César Wagner (2020–2023) User Reviews

Quirky and enjoyable series

[Vindelander · 7/10 · 17 September 2022]

Just finished watching this excellent series and happy to recommend it. I hope they make further episodes.

Each episode is a separate story but there is linkage between them as the characters are developed. It's rather tongue in cheek in the way it is written and there are a lot of amusing asides with the budding romances and spats between characters.

The quality of acting and direction is very good although I'd never seen any of the cast in another production. It's in the vein of the wonderful Sicilian Inspector Montelbano series with the filming locations and incidental scenes as important as the plot development.

The hypochondriac Wagner deserves special mention for the way he adds humour to his role without allowing it to become banal or too repetitive.

Cute

[davidharman-18846 · 10/10 · 20 June 2022]

French acting at its best with a twisting plot and gem moments of cute comedy. The plots cover all angles of crime whilst not hiding the true details of the human problems of a multi-cultural city. The supporting Police crue are also superb. Didn't realise that a Police station in France is called Hotel of Police!

Fun, Familiar Territory

[kpassa · 9/10 · 11 November 2022]

Cesar Wagner is an obsessive hypochondriac with a flair for solving mysteries. Sound familiar? Well if you've see Monk, Professor T or other variations this is another twist on that same theme. Imitation, after all, is the sincerest form of flattery and this series does a good job of continuing that theme. We watch it in French with English subtitles and didn't get bored with any of the episodes. According to the episode synopsis there should be at least 2 more coming and we look forward to seeing them. Nice cast of characters, good location shots, interesting sort of love triangle, all in all a clever and entertaining show.

Very French, great fun, good plots

[humboles · 9/10 · 4 March 2024]

We thoroughly enjoyed all the episodes.

The 'patron', César Wagner, is weirdly hypochondriac but eminently humane and, often, very amusing. His relationship with the female pathologist, who appears in every episode, closely resembles that of Det. Mike Shepherd and pathologist Gina in the NZ drama, Brokenwood: in each, he wants friendship, she wants more.

The detective apparently carries an illustrious surname in Strasbourg, his ancestors being well-known in several domains, while his mother is the current mayor. She plots to advance her son's career, often to his annoyance. The city looks attractive. One episode involves the Europena Court Of Human Rights, another Strasbourg's Nazi-entangled role in the 1939-45 war.

The subordinate characters are all well portrayed and memorable. I can't agree the plots are complicated; a French speaker, I still run back over any point I don't twig at first.

I hope C4 will buy all subsequent series: they have a habit of disappointing in that regard.

French Professor T ??

[crumpytv · 5/10 · 1 October 2022]

Cesar Wagner is the same type of character as featured in the great first two series of the Belgian comedic drama Professor T.

This doesn't work as well. For a start the support characters are weak by comparison and the storylines are too complicated. Maybe that is because I was reading subtitles, but the second episode particularly was hard to follow and in the end I didn't really understand what happened or why. It was a very gruesome episode as well.

After the first two feature length episodes I decided to give up on the rest as I was finding it boring and not holding my attention.

Rather a wasted opportunity, I feel. It could have been good.