Streaming series review - Tom and Lola

Tom and Lola *** (out of 5) This French procedural series leans into the dramedy realm, with lighthearted relationship action offsetting the murders they solve in less than an hour each week of this twelve-episode first season. The eponymous police detectives, Tom (Pierre-Yves Bon) and Lola (Dounia Coesens) have a long, shared history before they went their separate ways. Years later, he’s reassigned to her unit. Though she’s the boss, he’s equal in rank, making for ongoing amusing competitiveness between them over who will be in charge of what, and who will figure anything out first. Both actors are charming and appealing, individually and as a will-they/won’t-they duo. She epitomizes the wholesome girl-next-door image; he’s got the looks of one who has warmth to give, and lives up to that presentation, at home and with suspects. Tom and Lola were BFFs as kids, and still frequently act like playful siblings, providing comic relief from their stresses, and for our amusement.

Since they’d been apart, she's had two kids with two dads, neither of whom is paying the ordered support, leaving her on the verge of eviction. Tom moves in with his own surly daughter to share expenses while he desperately hopes to reunite with wife Cynthia (Blandine Papillon) who is divorcing him. He’s a methodical neatnik. She’s more frazzled and disorganized. He follows rules and procedures; she’s more of a maverick. And Gaelle (Elodie Varlet), the attractive medical examiner who is Lola’s bestie, has the hots for Tom, and hopes his wife becomes his ex. All that sets up quite a swirl of character comedy. And, unlike several other series that blend large doses of family matters with the primary crime-solving, the screen time allotted to brattiness among their offspring, rather than body count is refreshingly low. Throughout the season, their combined teen and pre-teen trio cause far fewer problems than most of the police progeny in similar series.

The murders occur in familiar plot territory, ranging from a variation on the locked-room mysteries, to a seemingly impossible fatal stabbing while the victim is flying solo in his hot-air balloon. One involves an old woman who believes her late husband is trying to kill her from beyond. Setting the series in Toulon, on Southern France’s Mediterranean coastline provides several plots that begin with bodies turning up in those seemingly friendly waters for a variety of reasons. Coroner Gaelle – the most engaging character among the supporting cast - even gets her own featured episode (the 9th) when she’s accused of murdering a guy whose corpse is found in her morgue, though he was quite healthy when he strolled in. The 12th gives us a self-styled vigilante, who actually catches some baddies before problems arise.

The appeal of the cast and the visual pleasures of Toulon and its environs make these a set of nice breezy ways to spend an hour. The main plots are stand-alone, but should be viewed in order for the relationship progressions. No cliff-hangers, though questions remain for what may be in store for Season Two, which aired abroad late last year. That dozen will surely follow this entertaining intro to our side of the Pond. You’ll like them! You’ll really like them!

(Tom and Lola, in French with subtitles, streams on MHz Choice as of 2/10/26)