Throughout January, the international French-language network TV5 Monde offers a rich lineup of entertaining films, series, and variety shows.

Discover our round-up of the must-see programs this month below.

TV5 Monde

Films

Tout le monde ment 2—January 3 at 8:30pm ET/5:30pm PT (English ST)

Also streaming on TV5MONDEplus

A new investigation for the sensitive cases squad, which takes on powerful figures who nobody dares to defy. A woman has been stabbed in her flat. She had just lodged a complaint against a famous actor for sexual assault. The man is untouchable and determined to save his reputation.

Director: Akim Isker (France, 2023)
Cast: Vincent Elbaz, Julien Boisselier, Mariama Gueye, and Joséphine de Meaux
Genre: Thriller

Series

OPJ—Sundays starting January 5 at 11:30pm ET/8:30pm PT (English ST)

Season 5 premiere

A police captain from Réunion Island serves as a squad commander in a working-class neighborhood of Nouméa, New Caledonia. Intelligent, determined, and a valuable leader, she’s also a widow, raising two teenagers alone.

Director: Marine Hervé and Florian Thomas (France, 2023)
Cast: Yaëlle Trulès, Antoine Stip, Nathan Dellemme, Marielle Karabeu, and Mona Claude
Genre: Political thriller, crime

Virage— Wednesdays starting January 15 at 11:30pm ET/8:30pm PT (French ST)

Also streaming on TV5MONDEplus

On her return from the Olympics, Frédérique, a triple medal-winner in speed skating, decides to take a long hard look at her life and her future. Her partner Antoine, also a skater, feels betrayed. But the competitions continue.

Director: Catherine Therrien (Canada, 2021)
Cast: Charlotte Aubin, Émile Schneider, Juliette Gosselin, Sylvain Marcel, and Marie-Thérèse Fortin
Genre: Drama

Documentaries

Notre-Dame Résurrection—January 1 at 8:30pm ET/5:30pm PT (English ST)

Also streaming on TV5MONDEplus

After suffering a devastating fire on April 15, 2019, the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral reopened its doors on December 7, 2024. For five years, the iconic religious building has been the site of an extraordinary human and technical endeavor. Immerse yourself in the heart of this monumental restoration project, alongside craftsmen with exceptional skills.

Director: Xavier Lefebvre (France, 2024)
Genre: Documentary

Maria Callas – Renata Tebaldi, la féline et la colombe—January 6 at 3:00pm ET/12:00pm PT (English ST)

New York, September 16, 1968. Behind the scenes at the Metropolitan Opera, the famous opera singers Maria Callas and Renata Tebaldi warmly embrace. It’s the end of a relentless, fruitful, and highly-publicized rivalry, played out in the world’s most prestigious opera houses throughout the 1950s.

Director: René-Jean Bouyer (France, 2014)
Genre: Documentary

Mégastructures romaines en Gaule—Mondays beginning January 13 at 3:00pm ET/12:00pm PT (English ST)

Ep. 1 Set on fire in Antiquity, Lyon was the largest city in France. Between the end of the 1st century BC and the 2nd century AD, Lugdunum saw the creation of monuments fit for a capital, making it a veritable showcase for Rome. We visit the Sanctuary of the Three Gauls and the Fourvière Theatre.

Ep. 2 During the conquest of Gaul, entire cities rallied the Roman cause without fighting, even enjoying the grandeur of the emperors. A UNESCO World Heritage site, Arles still bears witness to an era gone by, with an amphitheatre reminiscent of the Colosseum and a circus, know as one of the best known in Gaul.

Director: Stanislas Kraland and Claire Denavarre (France, 2021)
Genre: Documentary series, history

TV5 Monde Plus

Films

Au poste !—Streaming beginning January 2 (English ST)

The 1970s. Fugain has just found a body. For Superintendent Buron, charged with taking his statement, Fugain is the prime suspect. The questioning lasts all night, becoming an interminable head-to-head, bordering on the absurd… But what if it was just a joke? All Fugain wants to do is go home.

Director: Jean-Pierre Améris (France, Belgium, 2017)
Cast: Benoît Poelvoorde, Grégoire Ludig, Marc Fraize, Anaïs Demoustier, and Philippe Duquesne
Genre: Comedy
Awards: Best screenplay (Sitges 2018), audience prize (Montreal 2018), official selection for (La Rochelle, Magritte 2019)

Violette Nozière—Streaming beginning January 2 (English ST)

Based on the true story of Violette Nozière. In post-World War I France, amid significant social and political upheaval, 18-year-old Violette Nozière challenges the oppressive confines of her working-class family, which may have unsettling dynamics, leading to disastrous outcomes.

