Balthazar

Great series.Good cases.This serie focus not only on the cases but in the personal life of the characters.That was intresting in the fisrt season.It keeps you in the second season mostly because cause the flirt of baltha and helene but the 3 season is a joke.This season is a mess.Seems like they had preassure to write new episodes or they care about something else.Baltha personal(erotic) life is a joke the cases have not the same interest and our big case that last 3 seasons finaly has no intrerest at all...So season1 its 9 season2 its 9+ and season3 is 6.At this point i don't understand why i have to watch season4... Too bad it start so well...

France enjoyed so much the TV series "Forever" (2014) that they wanted to make their own version - enter "Balthazar".

Our whole family of mystery buffs voted the French production Balthazar to have the finest quality writing, production values, acting, and each mystery construction, to be the finest on American TV even though we need to use subtitles. We are glued to the episodes for the full hour (approx) it is on. Clever, intelligent, no police woman needing to prove herself, no plots that anybody can figure out in their sleep, and a Holmes-Like doctor who doesn't play stupid or obvious. The surprise twists within each episode are smooth and so superior to the U.S.detective / forensic adventure shows on our networks, we can't wait for more episodes to appear on the Acorn Service.

We watched both series on Acorn TV and its probably the best show we have watched over the lockdown. At first it was hard to watch the forensic and mortuary scenes, but the clever, quick paced stories, Balthazar's character, and the french themes, lifestyles and scenery grew on us. (We love France, Paris, etc so that helps too). There certainly were a few bizarre murders and some weaker moments, but in the end I would say it's a favorite of ours and we can't wait for Season 3.

It would be nice if writers could actually present forensics as intelligent without having to rely on the usual hooks such as a not legal romance with a detective tainting his independent evidentiary role. Usual added hooks of bizarre behavior, and/or personal issues.

The open chest prosthetic with the spewing of a list of medical terms like an auctioneer - all very fake. Joins Bäckström, Brokenwood, The Night, Professor T, The Alienist, Shakespeare & Hathaway all with poor, improbable forensics. More believable forensics to be found in Wisting, Bloodlands, Halifax: Retribution, Spiral season 7, and Traces.

I gave season 1 a 2 rating; season 2 a 1 rating, and this season a 3 rating because the ending (although very improbable) has hopefully brought it all to a close.