Throughout October, the international French-language network TV5MONDE offers a rich lineup of entertaining films, series, specials, and variety programming.

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

TV5 Monde

Special

À vrai dire – Réseaux sociaux, la santé mentale des ados en danger— October 15 at 8:30pm ET/5:30pm PT
Previous episodes streaming on TV5MONDE+
Episode 3 premiere
(English ST)

A TV5MONDE original news program dedicated to the fight against disinformation. Every quarter, “À vrai dire” will offer a field investigation followed by a debate.

Episode 3 examines the dangers of social media for teenagers, including an investigation in Australia, the only country with experience implementing a social media ban for users under 16. The episode also features an in-depth segment on France, following a teenager who fell victim to algorithms, as well as an experiment involving a robot that demonstrates how algorithms can trap teenagers in echo chambers.

Director: N/A (France, 2026) 
Hosts: Mohamed Kaci
Genre: News, investigative reporting

Films

Melody — October 4 at 8:30pm ET/5:30pm PT
Also streaming on TV5MONDE+
In celebration of the Festival International du Film Francophone de Namur (FIFF)
(English ST)

To open her own salon, Melody, a modest home hairdresser, decides to become a surrogate mother. She is soon contacted by Emily, a wealthy Englishwoman in remission from cancer. Between the two women, a complex relationship will develop, by turns friendly and filial, supportive and conflictual.

Director: Bernard Bellefroid (France, Belgium, Luxembourg, 2014)
Cast: Rachael Blake, Lucie Debay, Don Gallagher
Genre: Drama
Awards: Audience award for feature fiction at the Namur International Francophone Film Festival (FIFF) (Belgium, 2014); ecumenical jury prize, best actress award (Lucie Debay, Rachael Blake) at the Montreal World Film Festival (Canada, 2014)

Je suis mort mais j’ai des amis — October 6 at 8:30pm ET/5:30pm PT
Also streaming on of TV5MONDE+ beginning October 7
In celebration of the Festival International du Film Francophone de Namur (FIFF)
(English ST)

Four Belgian rockers lose their group’s lead singer in an accident. Banned from the funeral, they decide to steal his ashes to take them with them on a tour of the US. The day before leaving, they meet a moustachioed soldier who claims to be their friend’s lover…

Director: Guillaume Malandrin, Stéphane Malandrin (Belgium, France, 2013)
Cast: Bouli Lanners, Wim Willaert, Lyes Salem, Serge Riaboukine
Genre: Comedy
Awards: Best actor for Wim Willaert (Magritte 2016), nominated for the 2016 César for best foreign film, officially selected for the 30th Festival International du Film Francophone de Namur (2015)

Fêlés — October 18 at 8:30pm ET/5:30pm PT
Also streaming on TV5MONDE+ 
(English ST) 

The Rainbow is a community center in Marmande that welcomes people battered by life. When the institution faces eviction, a wave of solidarity gathers around Pierre, its founder.

Director: Christophe Duthuron (France, 2023)
Cast: Pierre Richard, Bernard Le Coq, Méliane Marcaggi
Genre: Comedy 

L’acrobate— October 20 at 8:30pm ET/5:30pm PT
Also streaming on TV5MONDE+ 
(English ST) 

A shy and solitary bathhouse attendant, Léon deals with the harassment of his colleagues, the demands of the female customers and the teasing of his cousin, with whom he lives. To seduce Fumée, one of the neighborhood’s prostitutes, he decides to become a tango champion.

Director: Jean-Daniel Pollet (France, 1975)
Cast: Claude Melki, Laurence Bru, Guy Marchand, Micheline Dax, Marion Game, Édith Scob
Genre: Dramedy
Awards: Critics’ prize at the Chamrousse Humour Film Festival (France, 1976); selected for Perspectives of French Cinema – Cannes (France, 1976)

Les gens d’à côté— October 25 at 8:30pm ET/5:30pm PT
Also streaming on TV5MONDE+ 
(English ST) 

Haunted by the memory of her partner’s suicide, Lucie, a forensic scientist nearing retirement, lives in a suburban housing estate. His solitary daily routine is disrupted by the arrival nearby of a couple, Julia and Yann, parents of a little girl, Rose. Bonds are forged…

Director: André Téchiné (France, 2024)
Cast: Isabelle Huppert, Nahuel Pérez Biscayart, Hafsia Herzi
Genre: Drama 
Awards: Selected at the Berlinale – Panorama section (Germany, 2024), BJIFF (China, 2024), Sydney Film Festival – Features section (Australia, 2024)

Le roi de paris— October 27 at 9:30pm ET/6:30pm PT
In honor of the 20th anniversary of the death of actor Philippe Noiret
(English ST) 

Paris, 1930. Victor Derval, nicknamed the “King of Paris”, has received top billing for the last ten years and is surrounded by admirers. He has a son, 20-year-old Paul, who is also an actor. The young man can no longer stand living in his father’s shadow.

