The Best TV Shows on Antenne 2

Every Antenne 2 Show Ranked From Best To Worst

Among Antenne 2’s finest offerings are Les Cinq Dernières Minutes and The Investigations of Commissioner Maigret, which debuted in 1958 and 1967, respectively. A broadcaster of distinction, Antenne 2 has aired more than 20 shows between 1958 and 1992. Discover the best of Antenne 2 with our list of over 20 series, meticulously updated for May 2026.

  • The Investigations of Commissioner Maigret
    The Investigations of Commissioner Maigret (1967)8.8

  • Apostrophes
    Apostrophes (1975)8.5

    Apostrophes was a live, weekly, literary, prime-time, talk show on French television created and hosted by Bernard Pivot. It ran for fifteen years (724 episodes) from January 10, 1975, to June 22, 1990, and was one of the most watched shows on French television (around 6 million regular viewers). It was broadcast on Friday nights on the channel France 2 (which was called "Antenne 2" from 1975 to 1992). The hourlong show was devoted to books, authors and literature. The format varied between one-on-one interviews with a single author and open discussions between four or five authors.

  • Le Grand Échiquier
    Le Grand Échiquier (1972)8.0

    Le Grand Échiquier is a French variety television program created and presented by Jacques Chancel. It aired at 8:30 pm on the first channel of the ORTF from January 12, 1972 to July 12, 1972, then on the second color channel of the ORTF from September 1972 to December 1974, and finally on Antenne 2 from January 1975 to December 21, 1989. The program returned to France 2 on December 20, 2018 and is hosted by Anne-Sophie Lapix.

  • Telecat
    Telecat (1983)7.9

    Created by French surrealist artist Roland Topor and director Henri Xhonneux, Telecat is a news show parody hosted by a tomcat named Groucha (who always had his arm in plaster) and an ostrich named Lola. It featured a variety of sentient objects and revolved around the idea that the real-life elementary particles known as gluons were “the souls of objects”.

  • Maigret
    Maigret (1991)7.8

    The pragmatic, reserved and refined Maigret investigates murders in his singular unhurried manner and inevitably discovers the truth.

  • Heidi
    Heidi (1978)7.4

    Young Heidi is sent to live with her grandfather in the mountains where she discovers the liberty and the beauty of Swiss landscapes. Later when Heidi is forced to become a companion to a young invalid girl in a big town, she discovers just how much she misses the mountains, her grandfather, and her friend Peter.

  • Fan School
    Fan School (1977)7.2

    Host Jacques Martin invites different talented children from various backgrounds to showcase their beautiful voices. The participants entertain and wow the audience with their lovely performances.

  • Champs-Elysées
    Champs-Elysées (1982)6.8

  • Le Théâtre de Bouvard
    Le Théâtre de Bouvard (1982)6.8

  • La Chance aux chansons
    La Chance aux chansons (1984)6.5

  • Love at First Sight
    Love at First Sight (1992)6.5

  • Châteauvallon
    Châteauvallon (1985)6.2

  • Nestor Burma
    Nestor Burma (1991)5.9

    Cynical private detective Nestor Burma investigating murders, missing persons, kidnapping and extortion cases in every arrondissement of Paris.

  • Télématin
    Télématin (1985)5.8

    Télématin is a French breakfast television news show, broadcast on France 2 since January 7, 1985. It is broadcast in Metropolitan France weekdays from 6:30 to 9:00 am CET. TV5 broadcast the show in Canada in its entirety until September 2011: it now shows a 90 minute version between 6:30 and 8:00 am Eastern Time, when the French original version is now 2h30 long. Télématin is hosted by William Leymergie. The show is daily seen by around 40% of the French morning audience, a very high percentage for French TV. In Metropolitan France, the newscasts are presented at 7:00, 7:30 and 8:00, with newsflashes at 6:30 and 8:50, and two press reviews at 7:20 and 8:30. The 6:30, 7:30 and 8:50 newscasts are usually presented by a female reader and the hourly newscasts by a male. The usual readers are Nathanaël de Rinquesen, Sophie Le Saint, Julien Benedetto, Sophie Gastrain, Patrice Romedenne and Frédéric Vion.

  • Téléthon
    Téléthon (1987)5.0

  • Cérémonie des César
    Cérémonie des César (1976)4.6

    The César Awards are cinematographic awards created in 1976 and presented annually in Paris to professionals of the 7th art in various categories to recognize the best French productions. They are often cited as the French equivalent of the Oscars in the United States.

  • Victoires de la musique
    Victoires de la musique (1985)3.3

  • Les Cinq Dernières Minutes
    Les Cinq Dernières Minutes (1958)N/A

    Les Cinq Dernieres Minutes is a crime based French television series

  • Système 2
    Système 2 (1975)N/A

  • Le monde est à vous
    Le monde est à vous (1987)N/A