First Look: Agatha Christie's Criminal Games: The 70s

All characters arrive in impeccable style in the newest French TV adaptation of Agatha Christie novels in MHz Choice’s Agatha Christie’s Criminal Games: The ‘70s (France TV). Collars are wide, sunglasses are huge and flares are everywhere. Captain Annie Gréco (Emilie Gavois-Kahn) shows up at the Lille police department as its first female captain. The chauvinism is ever-present even as Gréco immediately runs circles around her hapless male underlings. She acquires her first trusted investigative partner with the unlikely Max Beretta (Arthur Dupont), who was marooned in the archives after some hothead behavior following a perceived slight by a colleague. He’s always a hair-trigger away from throwing a punch (or worse) but he’s observant and motivated. Rose Bellacour (Chloé Chaudoye) rounds out the mismatched trio as a gifted amateur psychologist. Her outfits may scream peak 1970s fashion, but her mind is built for a more modern age. Rose is rich and doesn’t technically need a job, but she’s too smart to settle for being a rich guy’s wife. 

The 1970s are arguably the fourth major character in the series, with richly decorated sets in tones of orange and brown, vintage cars and a distinctly psychedelic feel accompanying each mystery. The burgeoning field of psychology and emergence of more women in traditionally male roles (i.e. police captains) provides some light humor and obstacles the characters often face. Each feature-length episode features a different mystery for the trio to solve with Captain Gréco’s no nonsense demeanor balancing out the more colorful and loud approach of Beretta and Bellacour.