Director: Dominique Maillet (France, 1993)
Cast: Philippe Noiret, Manuel Blanc, Michel Aumont, Veronika Varga
Genre: Dramedy 

Series

Jeux d’influence, les combattantes— — Sundays, starting October 11 at 11:30pm ET/8:30pm PT 
Season 2 return  
(English ST) 

Guillaume Delpierre, now Minister of Agriculture, is trapped in the exercise of power. While a lobbyist tries to cover up a health scandal, the mothers of the victims unite to face the drama that affects them.

Ep. 1: A year after the victory of the decree prohibiting certain toxic pesticides in agriculture, the situation has worsened despite the law. During a school trip to the Vitalia cooperative, some pupils faint. The journalist Claire Lansel is informed of Vitalia’s practices by Chloé Forrest.

Ep. 2: Minister Delpierre’s cabinet discovers suspicious collusions of interest between Vitalia and the agricultural syndicate Synea. An employee suffers from red rashes on his arms, nocturnal sweating and itching. Claire rapidly receives threats on the subject of her investigation.

Director: Jean-Xavier de Lestrade (France, 2022)
Cast: Alix Poisson, Laurent Stocker, Pierre Perrier, Marilou Aussilloux, Jean-François Sivadier
Genre: Thriller

Fugueuse— Fridays, beginning October 16 at 11:30pm ET/8:30pm PT 
Season 1 premiere 
Also streaming on TV5MONDE+ 
(French ST) 

Sixteen-year-old Fanny dreams of adventure and becoming free from her parents. She meets Damien, an apparently successful singer. He very quickly introduces her to the world of strip clubs and leads her into prostitution. Manipulated, trapped, Fanny is out of her depth and keeps running away.

Ep. 1: Fanny asks for money from her parents to go on a trip to New York with her friends. They refuse as they want to make her become more responsible. Annoyed, she accepts an invitation from her new friend, Natacha, and runs away to go to her party.

Ep. 2: At Natacha’s party, Fanny meets Damien, a singer who offers her the chance to take part in his next video. At the same time, she sees videos of her friends in New York on social media. Damien consoles her and takes advantage to get closer to her.

Director: Éric Tessier (Quebec, 2018)
Cast: Ludivine Reding, Jean-François Ruel, Claude Legault, Lynda Johnson 
Genre: Drama 

Documentaries

Entre les bras, la cuisine en héritage— October 13 at 8:30pm ET/5:30pm PT
In celebration of The Week of Taste
Also streaming on TV5MONDE+ beginning October 7
(English ST) 

In 2009, the famous chef from the Aveyron, Michel Bras, decided to hand over the reins to his son Sébastien. A crucial moment. How to pass on a lifetime’s work? And how easy for the son to make his own name? Portrait of an exceptional family spanning three generations.

Director: Paul Lacoste (France, 2011)
Genre: Documentary
Awars: Official selection (Berlin 2012, San Francisco 2012, Seattle 2012)

Les nouveaux influenceurs, quand le savoir devient viral— October 21 at 8:30pm ET/5:30pm PT
Exclusive world premiere
Also streaming on TV5MONDE+ beginning October 20
(English ST) 

What do a radiologist, a science communicator, a permaculturist, a veterinarian, and a physiotherapist have in common? They have all become content creators on social networks. Neither artists nor singers, these professionals become public figures despite themselves. When knowledge meets virality: investigation.

Director: Nathanaël Zelig (France, 2026)
Genre: Documentary

TV5Monde+

Films

L’enfance d’un chef— Now streaming 
(English ST) 

A young actor enjoying early success, Vincent is preparing to play Charles de Gaulle on the big screen. At the same time, he must move into a place of his own for the first time. The beginning of a new life…

Director: Antoine de Bary (France, 2016)
Cast: Vincent Lacoste, Félix Moati, Thomas Blumenthal, Lottie Andersen, Thomas Hägele, Sophie De Vismes
Genre: Dramedy, short film 
Awards: Special Mention for a First Fiction Work at the Clermont-Ferrand Festival (France, 2017); Canal+ Award at Critics’ Week, Cannes (France, 2016); selected for the Palm Springs International ShortFest (United States, 2017), and the Drama International Short Film Festival (DISFF) (Greece, 2016)

Series

L’indétectable— Streaming beginning October 7 
Season premiere  
(English ST) 

A young osteopath infiltrates a mysterious start-up to prove that a viral racist video of her mother, which destroyed her political career, was actually an undetectable deepfake.

Director: Stéphane Lapointe (Quebec, 2026)
Cast: Sophie Nélisse, Pierre Curzi, Lynda Johnson
Genre: Thriller, miniseries

Documentaries

Femmes de science—Now streaming
Season premiere  
(English ST) 

A series of intimate portraits of contemporary women scientists through their journeys, their challenges, their discoveries and the impact of their work.

