the return of the iconic soap opera on TF1

As a symbol, the first images of this More beautiful life new-look broadcast since January 8 are those of a collapse. The Mistral, an imaginary district of Marseille, which is home to the series, is shaken by an explosion which destroys the buildings in the central square. The residents, stunned by this disaster, are forced to move and rebuild another Mistral like the bar of the same name and the backbone of the first sequences of the new version. It is on this topical theme that the writers have chosen to make a clean sweep of the past eighteen seasons and look to the future.

The transformation took place via several elements. The name of the series is lengthened and becomes More beautiful life, even more beautiful. Formerly in prime time, it is now broadcast at 1:40 p.m. The decor has also been dusted off. Rebecca, a fan of the first hours of the original series, testifies: “What stood out to me was the brightness of the environment, much brighter than in the past. » Another development, the makeover of the casting with the arrival of several actors in their twenties. The credits and logo have also undergone a slight facelift.

The same societal DNA

But avoiding throwing the baby out with the bathwater, the producers of the new “PBLV” kept the essentials: first of all, actors to whom aficionados were attached. Among the most representative, Laurent Kérusoré, who plays Thomas Marci, co-owner of the bar Le Mistral, and Sylvie Flepp, alias Mirta Torres, historical figure of the neighborhood since the origins of the program.

More than in form, this continuity was mainly played out in substance: “We have kept the DNA of the brand which consists of relying on societal subjects”, confides Stéphanie Brémond, deputy general director of Serials and Long Series from Newen France, the producing company of the series. Like the first episodes that we watched: they evoke student precariousness and the verbalization of the menopause period among women.

All this did not escape the public who seem to have adhered to this reprofiling: 3 million viewers watched the debut. A reason for satisfaction for Stéphanie Brémond who nevertheless has a modest triumph: “A long-term soap opera is not a sprint, but a marathon. You will have to go the distance to build loyalty. » A bet that the entire team is committed to keeping, so that this series remains the mirror of France in change…