The Best TV Shows on ORTF Télévision

Every ORTF Télévision Show Ranked From Best To Worst

ORTF Télévision has over 20 shows broadcast from as early as 1954 and as recent as 1976. Among ORTF Télévision’s finest offerings are Reflets de Cannes and Cinépanorama, which debuted in 1954 and 1956, respectively. Peruse our comprehensive roster of ORTF Télévision’s top shows, encompassing over 20 distinct series as of June 2026.

  • Un mystère par jour
    Un mystère par jour (1970)10.0

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

  • Cinépanorama
    Cinépanorama (1956)8.7

  • Jeux Sans Frontières
    Jeux Sans Frontières (1965)8.7

    Jeux sans frontières ("Games Without Borders" in French) was a Europe-wide television game show, based on the French programme Intervilles which was first broadcast in 1962. In its original conception, it was broadcast from 1965 to 1999 under the auspices of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which owned the format. In non French-speaking countries, the show had alternative titles. It is also widely known as "It's a Knockout", the title of the BBC's domestic version and national selection for the programme.

  • Eneide
    Eneide (1971)8.6

    A 7 part adaptation of the epic tale of Aeneas, written by Virgil as the Roman sequel to Homer's Iliad and Odyssey.

  • À bout portant
    À bout portant (1968)8.0

  • 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.

  • The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau
    The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau (1968)7.9

    The intrepid undersea explorer and author circles the globe on his floating laboratory, Calypso, in this occasional series. A pioneer in marine study, the red-capped Frenchman introduced generations of landlubbers to the creatures and mysteries of the sea.

  • Arsène Lupin
    Arsène Lupin (1971)7.8

    Arsène Lupin is a French TV show which was co-produced with German, Canadian, Belgian, Dutch, Swiss, Italian and Austrian TV stations. It was only loosely based on Maurice Leblancs novels. Georges Descrières' portrayal of Arsène Lupin showed more similarity to Graf Yoster than to Maurice Leblanc's original. He behaved in the first place as a perfect gentleman who never got angry. He was always relaxed, because whatever could possibly had bothered him in daily life was taken care of by his butler. It wasn't questioned how he had come to his financial independence although the series sometimes discreetly implied that he was a professional criminal. Besides rescuing damsels in distress Lupin took on criminals, competing with their wit and intelligence. Either he stole paintings from rich people who had to be considered white-collar criminals or he acted as a detective who derailed criminal schemes. However, when he was attacked, he could defend himself effortlessly by using elegant jujutsu methods. Among the guest stars were German actors such as Günter Strack and Sky du Mont. Jean-Paul Salomé said in his commentary on the DVD version of his film Arsène Lupin he had like this series as a child. German TV, one the investors, would broadcast the show eventually between 18:00-20:00 o'clock because it was only allowed to show commercials within that very timeslot. For them to get a financial return on investment the show had to be appropriate for families and also for children who would watch it alone. Subsequently it was nearby to ask to defuse and flatten some of Leblanc's plots in order to avoid possible complaints that could force the station to broadcast the show beyond the "Vorabendprogramm".

  • Poly
    Poly (1961)7.6

  • Sandokan
    Sandokan (1976)7.1

    In this mini-series in six parts from 1976 the Indian actor Kabir Bedi plays the lead role. Carol Andre plays Lady Marianna Guillonk and as Sandokans best friend Yanez de Gomera we see Phillipe Leroy. The noble prince Sandokan is a fighter of the first rank who are cruel to their enemies, but always loyal to his friends.

  • Thierry la Fronde
    Thierry la Fronde (1963)7.0

    Thierry la Fronde was a French television series that aired in 1963–66 on the television station, ORTF original script by Jean-Claude Deret. Dubbed into English, it was shown internationally in the 1960s, including in Canada, where it was referred to under the original name, and also as The King's Outlaw. It was shown as well in Poland as Thierry Śmiałek. On ABC in Australia, it was called The King's Outlaw. In the Netherlands, 32 of the 52 episodes were shown in 1967 as Thierry de Slingeraar, as a Netherlands Television Service programme.

  • At Theatre Tonight
    At Theatre Tonight (1966)7.0

    At Theater tonight is a TV show broadcasted from 25th August 1966 to 21st September 1985. The show is broadcast plays recorded in two or three days, during public performances at the Théâtre Marigny on the Champs-Élysées, or sometimes Edouard VII theater.

  • Les Shadoks
    Les Shadoks (1968)7.0

    Les Shadoks is an animated television series created by French cartoonist Jacques Rouxel which caused a sensation in France when it was first broadcast in 1968-1974. The Shadoks were bird-like in appearance, were characterised by ruthlessness and stupidity and inhabited a two dimensional planet. Another set of creatures in the Shadok canon are the Gibis, who are the opposite to the Shadoks in that they are intelligent but vulnerable and also inhabit a two-dimensional planet. Rouxel claims that the term Shadok obtains some derivation from Captain Haddock of Hergé's The Adventures of Tintin and the Gibis are essentially GBs. The Shadoks were a significant literary, cultural and philosophical phenomenon in France. Even today, the French occasionally use satirical comparisons with the Shadoks for policies and attitudes that they consider absurd. The Shadoks were noted for mottos such as: ⁕"Why do it the easy way when you can do it the hard way?" ⁕"When one tries continuously, one ends up succeeding. Thus, the more one fails, the greater the chance that it will work."

  • the famous escapes
    the famous escapes (1972)7.0

    From Bonaparte to Casanova, history is cast in the light of famous escapes from various European countries.

  • Barbapapa
    Barbapapa (1974)7.0

    The adventures of Barbapapa and Barbama and their seven children, where they search for their place in the world, while helping humans and animals.

  • Bonne nuit les petits
    Bonne nuit les petits (1962)6.4

  • Midi trente
    Midi trente (1972)6.0

  • Reflets de Cannes
    Reflets de Cannes (1954)5.0

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

    Les Cinq Dernieres Minutes is a crime based French television series