I came late to 'Spiral' (aka 'Engrenages') and although this French TV cop/legal drama series has been shown on BBC4 I missed it there and watched Seasons 1-3 on DVD. I was eagerly awaiting Season 4 and deliberately did not watch it on TV but waited for the DVD version so that I could immerse myself in it.
And immerse myself I did - 3 discs, 12 x 50 minute episodes, 10 hours of viewing. I got discs 1 and 2 together and watched over 6 hours straight. Then - oh no! - I had to wait a couple of days for the final disc, then another 3+ hours of nail biting viewing.
I couldn't take my eyes off the screen - this really is excellent stuff. If you think this is gushing, over-the-top praise, then I suggest that you start at Season 1 and try it. And if you've seen the earlier seasons then I can confirm that Season 4 is of the same high quality.
The familiar characters are there: hard done-by Captain Laure Bertaud and her overworked police team, beautiful but sleazy lawyer Joséphine Karlsson, clean-cut lawyer Pierre Clément and Juge François Roban, as ever in pursuit of justice to the detriment of his own career.
This time the multi-threaded storyline is about a group of left-wing urban revolutionaries and includes intertwined stories about illegal immigrants from the French ex-colonies in Africa, Kurdish arms dealers, and a man unjustly imprisoned for rape.
Yes it's in French with subtitles, but don't let that put you off. This is TV cop drama of the very highest quality. Superb stuff - 5/5 stars.