The Best French Shows and Movies Streaming Right Now

French-language content on streaming platforms ranges from gripping crime thrillers to romantic dramas to provocative art house cinema. For English-speaking audiences willing to read subtitles, French television and film offer storytelling sensibilities that feel refreshingly different from American and British productions. Here are the best French titles currently available.

How We Selected: We surveyed options using full-season viewing, critical analysis, and production quality assessment. Key factors included thematic depth, production values, acting performances. No sponsorship or affiliate relationship influenced our selections.

French TV Series

Lupin (Netflix) made Omar Sy an international star as Assane Diop, a charming thief inspired by the classic French literary character Arsene Lupin. The show blends heist mechanics with a personal revenge story set against gorgeous Parisian locations. Three seasons of smart, entertaining television that proves French shows can compete globally.

The Bureau (Sundance Now/AMC Plus) is widely considered one of the best spy dramas ever made. Mathieu Kassovitz stars as a French intelligence officer whose undercover identity in Syria begins to consume his real life. The show’s deliberate pacing and moral complexity set it apart from flashier spy fiction. Five seasons of meticulous, psychologically rich espionage drama.

Marseille (Netflix) stars Gerard Depardieu as the long-serving mayor of Marseille facing a political challenge from his chosen successor. The series combines political intrigue with the city’s criminal underworld, and Depardieu’s commanding presence anchors a show that functions as a French House of Cards.

Call My Agent (Netflix) follows talent agents at a Parisian agency as they manage the careers (and egos) of real French actors playing themselves. The show is funny, sharp, and surprisingly moving, with guest appearances from Charlotte Gainsbourg, Isabelle Adjani, Jean Dujardin, and others that give it an insider authenticity.

French Films — Classic and Contemporary

Portrait of a Lady on Fire (Hulu) is Celine Sciamma’s masterpiece about a painter commissioned to create a portrait of a young woman on a remote island in 18th-century Brittany. The forbidden love story that develops is told with extraordinary visual precision and emotional restraint. One of the best films of the past decade in any language.

Amelie (Amazon Prime Video) remains Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s whimsical masterpiece. Audrey Tautou stars as a young Parisian woman who decides to improve the lives of those around her through anonymous acts of kindness. The film’s saturated colors, imaginative visual storytelling, and infectious warmth have made it one of the most beloved French films globally.

The Intouchables (Netflix) tells the true story of a wealthy quadriplegic (Francois Cluzet) who hires a young man from the housing projects (Omar Sy) as his caretaker. The unlikely friendship that develops is warm, funny, and genuinely moving without becoming saccharine.

Blue Is the Warmest Color (Netflix) won the Palme d’Or at Cannes with its raw, emotionally intense story of a young woman’s first love. Adele Exarchopoulos delivers a performance of remarkable naturalism in a three-hour film that captures the full arc of a relationship.

Thriller and Horror

Inside (Shudder/AMC Plus) is a claustrophobic home invasion thriller with a twist — a pregnant woman, a group of intruders, and escalating violence in a single night. Raw (Netflix) is Julia Ducournau’s body horror debut about a veterinary student who develops a taste for flesh. Provocative, beautifully shot, and genuinely disturbing. Titane (Hulu), Ducournau’s follow-up, won the Palme d’Or with an even more audacious body horror narrative.

Where to Find French Content

Netflix has the largest French-language library for English-speaking audiences, with Lupin, Call My Agent, and a growing selection of French films. Amazon Prime Video carries classic and contemporary French cinema. The Criterion Channel offers the deepest catalog of French art house and classic films. MUBI rotates curated selections of international cinema including significant French titles.

For platform comparisons, see Best Streaming Services Compared and the Netflix Best Original Shows guide.