Ep. 1: Astrophysicist Anne-Marie Lagrange is a member of the Academy of Sciences, research director at CNRS, at the Laboratory of Instrumentation and Research in Astrophysics (LIRA/CNRS, Paris Observatory – PSL, Sorbonne University, Université Paris Cité).

Ep. 2: With a PhD in bioinformatics, Salomé Nashed received the L’Oréal Young Talents Award in 2022. She is also a postdoctoral fellow at the National Museum of Natural History (Paris).

Director: Lucille Michon, Sandrine Brotons, Romain Vaudaux (France, 2025)
Genre: Documentary series, science

Einstein—Now streaming
In celebration of the Fête de la science 2026
(English ST) 

Discovery of the Swiss scientific world! Due to their accessible approach, even the most complicated scientific topics and techniques become easy to understand and appealing.

Ep. 1: The impact of the sleep cycle on our productivity. Are early risers more productive? For two weeks, journalist Bähram Alagheband gets up at 5 a.m. What are the effects on his hormones, memory and creativity? Is he more productive, more focused or just tired and irritable? How will his internal clock react?

Ep. 2: Staying fit thanks to electric bikes? Do electric bikes help us stay fit and healthy or are they reserved for the lazy? Kathrin Hönegger alternates between riding an electric bike with different assistance levels and a regular bike on identical routes. The results are surprising.

Host: Tania Chytil (Switzerland, 2025)
Genre: Documentary series, science

TV5Monde+ Cinéma

Theme: Female directors

L’intérêt d’adam— available beginning October 2
(English ST) 

As a four-year-old is hospitalized for malnutrition, the head nurse allows the mother to stay past the court-mandated visiting hours.

Director: Laura Wandel (2025)
Cast: Léa Drucker, Anamaria Vartolomei, Alex Descas
Genre: Drama 

Des jours meilleurs— available beginning October 2 
(English ST) 

A widowed mother of three still mourning the loss of her husband turns to alcohol to ease her pain.

Director: Elsa Bennett, Hippolyte Dard (2025)
Cast: Valérie Bonneton, Michèle Laroque, Sabrina Ouazani
Genre: Dramedy 

La cour des miracles— available beginning October 9
(English ST) 

The future of a school in a Parisian suburb is under threat when a brand-new, fancy school opens right next door.

Director: Carine May, Hakim Zouhani (2022)
Cast: Rachida Brakni, Anaïde Roza, Gilbert Melki
Genre: Comdey 

Ma belle gosse— available beginning October 9 
(English ST) 

During a summer holiday, a teenager starts writing to an inmate after feeling neglected by her father.

Director: Shalimar Preuss (2012)
Cast: Lou Aziosmanoff, Jocelyn Lagarrigue, Victor Laforge 
Genre: Drama 

Aux jours qui viennent— available beginning available beginning October 16 
(English ST) 

After years of being in an abusive relationship, a woman begins to rebuild her life, raising her daughter on her own.

Director: Nathalie Najem (2025) 
Cast: Zita Hanrot, Bastien Bouillon, Alexia Chardard 
Genre: Drama 

Natacha (presque) hôtesse de l’air— available beginning October 16 
(English ST) 

In 1963 France, a young woman dreams of becoming a flight attendant rather than following the more traditional path.

Director: Noémie Saglio (2025) 
Cast: Camille Lou, Vincent Dedienne, Didier Bourdon  
Genre: Comedy 

Hommes au bord de la crise de nerfs— available beginning October 23 
(English ST) 

Seven men from the city, aged between 17 and 70, with nothing in common except that they are all on the verge of a nervous breakdown, find themselves in group therapy in the wilderness.

Director: Audrey Dana (2022)
Cast: Thierry Lhermitte, Ramzy Bedia, François-Xavier Demaison
Genre: Comedy 

Une mère— available beginning October 23 
(English ST)

A mother seeks revenge after the death of her 17-year-old son in a street fight.

Director: Sylvie Audcoeur (2022)
Cast: Karin Viard, Samir Guesmi 
Genre: Thriller 

La fille du 14 juillet— available beginning October 30 
(English ST) 

After a man meets a woman at the Louvre on July 14 and instantly falls in love, he tries to seduce her as quickly as possible.

Director: Antonin Peretjatko (2013)
Cast: Vimala Pons, Vincent Macaigne 
Genre: Comedy 

Amants— available beginning October 30 
(English ST) 

While on vacation with her husband, a woman begins a passionate affair with her ex-boyfriend.

Director: Nicole Garcia (2020)
Cast: Stacy Martin, Pierre Niney, Benoit Magimel 
Genre: Romantic thriller 

Please note: Programs may change due to last-minute scheduling