The story of the French high-potential series, and its worldwide success – Technologist

Could the creators of HPI have imagined that the series appearing on TF1 in 2021 would have such high potential for international success? Since September 17 in the US, their heroine, Morgane Alvaro (Audrey Fleurot), as superiorly perceptive as her gaudy outfits are mismatched, is once again getting noticed. The first episode of its adaptation, High Potential (starring Kaitlin Olson), racked up 11.5 million views in its three days on platforms.

According to Variety magazine, it was even the most-watched show on the Hulu platform for three days, between September 22 and 25. “It’s a very good start, which we’re delighted about,” said Ara Aprikian, TF1’s executive vice president, content. “It’s part of our desire to see French content travel, and not anecdotally on marginal networks.”

‘An exported industry of excellence’

The broadcaster has made its calculations: In addition to the 51.5 million French people (out of 68 million) who have seen at least one episode of HPI, 280 million people in the 105 countries where the series has been bought have already watched the adventures of this housekeeper with an unrivaled police flair. French TV is “an exported industry of excellence,” said Aprikian – even if, at €74.5 million in 2023, the level of French TV show exports fell by 8% year-on-year, revealed the Union Syndicale de la Production Audiovisuelle at the last Festival de la Fiction, in mid-September in La Rochelle.

From its first episode, broadcast in the spring of 2021, the series attracted 12.4 million viewers (including replay), the most since 2005. The Autorité de Régulation de la Communication Audiovisuelle et Numérique, noted that in 2023 all eight episodes of season 3 ranked in the top 20 of French TV ratings.

While TF1 is currently broadcasting the end of season 4, filming for the fifth season is underway. By the time it’s scheduled, HPI may have picked up a trophy at the International Emmy Awards at the end of November, where the series is nominated in the comedy category. The last French series to win it was Dix Pour Cent (Call My Agent!), which was broadcast on France Télévisions, in 2021.