Syndrome E on TF1: How much is the adaptation of Frank Tillis’ novel with Vincent Elbaz and Emmanuelle Bearth worth?

Frank Charcot, 45 years old, is a gruff and lonely policeman. Only his daughter is with him every day: Eugene interferes everywhere. Especially in his new investigation, in which children mysteriously disappear, and an old film from the 60s causes strange and dangerous behavior in those who watch it.

Lucy Hannebel is 35 years old. She is also a police officer, a single mother. When she realizes that her past may be connected to Charcot’s investigation, she joins his team. So the meeting between the two cops promises to be electrifying… but this investigation will primarily take them from Morocco to Canada to shed light on a troubled science experiment.

Every Thursday at 21:10 on TF1 from September 29 and is now fully available on Salto.

Watched 6 episodes out of 6.

To embody on the screen the two flagship policemen of the novels of Frank Tillis, namely Charcot and Hannabel, who meet for the first time in Syndrome E, TF1 and the producer, called Vincent Elbaz, who again becomes the hero of the seven series. Years after the termination of no. Limit and actress Jennifer Dekker, resident of the Comédie-Française, seen on screen in Hellphone, Flyboys, or Jeanne Poisson in Marquis de Pompadour.

Alongside them we find Emmanuelle Béart, rare on television, as Commissaire Leclerc, Coul Cheny and Berenger Crieff as Charcot’s comrades, and Michel Bernier as Hannebel’s mother. Let’s not forget Ann Charrier, Sammy Segir, Richard Bohringer or even Dominique Blanc as Machiavelli.

After Rebecca, Une si longue nuit, or just aim for the heart, mixed with a love story and already quite dark explorations of childhood fears and deeply buried traumas, TF1 pushes the cursor a little further than what we are used to. French small screen thriller Syndrome E, which debuts this Thursday night on TF1. And that’s good because we want more!

Accustomed to atmospheric series with Zone blanche, which already brought a breath of fresh air to French productions a few years ago, screenwriter Mathieu Misoff adapts for the first time the works of Franck Tilliers for television, which is now one of the undisputed. Thriller masters in France with Jean-Christophe Granger and Maxime Chatham. And anyone who has seen his novel The Chamber of the Dead (centered on Lucy Hannabel) was brought to the big screen in 2007.

At times reminiscent of The Crimson Rivers, though bolder, more unpredictable and more enjoyable in both its narrative and execution, Syndrome E takes us from its highly successful first episode into a dark, murky and disturbing world. A desire that connects comforting revelations and shocking sequences. And which, with its life-damaged but still endearing characters, its cast, and its many enthralling mysteries, manages to effortlessly convey risk and quality to the general public.

Corpses with brains torn out, a heroine whose eyes begin to bleed, subconscious images hidden in an old amateur film à la Ring, leading to explosions of violence, a disturbing clinic or even experiments on kidnapped children… nothing is left for us and lovers. Gluttony and bloody thrillers must be conquered.

Obviously, the set doesn’t shy away from certain more formulaic sequences, but E Syndrome is close enough to the scary and weird to thrill us and stand out from many French TV dramas.

Mathieu Misoff’s mastery of rhythm and suspense is complemented by Lor de Butler’s smooth and stunning direction. A young director who cut his teeth specifically on Profileng and who after The Promise confirms all the good things we think about him. And he proves once again that he has a real touch and a real sense of human drama, able to convey on the screen both the darkness of the investigation and the wounds and suffering of the souls of his characters.

The screenplay and formal qualities are complemented by a top-notch cast. Starting with the two main actors of the series, Charcot and Hannebel are excellent in their roles. For his big return as the hero of the series on TF1, Vincent Elbaz, who we recently saw in the comic on France 2 in Everyone lies, once again shows his wide range of acting and proves that he is simply excellent in the skin of this tormentor. A policeman haunted by the ghost of his daughter, ready to explode at any moment.

Jennifer Dekker, Comedie-Française’s resident Charcot ticking time bomb, is the true revelation of the series as Hannebel, who is faced with an extraordinary case. About questions He underwent brain surgery as a teenager. Are you determined to save those who can still be saved – including yourself? – Before it’s too late.

The rest of the cast has nothing to envy, from Kool Shannon to Berenger Krief, amazing as a young policeman, through Sammy Seguire or Dominique Blanc, who looked brilliant in the shoes of a truly terrifying antagonist. And we already hope to find characters in other seasons adapted from the next volumes signed by Thilliez. Because, after all, TF1 is introducing Syndrome E as a “Charcot and Hannebel investigation” and we’re telling ourselves that everything is already planned to secure a season 2 if successful.