Plus belle la vie (More beautiful life) is a French television soap opera based on an idea by Hubert Besson and characters created by Georges Desmouceaux, Bénédicte Achard, Magaly Richard-Serrano and Olivier Szulzynger. On air from 30 August 2004 until 18 November 2022, it was shown on France 3 on Monday to Friday evenings at 8:15 p.m. The show began with 17 main actors and gained more later.

On 11 July 2008, France 3 broadcast its 1000th episode, a milestone in French television. The series set a second record on 8 June 2012, airing its 2000th episode. On 22 April 2016, it broadcast its 3000th episode, and on 21 February 2020, its 4000th.

Plot The series follows the daily lives of the inhabitants of "Le Mistral", a fictional neighbourhood in the Mediterranean port city of Marseille, where wealthy and less than wealthy families co-exist. It focuses on their evolving love lives and friendships and on the criminal intrigues in which certain residents of the neighbourhood are involved.

Main cast

Actor Character Seasons Colette Renard Rachel Lévy seasons 1–5Cécilia HornusBlanche Marciseasons 1–18Sylvie FleppMirta Torresseasons 1–18Hélène MédigueCharlotte Le Bihacseasons 1–5Serge DupireVincent Chaumetteseasons 1–18 Michel CordesRoland Marciseasons 1–18Thierry RagueneauFrançois Marciseasons 1–2, 8 & 17–18Pierre MartotLéo Castelliseasons 1–9 & 12–18Rebecca HamptonCéline Frémontseasons 1–18Geoffrey SauveauxLucas Marciseasons 1–2 & 18Dounia CoesensJohanna Marciseasons 1–10, 14–15 & 18Ambroise MichelRudy Torresseasons 1–10 & 18Aurélie VaneckNinon Chaumetteseasons 1–10, 16 & 18Sofiane BelmoudenMalik Nassriseasons 1–4Ibtissem GuerdaAicha Djellalseason 1Lætitia MilotMélanie Rinatoseasons 1–14Richard GuedjCharles-Henri Picmalseasons 1–2 & 7Alexandre PottierAntoine Frémontseason 1Juliette ChêneJuliette Frémontseasons 1–4 & 8Virgile BayleGuillaume Lesermanseasons 1–13Anne DécisLuna Torresseasons 1–18Alexandre FabreCharles Frémontseasons 1–18Laurent KerusoréThomas Marciseasons 1–18Thibaud VaneckNathan Lesermanseasons 1–8 & 10–18

Recurring cast

Actor Character Seasons Fabienne Carat Samia Nassri seasons 1–18 Jean-François Malet Jean-François Leroux seasons 2–12 Valérie Baurens Agathe Robin season 2–6, 8 & 18 Cécile Auclert Véra Madigan seasons 2–5 Amalric Gérard Jean-Baptiste Gauthier seasons 2–4 Élodie Varlet Estelle Cantorel seasons 3–18 Jean-Charles Chagachbanian Franck Ruiz seasons 3–6 and 11–18 Franck Borde Florian Estève seasons 3–7 & 14 Ludovic Baude Benoît Cassagne seasons 4–14 Stéphane Henon Jean-Paul Boher seasons 4–18 Pascale Roberts Wanda Legendre seasons 4–13 Coline d'Inca Sybille Cassagne seasons 4–9 & 18 Audric Chapus Raphaël Cassagne seasons 4–8 David Baiot Djawad Sangha seasons 5–14 & 18 Marwan Berreni Abdel Fedala seasons 5–18 Léa François Barbara Évenot seasons 5–18 Rachid Hafassa Karim Fedala seasons 5–18 Françoise Bertin Josiane Laval season 5 Catherine Benguigui Violette Garcin season 6 Anne Canovas Anémone Vitreuil seasons 6–7 & 9–18 Caroline Bourg Elsa Bailly seasons 7–18 Joakim Latzko Gabriel Riva seasons 7–18 Avy Marciano Sacha Malkavian seasons 7–18 Geoffrey Piet Jonas Malkavian seasons 7–12 Stéphane Bierry Stéphane Prieur seasons 8–14 Gladys Cohen Seta Malkavian seasons 8–13 & 15–17 Sara Mortensen Coralie Blain seasons 8–15 Stéphanie Pareja Jeanne Carmin seasons 8–18 Marie Réache Babeth Nebout seasons 8–18 Jérôme Bertin Patrick Nebout seasons 9–18 Charles Schneider Principal Rochat seasons 9–18 Céline Vitcoq Wendy Lesage seasons 9–13 Lola Marois-Bigard Ariane Hersant seasons 13–18 Marie-Christine Adam Marie-Christine Walter seasons 16

Impact

The series struggled to find its footing in the first season, but after striving to create more dynamic story lines, by the second season Plus belle la vie enjoyed regular audiences of five million viewers. On Valentine's Day 2006, a plot involving Nicolas Barrel's death drew an audience of 6,329,600. On 17 November 2008 Plus belle la vie received its highest ratings ever with over 6.8 million viewers and a 24.9% audience share.

For several years, the series regularly averaged audiences in excess of 5 million viewers and audience shares above 20% each weekday evening. In recent seasons, its viewing numbers have gradually declined.

This ratings slump worsened at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and, on 5 May 2022, France Télévisions announced the end of the series which took place on 18 November 2022, following "a substantial shift in viewing habits" after 18 years on air.

See also List of French television series

References

External links