The French series “HPI – Haut Potentiel Intellectuel” (“High Intellectual Potential“) debuted in 2021 – the year that most of us spent at home with very limited entertainment opportunities. This was actually a chance for shows and series of television and streaming companies, and I think that this series also benefited from this conjuncture. “HPI” is a French detective series, but not a classic one, with as its main character an investigator like we have never seen before. The combination of the detective riddles and character and situational comedy works very well, especially when some romance is added. “HPI” is now in its fourth season in France, I have seen and am writing these reviews after watching the first three seasons. The producers have succeeded to keep the acting team intact – as the five police officers and six family members of the main heroine and this contributes to the popularity of the series. The cases plots are quite interesting, the characters become familiar and we follow their romantic adventures in addition to the detective ones. The leading idea is funny and outrageous enough to create escapist interest in these uncertain times.
Each episode features an investigation by the Lille criminal police team, composed of a sympathetic and competent female boss, a skilled but dry-witted investigator (Inspector Adam Karadec), a younger policeman and a policewoman learning the secrets of the trade. They are joined, by a comical coincidence described in the pilot episode, by Morgane Alvaro, an extraordinarily intelligent and extraordinarily flamboyant girl. Morgane has a fabulous IQ of 160, well above the limit that describes a person with High Intellectual Potential, that is, possessing a much higher cognitive intelligence than people in their age group. But she also has a difficult personality, doesn’t accept authority, dresses like a punkist and behaves worse. She is divorced, actually after a second marriage, the first husband having disappeared under unexplained circumstances. She is raising three children and is forced to do all kinds of menial jobs. In the first episode we find her working as a cleaning woman in the police HQ, but by the end of the episode she is already employed as a counselor. The formidable memory, the encyclopedic knowledge, the ability to make unexpected connections between the details of the investigation and the world of science make Morgane a decisive factor in solving the most complicated cases. The problem is that her reasoning intelligence is accompanied by social immaturity and a total lack of respect for social conventions. For this reason, she is considered a ‘difficult character’ and will have to constantly face problems both at her new job and in her personal life.
Almost every episode in the three seasons I’ve watched so far begins with a body being discovered, usually in the wee hours of the morning. It’s the case that Inspector Karadec and Morgane will solve by the end of the episode’s hour. In parallel, we follow the complications of Morgane and her family’s life, including the mystery of her first husband’s disappearance, and we witness the rapprochement between Karadec and Morgane that has the chance to turn into an unlikely love story. It all takes place in and around the northern French city of Lille, which eventually becomes a familiar setting. Throughout the three seasons, the police intrigues – without disappearing – decrease in interest and more attention is paid to the romantic and comedic side and the family problems of Morgane, which from a moment on become part of the cases. Those who will watch the series will find it difficult not to fall in love with the detective who is too intelligent for the world around her. Actress Audrey Fleurot is sparkling and captivating as Morgane, while Mehdi Nebbou gives an excellent emotional and professional counterpoint as Inspector Karadec. The fourth season of “HPI” has started airing in France, I haven’t seen any episodes of it yet, but I’m looking forward to them. A recommended series, just right for those looking for a little escapism in dark times.