I've watched the first two series of the French production of Maigret with Bruno Cremer and really enjoyed them. They first aired between 1991 to 1993 and there are four 90 minute movies each series. The program ran from 1991 to 2004, there were 14 series and 54 episodes. The whole series have been released in the US by MHz. It's a bit pricey, currently $134.96 on Amazon but there are 27 disc with 4920 mins worth of quality storytelling. I picked up a set at Hamilton Books for $119.95 and, after seeing what I've seen so far, think it was a good purchase.
Series 1 has these four stories.
Maigret in Montmartre
Maigret and the Burglars Wife
Maigret and the Flemish Shop
Maigret and the Judge
Series 2 has these four stories.
Maigret and the Headless Corpse
Maigret at the Crossroads
Maigret and the Majestic
Maigret on Trial
I doubt I've read any of these novels. I know I read a few Georges Simenon books back in the 70s and 80s but I wasn't ever enamored enough with his writing to continue. That might have been the translations, so, the TV productions are much better for me. Maigret is an interesting character. He's been on the force for 30 years and is a bit old school, he's totally determined to catch the crook and will ignore the law to his purpose. It's not an action show but occasionally Maigret has to slap someone down. He handles himself well in a fight. He'll bully his way around, he's not always so pleasant, but neither are the people he's after.
The series is set in the early 1950s and there are plenty of nice locations and cars to bring that to life. I've enjoyed the stories so far and look forward to seeing the rest of of them.
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