The emergence of a French showrunner, or the art of producing TV series

Television series have proved to be sectors of dynamic creation in which French production has lagged behind. Having received very good critical reviews in France and the United States and achieved record international sales, the French TV series ‘Le Bureau des légendes’, produced for Canal+, has made an in-road for France in the world of TV series. This required the implementation of different methods of organisation. It forced people not to consider cinema as superior to television, and required the emergence of ‘showrunners’. This new profession, the cornerstone of TV series production, is a mixture of production and creation. For a French director, it meant agreeing to take on comprehensively the jobs of organisation and management, while also delegating certain prerogatives of creation. Éric Rochant was able to achieve this, transforming himself from filmmaker into one of the leading showrunners à la française.