Almost exactly a decade since espionage thriller “The Bureau” became the first series in France to adopt the American writer’s room format, French-American producer Alex Berger is still reaping the laurels of its success.
At Canneseries to promote the festival’s opening night screening of “The Agency,” the George Clooney-produced adaptation of his French hit, the veteran reflected on his career and impact in the industry, recalling how the European country “wasn’t used to doing the type of shows we were aiming for in the rhythm we wanted to do them in.”
By “we,” Berger refers to himself and multi-hyphenate creative and “The Bureau” showrunner Éric Rochant. The duo founded independent production company The Originals Productions in 2008 and perfected their practice following the success of their hit show, coining a technique titled Structured Writing Workshop. The custom-tailored method mixes “the best of what France and the U.S. have to offer” in the principles of the French system with American innovation and efficiency.
“In France, the biggest broadcast would do roughly six-to-eight shows every 24 to 36 months,” he said. “We wanted to do at least 10 shows every 12 months, and that’s the model we had to put together [with] what we had learned in the U.S. — the concept of the writers’ room and the showrunner. We had to work out the legal aspects of how that would work in France with the country’s labor laws. That process enabled us to do one season every year and create what is now called the writing rooms in France, with excellent execution.”
“The Bureau” has been sold into over 120 markets, with a sequel/spin-off titled “The Bureau: Africa” announced last year, and the American adaptation a testament to the show’s legacy. Showtime’s “The Agency” is produced by George Clooney and Grant Heslov and stars Michael Fassbender, Jeffrey Wright, Jodie Turner-Smith, and Richard Gere, with “Fair Game” brother duo Jez and John-Henry Butterworth as showrunners. The series premiered last November and got picked up for another season the month after. Season 2 just began shooting in London, with writers already working on scripts for Season 3.
“Jez and John-Henry Butterworth did an amazing job,” Berger said of the adaptation. “They respected what we did originally while reinventing it in a great way.” Of the difference between working on “The Bureau” in France and “The Agency” in the U.S., Berger said the main contrast is the “scale.”
“We did the first season of ‘The Bureau’ for €15 million ($19.8 million) in 2013, and the first season of ‘The Agency’ is over ten times that,” added the executive. “The scope, the scale, and the ambition that Paramount and Showtime have is to create a hugely successful franchise based on something that has proven itself. They had done it before with ‘Homeland,’ and pride themselves in trying to find the best people to do the best job possible.”
Berger mentioned how there was a “bidding war” between Apple TV+ and Paramount for the rights to adapt the French series, but it was Paramount’s offer of bringing in “Yellowstone” and “Tulsa King” producer David Glasser that sealed the deal. “[Glasser] said: We want to make this at the highest level possible and we don’t want to change anything,” Berger recalled, saying that, although Rochant did not want to be involved in the adaptation, he still felt the responsibility to “preserve the DNA of what he created while giving Paramount the freedom to create an original story.”
‘La Maison’ courtesy of Apple TV+
The producer did go on to collaborate with Apple TV+, albeit in a different project. Fashion drama “La Maison” premiered on the platform last year to critical acclaim, although Berger struggled with how the American streamer marketed his show.
“Marketing makes a show,” he emphasized. “Apple, for example, is probably the worst marketer in the universe — the best for iPhones, the worst for television. They don’t do marketing, and it was an issue for us with ‘La Maison.’ We did a great show that had an amazing success in France and other places in Europe, but they never promoted it. It drove me crazy.”
Asked why, while believing Apple TV+ to lack in marketing efforts, did he decide to take “La Maison” to the streamer, Berger said simply: “Hope. We had hope.”
“Apple TV+ had never done a show in France and never really done a show in Europe,” adds the producer. “‘Slow Horses’ started [things] in the U.K., but it was with the U.S.. I was hoping I would change them. We got very frustrated and just thought at one point that they were shooting themselves in the foot, and why? I think Apple TV+ is the premium you get with an iPhone. It’s a closed club, a small club now. They do some amazing shows, my criticism is not on the artistic side, where they are very ambitious and have the money to back it up, but these are shows that nobody will see most of the time, which is a pity.”
The producer ended his thought with a reflection on the idea of the old belief that “if we make it, they will come,” saying that it is something that “doesn’t exist” in today’s entertainment culture. “There are hundreds of shows, many more movies, so many books, expositions, and art that you want to see. You need to be distinctive.”
