TF1’s playful whodunit: Côte d’Azur locations, Corsican fiction, Claire Keim leads

Premiere on TF1 on November 3, 2025, at 9:10 PM: a pop whodunit that embraces its game. The fictional Corsica is recreated in Grasse, amidst pools and spectacular glasshouses. Laure Mondo and Pica delve into the Cayatte secrets, with clues in plain sight and deceptive appearances. TV movie format 2 × 45 minutes, also on TF1+: the pleasure of a mystery without graphic violence.

TF1 launched on November 3, 2025, at 9:10 PM, the double pilot of the whodunit An (Almost) Perfect Murder, led by Claire Keim. In a "Corsican villa" recreated in Grasse, Laure Mondo and Pica reopen the case after the death of Yves Cayatte. A deliberate homage to Agatha Christie, TV movie format 2 × 45 min: this launch gauges a light and pop crime series, blending the pleasure of the game, family facades, and production pragmatism.

Key Facts

Broadcast: double pilot episode aired on November 3, 2025, at 9:10 PM on TF1 (available for streaming on TF1+). First exposure in Switzerland on October 31, 2025, in prime time on RTS 1.

Plot: in the "Corsican villa" of a luxury magnate, Yves Cayatte, an accidental drowning raises the suspicions of Laure Mondo, a novelist fascinated by the perfect crime. She involves Pica, a straight-talking assistant, in a counter-investigation in the style of a whodunit, with visible clues and suspects in a closed setting.

Cast: Claire Keim (Laure Mondo), Clémence Lassalas (Pica), Marie-Anne Chazel (Marianne Cayatte), Nicolas Briançon (Yves Cayatte), Stanley Weber (Barthélémy Cayatte), Lionnel Astier (Joseph Mondoloni), among others.

Production: creation: Éliane Montane, direction: Christophe Douchand, script: Éliane Montane & Elsa Mané

production: Escazal Films with TF1, Be-FILMS, RTL TVI, announced format: 2 × 45 min.

A Female Duo at the Heart of the Investigation

Claire Keim plays Laure Mondo, a socialite novelist who hunts for the perfect crime. The tone is deliberately lively, with a 'Agatha Christie on ecstasy' vibe. Outside the police framework, she confidently dismantles motives and alibis. A cartoonish heroine, she is the driving force of a series designed for prime-time.
Claire Keim plays Laure Mondo, a socialite novelist who hunts for the perfect crime. The tone is deliberately lively, with a ‘Agatha Christie on ecstasy’ vibe. Outside the police framework, she confidently dismantles motives and alibis. A cartoonish heroine, she is the driving force of a series designed for prime-time.

The project is based on a well-oiled dynamic duo: Laure Mondo, a cynical socialite author in dizzying heels, and Pica, a storm of assumed bad taste and tenderness. Their contrasting temperaments govern the series’ angle: the two protagonists are not police officers, but they assess motives, investigate alibis, and dissect family narratives.

Claire Keim, the star of the TV movie, embraces a "cartoonish" heroine, with a comedic energy that deliberately overflows realism. The "Agatha Christie on ecstasy" aspect claimed by the actress signals the reading contract: a modern, lively whodunit, à la française, that prefers jubilation over austerity.

A Fictional Corsica, a Côte d’Azur Filming

The story unfolds in Corsica with its coves, scrubland, and secretive notables. However, the filming took place in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur. It began from May 15, 2025, and was notably conducted in Grasse. The approach is deliberate: to create belief rather than adhere to reality, with Mediterranean settings and lighting to imitate the Island of Beauty.

This logistical choice meets production imperatives (costs, access to locations, scheduling). It also offers a visual unity: cream facades, terraced gardens, pools, and terraces ready for key scenes. The illusion works on screen: the Corsican villa is a character with a pool, glass walls, and lounges where people gauge each other in silence.

Crafting a Popular TF1 Crime Drama

Signed by Éliane Montane, this crime series is supported by Escazal Films (Sophie Révil, Denis Carot), creators of a French-style relaxing crime drama, marked by codes:

  • a closed community (Cayatte family),
  • clues scattered in plain sight,
  • a revelation at the end of the second part,
  • strong references to the whodunit.

The 2 × 45 min format follows the grammar of generalist channels: first act exposition/suspicion, second act unmasking. The broadcast in two successive parts (9:10 PM then 10:00 PM) allows for a rhythm without a lull.

Behind the Scenes: Icy Pool, Logistics, and Set

Clémence Lassalas is Pica, the bold assistant who shakes up the norms. On set, she spent nearly five hours in the water for a key scene. Her comedic energy balances the mechanics of clues and revelations. A contrasting female duo that brings life and rhythm to the investigation.
Clémence Lassalas is Pica, the bold assistant who shakes up the norms. On set, she spent nearly five hours in the water for a key scene. Her comedic energy balances the mechanics of clues and revelations. A contrasting female duo that brings life and rhythm to the investigation.

Clémence Lassalas recounts a physical shoot: for a pool fall sequence, the actress says she stayed nearly five hours in the water, between rehearsals and takes, to achieve the right scene texture. The anecdote highlights the precision sought on screen: the body matters as much as the dialogue.

