Not to be confused with another French series of the same name, this Family Business is a bingeable legal drama that had its US streaming premiere today.
Family Business (On va s’aimer un peu, beaucoup) revolves around the professional and personal lives of three attorneys at the Lartigues & Lorenzi law firm in Lyon.
Astrid Lartigues (Catherine Marchal, Elite Squad, Deadly Seasons) is a no-nonsense lawyer who founded the firm with Sofia Lorenzi (Charlotte Des Georges, The Accident, No Second Chance), the more relaxed but no less professional partner of the two. And Audrey Lartigues (Ophélia Kolb, Call My Agent, Guilty as Charged), Astrid’s daughter, is a highly-skilled attorney in her own right. Supporting them and others is the firm’s ace assistant, Roxane (Clémentine Justine, Bright Eyed Revenge).
Business is bustling at the firm, and the team has their hands full with clients’ cases, including a couple fighting for the right to see their granddaughter, a divorcing couple fighting over custody of their pet, a divorcée who could lose shared custody of her daughter, and a man who wants to adopt the 15-year-old boy he’s been raising as his own son, amongst others.
For Astrid and Audrey, being mother and daughter under the same business roof can be difficult. It is especially so when Astrid voices her concerns that Audrey might be less focused on her work than she needs to be. For her part, Audrey chooses not to put family second as her mother did while she was growing up, and does her best to devote equal time to her job and to her partner Paul (Lionel Erdogan, Marseille) and their two young children. After Audrey discovers that she’s pregnant (something she feels rather iffy about) and news about it flies through the office, Astrid’s out-loud concerns expand to include the possibility that her daughter will give up career for motherhood and face a tough challenge down the road should she want to re-enter the workforce.
Things aren’t always peachy at home for Audrey, either. For one thing, there’s Paul’s intrusive mother, Collette (Guilaine Londez, Origins). Then there’s Paul’s equally demanding schedule, occasional forgetfulness, and admonishments when Audrey works late at the office.
But there is a bright spot in all of this, and I don’t mean Audrey and Paul’s love for each other or the loving mother-daughter bond between Astrid and Audrey, either. I’m talkin’ Eric Leroy (Samir Boitard, Spiral, Black Spot), the dishy new prosecutor who’s caught Audrey’s eye. (And vice versa. Oh. Là. Là.)
Family Business has its charms, including a terrific female-led cast, bursts of humor, and a light approach to the heavy issues addressed in the series, such as custody, paternity, adoption, visitation rights, divorce, prenups, shared assets, inheritance, involuntary commitment, emancipation, trans rights, and more.
The cast is appealing as well, with Marchal, Kolb, and Des Georges playing nicely off of each other as three women with different lives, lifestyles, and priorities who get on (most of the time) and work well (ditto) together. And can I just say how thrilled I was to see Samir Boitard in another oh-what-a-drink-of-cool-water role?!
Family Business is currently available for streaming in the US exclusively on Acorn TV and its digital channels, including Acorn TV on Amazon Channels.
__________________
Share this post/page.
Outbound links on this page include non-affiliate links and affiliate links; the latter allows us to earn income from qualifying actions.