Liaison (TV series) explained

Director:	Stephen Hopkins
Composer:	Walter Mair
Num Seasons:	1
Num Episodes:	6
Network:	Apple TV+

Liaison is a British-French thriller television series written by Virginie Brac, directed by Stephen Hopkins and starring Vincent Cassel and Eva Green. It premiered on 24 February 2023 on Apple TV+.^[1]

Synopsis

A thriller following French spies and terrorists.

Cast

• Vincent Cassel – Gabriel Delage, Alison’s former lover, a mercenary for Telkis and a former French Foreign Legion and DGSE operative
• Eva Green – Alison Rowdy, Delage’s Anglo-French former lover and a Home Office Special Adviser to the Minister of Security
• Peter Mullan – Richard Banks, the Minister of State for Security
• Gérard Lanvin – Alain Dumas, the CEO of private security firm Telkis, former DGSE commander and Delage’s superior
• Daniel Francis – Albert Onwori, a human rights lawyer and Alison's current partner
• Stanislas Merhar – Didier Taraud, a senior adviser to the French President and head of an Elysee Palace taskforce set up to counter the powers of the DGSE.
  • Irène Jacob – Sophie Saint-Roch, the Director of the DGSE Laëtitia Eïdo – Sabine Louseau, Taraud's mistress and a senior aide in the European Commission
• Eriq Ebouaney – Bob Foret, a board member of private security firm Antropa
  • Patrick Kennedy - Mark Bolton OBE, CEO of the National Cyber Security Centre Bukky Bakray – Kim Onwori, Albert's teenage daughter
  • Olivia Popica - Hobbs, a Detective Inspector in the Metropolitan Police SO15 Patrick Malahide - Jack Rowdy, Alison’s father, a former British Army Major General and NATO Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe.
• Aziz Dyab – Samir Hamza, a Syrian hacker and Walid’s younger cousin
• Marco Horanieh – Walid Hamza, a Syrian hacker and Samir’s older cousin
• Lyna Dubarry – Myriam Hamza, Samir’s wife and mother of his child
• Thierry Frémont – the President of France
• Tchéky Karyo - Joseph Miller, the CEO of Antropa

Production

Development

In June 2021, it was announced that Apple TV+ had greenlit Liaison, marking the platform's first "Anglo-French" production. Stephen Hopkins is directing, Virginie Brac is writing, and Gub Neal and Jean Benoit Gillig are executive producing. Additional executive producers include Hopkins, Sarada McDermott, Justin Thomson, and Ed Barlow, with Joanie Blaikie and Eric Jollant producing. It is co-produced by Ringside Studios and Léonis Productions.

Casting

It was announced alongside the main series announcement in June 2021 that Vincent Cassel and Eva Green would star. Also cast were British actors Peter Mullan, Daniel Francis, and Bukky Bakray and French actors Gérard Lanvin, Stanislas Merhar, Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, Laëtitia Eïdo, Eriq Ebouaney and Thierry Frémont.^[2]

Filming

Principal photography began in London in June 2021.^[3] Filming was expected to conclude in October.

Response

The series has received mixed reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating, the series has received an average score of 48 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

New York Times: ‘Liaison’: Vincent Cassel and Eva Green Simmer as Global Tensions Boil ^[4]

Wall Street Journal: ‘Liaison’ Review: A Spy Thriller in Brexit’s Shadow ^[5]

Notes and References

1. 'Liaison' First Look: Apple TV+ Thriller Series Set for February Premiere (TV News Roundup). Deadline. EJ. Panaligan. 19 December 2022. 4 January 2023.
2. 'Liaison': Apple Sets Vincent Cassel & Eva Green Series As First Anglo-French Original. Deadline. Jake. Kanter. 24 June 2021. 13 July 2021.
3. Vincent Cassel et Eva Green tournent la série Liaison pour Apple TV+. Le Figaro. Blaise. De Chabalier. 24 June 2021. 13 July 2021. fr.
4. 'Liaison': Vincent Cassel and Eva Green Simmer as Global Tensions Boil. The New York Times . 25 February 2023 . Vincentelli . Elisabeth .
5. 'Liaison' Review: A Spy Thriller in Brexit's Shadow. WSJ . Anderson . John .