The relocation to PACA facilitated permissions, the mobilization of teams, and the management of overnight stays. The Grasse exteriors (terraces, gardens, cliffside roads) provide generous shot values and a warm color palette, prime-time compatible.

Reception and Possible Continuation

The RTS 1 broadcast on October 31, 2025, served as a trial run before the TF1 launch on November 3. Swiss schedules indicate slots of 50 to 55 minutes, while TF1 announces 2 × 45 minutes: a classic difference due to broadcast packaging, advertising, and editing.

In terms of ambition, everything is set as a pilot for a collection: if the reception is positive, the channel could follow up with other glamorous closed-room mysteries, heirs to the problem novel. Several program portals already mention a so-called "Season 1" comprising two appointments on the same evening. However, this is a technical reading rather than a full season.

Benoît Moret is listed in the credits and is part of the gallery of faces. His role enhances the social atmosphere and underlying tensions. Each appearance contributes to the puzzle and intensifies the trail of motives. A presence that serves a prime, accessible, and playful narrative.
Benoît Moret is listed in the credits and is part of the gallery of faces. His role enhances the social atmosphere and underlying tensions. Each appearance contributes to the puzzle and intensifies the trail of motives. A presence that serves a prime, accessible, and playful narrative.

References, Faces, Lineages

Claire Keim, known for Vise le cœur, changes register: the actress highlights a pleasure in exceeding daring to overact for a heroine who "colors outside the lines."

Lionnel Astier, born in Alès, brings a Cévennes granularity to the cast. Father of Alexandre and Simon Astier, he conveys, on screen, a calm authority. A discreet echo recalls a biographical item that has already been publicly shared: Alexandre Astier explained in 2021 that he was born from an affair, comments made in Society and reported by the press. Stanley Weber and Nicolas Briançon establish the social dimension and family rivalries.

Stanley Weber lends his presence to Barthélémy Cayatte, an heir with shadowy areas. Clan rivalries, villa secrets, and glances that speak volumes. A pivotal figure in the closed community, essential to the game of suspects. Apparent sophistication, underlying vulnerabilities: a double-edged role.
Stanley Weber lends his presence to Barthélémy Cayatte, an heir with shadowy areas. Clan rivalries, villa secrets, and glances that speak volumes. A pivotal figure in the closed community, essential to the game of suspects. Apparent sophistication, underlying vulnerabilities: a double-edged role.

Marie-Anne Chazel plays the mother as a guardian of appearances.

Marie-Anne Chazel embodies Marianne Cayatte, the guardian of appearances and secrets. A protective mother and strategist, she sets the pace for the scenes behind closed doors. Her presence tells the story of the local high society, with its glossy veneer and intimate cracks. A key role in building suspense until the final unmasking.
Marie-Anne Chazel embodies Marianne Cayatte, the guardian of appearances and secrets. A protective mother and strategist, she sets the pace for the scenes behind closed doors. Her presence tells the story of the local high society, with its glossy veneer and intimate cracks. A key role in building suspense until the final unmasking.

The collective performance fuels the gallery of suspects essential to the genre.

Charlotte des Georges joins the cast and expands the line of suspects. Her presence clarifies the social hierarchies surrounding the Cayatte family. Brief dialogues, meaningful glances: she sharpens the reading of clues. An elegant touch in a totem-like setting that imposes its own rules.
Charlotte des Georges joins the cast and expands the line of suspects. Her presence clarifies the social hierarchies surrounding the Cayatte family. Brief dialogues, meaningful glances: she sharpens the reading of clues. An elegant touch in a totem-like setting that imposes its own rules.

What the Collection Tells About TF1 in 2025

The popular crime drama for a large audience remains a marker of TF1: readable plot, identifiable setting, a duo of enlightened amateurs to shift procedural codes. The DNA of Escazal Films—dramatic efficiency, subtle humor, star-setting—is recognizable here. The availability on TF1+ caters to catch-up habits.

The whodunit label blends with comedy: visible clues, character humor, explained resolution. In the tradition of French public TV crime films, the target audience? Multi-generational, seeking a mind game without cynicism or gore.

Challenges, Limits, and Blind Spots

  • Geographical truth: the Corsican setting is recreated. This fuels a recurring debate authenticity versus production pragmatism, especially when a territory, Corsica, embodies a strong identity.
  • Format: between 2 × 45 min declared and 50–55 min slots depending on the channels, the gap is more about the broadcast than the narrative.
  • Sustainability: a collection requires mysteries and settings that renew without contradicting themselves. The comedy/investigation balance will be the axis to watch.

Why It Works (and Where It Might Falter)

The whodunit is not just a puzzle: it’s a choreography. Here, Christophe Douchand’s direction favors clear entrances/exits, natural setting tableaux, reframing that highlights every misstep by the suspects. The music (Stéphane Moucha) supports the lightness without breaking the tension. Result: a playful atmosphere where one enjoys both the clues and the jabs.

The TF1 promise is clear: an accessible prime-time crime drama, without graphic violence, with an identifiable duo and a totem setting. The balance remains: if the comedy overflows, the mystery fades; if the mystery hardens, the comedy loses its momentum. It’s the balance and the ability to renew the locations (sea, mountains, palaces, villages) that will determine the longevity of the collection.

This article was written by Émilie Schwartz.