The difference between the first series of Granda's "Maigret" and the second series is vast. In fact, it is the difference between quality television and a forgettable yet valiant attempt. In the 1990s, several prestigious adaptations of famous detective novels were made by various ITV outlets. Granada had started the trend with their outstanding Sherlock Holmes series starring Jeremy Brett, LWT followed it up with their equally definitive Poirot with David Suchet, while Central gave us my personal favourite, the John Thaw Morse series, and the less iconic but nonetheless highly entertaining Cadfael with Derek Jacobi in the lead. This "Maigret", starring Michael Gambon as the indefatigable commissaire (here reranked into a Chief Inspector), at first glance, slots quite nicely among this set were it not for one aspect, the budget allotted to the first series was clearly far smaller than the ones given to any of the other, more distinguished series.
Why this was, I don't know, but the results are more than evident on screen. Like "Cadfael", the series was shot in Hungary rather than in France, but whereas "Cadfael" made wonderfully atmospheric use of its medieval locations, the first season of "Maigret" seems almost shy to show theirs off. Instead, the series got locked into a series of drab-looking interiors, cheaply designed by Chris Wilkinson and unimaginatively shot by directors James Cellan Jones and John Glenister. However, it is cinematographer Elemér Ragályi who nails the final coffin into the visual identity of the first season with his ugly, overlit and frequently blown-out photography. Such a technically faulty and artistically poor job I have never seen outside of amateur productions. The first season pales in comparison not only with its contemporaries on British television ("Cadfael", "Poirot", "Morse" etc.) but also with the cinematic Bruno Cremer "Maigret" which was airing on French TV at the time.
The scripts for this first season tended to be plodding and dull and seemingly written for the old studio-bound production style. Scenes go on forever, dialogue is long-winded and exposition-heavy, and there is minimal use of locations. The adapters do Simenon a great disservice by stripping his novels down to their bear essentials and turning them into straightforward detective stories robbing them of their unique, psychological complexity. It doesn't help that the guest cast is mainly comprised of B-list supporting players who presumably are cheap to hire and willing to fly out to Budapest for a week. In fact, the casting formula for the first season appears to have been as follows. Have one "big name" per episode (Cheryl Campbell, Christopher Benjamin, Struan Rodger, Joanna David, Jim Norton, Jonathan Adams, Ann Mitchell), a supporting cast of minor character actors, and fill out the bit parts with Hungarian actors. This method, however, backfires badly. The "big names" are merely recognisable faces and none of them does more than adequate jobs. Of the minor character actors a few do quite well (Margery Whithers and Leonie Mellinger) but most range from utterly bland to shockingly awful. John Warnaby, for instance, ruins "Maigret on Home Ground" with his uncouth, unemotional performance of a highly complex character from the original novel. Meanwhile, the Hungarian actors are awfully dubbed with ill-fitting voices and you get such laughable moments as when a featherweight French policeman speaks out with the voice of Sherrill Milnes.
The best episodes of the first season, "Maigret Goes to School" and "Maigret Sets a Trap", do offer some fun, but they are weak and undistinguished efforts compared to other ITV mystery shows of the time and certainly when compared to the Bruno Cremer series.
Watching through this first season, I frequently thought about quitting the series altogether, but I am exceedingly glad I didn't because the second series provides a seismic change. Seeing they had a potential hit on their hands, Granada poured more money into the second season and the result is unbelievable. The ones drab, overlit sets are replaced by rich, ornamented interiors full of character and period atmosphere. The static, dull scripts become exciting, full of beautiful location scenes, and free of the boring expositional dialogue. The direction, now by Nicholas Renton, Stuart Burge, and John Strickland greatly improves turning each episode into a superbly realised mini-movie, true to the spirit and the complexities of Simenon's wonderful novels.
Most importantly, however, the casting choices improve greatly. Now there isn't an episode without a genuinely major actor in it. Peter Barkworth, Brenda Blethyn, Edward Petherbridge, Jon Finch, Kenneth Haigh, and Eileen Paige lead the guest cast list along with superb turns from such reliable character actors as Oliver Ford Davies, Sorcha Cusack, Jane Wymark, Pip Torrens, Clifford Rose, Alan David, Tony Rohr, and Christopher Ryan. Along the way, there are also fun appearances from future stars including Michael Sheen, Minnie Driver and Steven Mackintosh. Appearances from poorly dubbed Hungarians are kept to a minimum and occasionally an unknown actor shows up to give an outstanding performance such as Susie Lindeman who absolutely steals the show with her witty and loveable performance in "Maigret and the Maid".
The stand-out episode for me is "Maigret and the Minister", wonderfully directed by Nicholas Renton and with a typically majestic turn from Peter Barkworth, in my opinion, the greatest character actor of all time. It is a fast-paced, entertaining romp through the hallowed halls of power, with several surprisingly expressionistic moments. The adaptation by Bill Gallagher doesn't quite have the same bite as the Simenon original but it retells the story with clarity and wit.
Now, a paragraph on the two consistently excellent aspects of the series. First, there's the music. Not only Nigel Hess' beautifully haunting theme music but also the first-rate incidental scores by Hess, John Keane, Ilona Sekacz, and Bill Connor, all well-respected composers. Secondly, and most importantly, there's the main cast all of whom are superb and carry the shoddy first season on their shoulders. Michael Gambon is spot-on as Maigret, one of the best and most faithful to the books as a matter of fact. Physically imposing, yet quiet and thoughtful though with a mischievous glint in his eye. He is well supported by Jack Galloway and James Larkin as Janvier and LaPointe, respectively, with Geoffrey Hutchings giving what is, in my mind, the definitive portrayal of the faithful Sgt. Lucas. Also definitive is John Moffatt as Monsieur Coméliau absolutely embodying the snooty, disruptive and snobbish judge from the novels. Mme Maigret was recast between the seasons with Ciaran Madden playing her in the first and Barbara Flynn in the second. I must confess, in this instance alone, the first season wins. I liked Flynn's portrayal but she lacked the warmth of the character and chemistry with Gambon both of which Madden had. I wouldn't call either definitive, however. That distinction still belongs to Helen Shingler.
So, in conclusion, the first season is a drab-looking cheap endeavour whilst the second season is the prestige show you'd expect from a Granada-produced "Maigret" series. I would recommend watching the last six episodes first and then going back, if you must, to the largely forgettable first season.
RATINGS: First Season: 6/10 & Second Season: 8/10.
