In L'Ombre: what is the political series imagined by Edouard Philippe worth? (critical)

Co-written by the former prime minister, this fiction in the mysteries of power, mixed with thriller, recounts in detail the excitement of a campaign. A captivating series, which does not quite deliver on its promises.

He always said it: Edward Philippe loves series and especially political series. So the former Prime Minister of France takes the plunge and launches onto the small screen with his first television fiction – to watch now in streaming on France.tv (while waiting for the broadcast on France 2 next week) – adaptation from his novel In the Shadowco-written with Gilles Boyer (in 2011). The mayor of Le Havre and his former advisor (now MEP), assisted by Pierre Schoeller (director and showrunner) describe the workings of the political apparatus with a detail rarely seen on screen. Enough to make a good series?

No Macron at the Elysée in this version of History. In the Shadow takes place in a parallel France, where the “Eco-Sociatist” coalition is in power. But the outgoing president is not doing well in the polls and it is the candidate of the Right who will be the favorite in the 2025 Presidential Election (yes, 2025). Precisely, it is time for the primaries within the conservative party and two tendencies are opposing each other: hard right and measured right. Against all expectations, Paul Francoeur, calm and friendly incarnation of the center-right current, won by a narrow margin, after an electronic vote which seemed to have been sabotaged. By whom? How ? In the meantime, the nominated candidate must compromise with his convictions and negotiate with the radical fringe of the party, to achieve unity for the election. In this media and political battle, he can count on his team, led by his closest advisor (impeccable Swann Arlaud), a friend of 20 years, in whom Paul has complete confidence.

If it never reaches the level of excellence of The West Wing (the ultimate reference forEdward Philippe), nor even the dramaturgy of a Black Baron (the ultimate reference in the French political series), In the Shadow brings his contribution to the building with his methodical approach. The series describes the mysteries of power and the excitement of a campaign, taking great care to detail the machine behind the candidate, in particular the entourage, from dedicated communicators to irreplaceable advisors including the young wolves of the new world, who fuel networks. The experience of Edouard Philippe and Gilles Boyer bursts onto the screen in some tasty scenes, like this casual discussion between Francoeur and the loser of the right (see video below). A Dantesque joust between an inflexible Melvil Poupaud and the elusive Karin Viard which gives rise to an understanding that is not at all cordial… Any resemblance with existing or former people is purely coincidental (or not).

We delight in this adaptation of reality, which confirms that the political world makes a formidable arena for series, where betrayals and Trafalgar coups are sometimes more enormous than the bloody twists of Game of Thrones. This is where In the Shadow excels. It is when they shamelessly embrace political jousting that In the Shadow is the most joyful and captivating.

Unfortunately, the series quickly distances itself from everything political to tend towards a pure thriller. A less convincing criminal side, even if it also contains some exciting little twists. That's just not what we came for. In the Shadow struggles to follow through on its promises, as if the authors did not take responsibility and preferred to insist on fiction, to decorrelate it from reality as much as possible. Perhaps to avoid Edward Philippe an amalgam which seems, in any case, inevitable in view of the 2027 presidential election for which he recently declared himself a candidate…

Dans L'Ombre can be seen in full on France.tv and from Wednesday October 30 on France 2 in prime time.