If you’ve worked your way through all the classic British detective series and need something new to sink your teeth into, we’ve got your next TV obsession sorted. The upcoming can’t-miss detective drama Everybody Lies follows a band of misfits working to bring powerful criminals to justice (think, Line Of Duty meets Dept.Q) – and it’s coming to Channel 4 this August.
The French series, arriving on 4 via Walter Presents, introduces us to the dogged and temperamental detective Vincent Verner (Vincent Elbaz), who’s fired from his detective job in Paris for his obsessive ways. However, his career is far from over, as he’s recruited into an offbeat new unit taking on cases that nobody else dares to touch.
Intrigued? With the series available to watch this week, here’s everything you need to know about Everybody Lies, including the plot, cast and how to watch it.
What is Everybody Lies about?
Translated from Tout Le Monde Ment in French, the eight-part series follows the defiant Vincent Verner (Vincent Elbaz) after he’s fired from his policing job in Paris for his relentless pursuit of a powerful man. His career takes an unexpected turn when he finds himself stacking shelves in the bookshop of ex-con Maximilien (Jackie Berroyer). But when a young prosecutor, Alice Mojodi (Mariama Gueye), walks through the door, he’s given the opportunity to return to solving real crimes, rather than fictional ones.
Alice is heading a new department for special cases involving powerful figures who’ve used their wealth and status to evade justice – and she wants to recruit Verner. Despite his initial reluctance, he can’t extinguish his drive to hold the seemingly untouchable to account.
The first case involves the murder of an escort linked to Charles Favan (Nicolas Marié), the head of a renowned car company, who’s also trying to blackmail a politician over vehicle emissions. Joining Alice and Verner are a young and eager detective, Julien de Grève (Thomas Silberstein), and tech whizz and hacker extraordinaire, Malory Servaz (Joséphine de Meaux).
What to read next
Each case unfolds across two episodes, with the team later investigating the death of a woman connected to a famous actor and taking on a corrupt water company executive. But, their final investigation gets a little too personal for Verner…
Who’s in the cast of Everybody Lies?
The cast of Everybody Lies includes:
- Vincent Elbaz (It’s Raining Men) as Vincent Verner
- Mariama Gueye (The Best Of Us) as Alice Mojodi
- Joséphine de Meaux (Those Happy Days) as Malory Servaz
- Jackie Berroyer (Henri) as Maximilien
- Thomas Silberstein (The Last Duel) as Julien de Grève
- Anne Girouard (No Limit) as Isabelle
Is Everybody Lies any good?
Yes – there’s something irresistibly stylish about a French detective drama, and Vincent Verner is the epitome of a gruff Frenchman: you can’t help but root for him. His stubbornness and pathologically truthful nature mean he’s not always likeable, but watching his uneasy relationships evolve is part of what keeps you tuned in. There are clear parallels to the series Dept. Q, which follows Carl Morck’s band of misfits who are shunned to a dingy police basement to expose corruption. Equally, Verner has the same dogged determination as Line Of Duty’s AC-12 unit. What makes this show stand out is its twist on the whodunnit formula: at the start of each episode, you see the crime being committed, so it’s not about discovering the culprit – rather, it’s about seeing if the team can outwit them and bring them to justice.
How can I watch Everybody Lies?
The upcoming series Everybody Lies is coming to Channel 4 via Walter Presents on Friday 14 August.
Which other detective dramas can I watch now?
For an unbeatable detective drama, steeped in British history, we’d point you towards Inspector George Gently, where the eponymous anti-corrupt inspector takes the rash and young DS John Bacchus (Lee Ingleby) under his wing as they solve a string of complex crimes in 1960s North East England. Inspector George Gently is available to stream now on Netflix. For something cosier, try The Chelsea Detective. We follow Detective Inspector Max Arnold (Adrian Scarborough), who’s a tad different from the wealthy residents he helps out, as he cracks puzzling cases in the upmarket west London borough. The Chelsea Detective is available to stream now on U.
