series is divided into eight 52-minute episodes.

Is it worth checking out?

Mercato’s first minutes are effective. Funny, rhythmic, friendly, these opening scenes are also an opportunity for the public to discover some fun cameos from celebrities from Marseille, where the series takes place. Alas, our enthusiasm is fading as quickly as it came…

Of course, Mercato’s major players are doing their best. Of course, special guests throughout the episodes (Simon Astier, Fove Hoto, David Ayala, Brian Tresor…) and supporting roles (Elodie Varlet) are convincing. And of course, the breathtaking dynamics of the series add a bit of freshness to the genre.

However, the beautiful scenery of the city of Phocaeus and its surroundings does not erase the ugly flaws of this fantasy. Humor is very common in Mercato, but jokes that play on clichés about Marseille and its inhabitants are redundant and lack subtlety. We draw a few smiles, but the feeling of gravity does not leave us.

The investigative aspect is also central here. Unfortunately, Thomas and Nora’s investigations are rather simplistic and sometimes lack coherence. At some point, too much action definitely undermines the resolution of the intrigues…

Despite these negative points, we still feel the involvement and determination of Manon Azem and Arnaud Ducret, who protect the soul and body of this project. Over the course of the season, we learn more about their characters’ pasts.

Steeped in too many good feelings, explaining away some of their injuries nevertheless allows society to find them more endearing than annoying in the end.

Finally, we can also applaud the very proud intention of TF1 (for whom the series was originally created) to continue to try to modernize detective fiction. If Mercato could use some tweaking, the series still has its tone. It’s just a shame to see some of the bad habits of the channel die in this area at least…