Antigone 34

We certainly have no shortage of crime dramas among domestic TV fare, but this French series is uniquely compelling in several respects. The city of Montpellier in southern France provides an attractive backdrop. As tough, troubled police detective Lea Hippolyte, Anne Le Nen brings a low-key intensity and mystique to the role one usually finds in male protagonists - almost a throwback to the hard-boiled dicks of pulps and film noir. Her hard shell is balanced somewhat by the warmer department shrink, Helene de Soyere's Dr. Claire Borota, who plays key roles in the series' six episodes. Together, they're Rizzoli & Iles without the levity and degree of bonding.

Each 50-minute installment works as a stand-alone tale, with some overlapping story elements as running threads. The series ran in 2012. One hopes the producers are working on further deployment of this appealing cast and setup. There should be plenty more entertainment value to mine from these characters.