Director: Claude Chabrol (France, 1978)
Cast: Isabelle Huppert, Stéphane Audran, and Jean Carmet
Genre: Crime, thriller
Awards: 1978 Cannes Film Festival Best Actress Winner (Isabelle Huppert), 1979 César Awards Best Supporting Actress Winner (Stéphane Audran)

Series

Je suis né à 17 ans— Now streaming (English ST)

Physically abused as a child, Thierry managed to grow into adulthood despite his father’s violence. When he learns of his father’s imminent death, it’s time for Thierry to settle his scores, and come to terms with his memories and his feelings, with help from his therapist, friends, and family.

Director: Julien Seri (France, 2023)
Cast: Thierry Beccaro, Manon Lheureux, Elisabeth Comelin, Moïse Santamaria, and Elsa Lunghini
Genre: Drama

Mindblow— Streaming beginning January 2 (English ST)

Markus, a former music show contestant, has been mocked his whole life. At 40, he is offered the opportunity to change his past. Immersed in an alternative reality, he becomes a superstar but loses his love forever.

Director: Eric Andreae (Switzerland, 2024)
Cast: Dimitri Stapfer, Sylvie Marinkovic, Kay Kysela, Helen Wills, and Eric Lüthi
Genre: Drama

Zetwal Caraïbes—Streaming beginning January 2 (English ST)

Centered on the adventures of four students from different backgrounds from a drama school in Guadeloupe, this dramedy explores their fight to achieve their dreams, despite their personal challenges.

Director: Luccio Di Rosa (France, 2024)
Cast: Mathew Bazile, Angelyna Danabe Mignot, Axelle Laurent, and Youri Lauriette
Genre: Dramedy

Documentaries

Pierre Henry n’est pas mort—Now streaming (English ST)

A pioneer of concrete and electroacoustic music, whose principals were invented by Pierre Schaeffer in 1948, Pierre Henry (1927-2017) helped 20^th-century music grow, to the point of calling himself the pope of techno at the end of his life. Looking back at the genesis of his work, he has influenced The Beatles, Pink Floyd, and A Tribe Called Quest, among others.

Director: Franck Podguszer-Braun (France, 2024)
Genre: Documentary

Un gars, un chef !—Now streaming (English ST)

Only good vibes with chef Gerald Watelet and guy Adrien Devyver! This dynamic duo, joined by a lively group of columnists and guests, promises an approachable, friendly kitchen and a wealth of advice on all things culinary.

Director: Nicolas De Keyser (Belgium, 2024)
Hosts: Adrien Devyver and Gerald Watelet
Genre: Cooking show

TV5 Monde Cinema

Theme: MyFrenchFilmFestival 2025

Que les gros salaires lèvent le doigt— available beginning January 3

The cynical boss of a big insurance agency invites his top-salary employees to spend a weekend in his country house.

Director: Denys Granier-Deferre (1982)
Cast: Jean Poiret, Daniel Auteuil, and Michel Piccoli
Genre: Drama

Deux jours à tuer— available beginning January 3 (English ST)

A middle-aged man has everything he needs to be happy but decides to ruin everything in one weekend.

Director: Jean Becker (2008)
Cast: Albert Dupontel, Pierre Vaneck, and Marie-Josée Croze
Genre: Drama

La race des seigneurs— available beginning January 10 (English ST)

The leader of a socialist political party is asked to be part of the new conservative government as minister of foreign affairs.

Director: Pierre Granier-Deferre (1974)
Cast: Alain Delon, Sydne Rome, and Claude Rich
Genre: Thriller

L’ombre rouge— available beginning January 10 (English ST)

Two Soviet spies are suddenly called to Moscow by the KGB after aiding Communist factions during the Spanish Civil War.

Director: Jean-Louis Comolli (1981)
Cast: Claude Brasseur, Jacques Dutronc, and Nathalie Baye
Genre: Drama

Vénus noire— available beginning January 24 (English ST)

In 1817 Paris, a black woman from Africa is displayed throughout Europe.

Director: Abdellatif Kechiche (2010)
Cast: Yahima Torres, André Jacobs, and Olivier Gourmet
Genre: Drama

Kung Fu Zohra— available beginning January 24 (English ST)

Convinced that a divorce would separate her from her little girl, a woman cannot bring herself to leave her husband, despite his violent behavior.

Director: Mabrouk El Mechri (2022)
Cast: Sabrina Ouazani, Ramzy Bedia, and Eye Haïdara
Genre: Comedy

Monsieur et Madame Adelman— available beginning January 31 (English ST)

A woman agrees to recount 45 years of marriage to an acclaimed novelist after his death.

Director: Nicolas Bedos (2017)
Cast: Doria Tillier, Nicolas Bedos, and Denis Podalydès
Genre: Drama

Dans la peau de Blanche Houellebecq— available beginning January 31 (English ST)

French novelist Michel Houellebecq travels to Guadeloupe to participate in a look-alike contest.

Director: Guillaume Nicloux (2024)
Cast: Blanche Gardin and Michel Houellebecq
Genre: Comedy