Trying to get to the bottom of the story that production company AB had all its contracts to provide shows to the main TF 1 channel abruptly severed in 1997, which killed this sitcom stone dead as well as ending several other long runners on French TV. What happened for a whole TV channel to want nothing more to do with Jean-Luc Azoulay, as if he were suddenly bad news? Reserving judgement for now, but everything I've found out about this man suggests Helene le Moignic's scathing opinion of him as "the worm in a rotten apple" could well be more than the parting shot of an actress with a grievance and lots of resentment to work off... JLA certainly became a multi-millionaire off the back of this show. Wonder what the actors were paid and whether they get residual royalties from the incessant re-runs?
Interesting to speculate on this show being a French take on Friends with a lot of character correspondences - Fanny = Phoebe; Magalie = Monica; Claire = Rachel. Would this work for the three men too?
Bloody hell, this is getting interesting, not so much for the show - a cult success in France, apparently - but for all the behind-the-scenes arguing, wrangling, clashing egos, and backstage drama that was going on. Dictatorial money-obsessed producer, bitchfighting among actresses who portrayed BFF's, a sweatshop production environment, creator breakdowns... as much fun as writing the Hawkwind page and charting that band's career and all the fighting that went on! Charting the saga of LFDC over its run is strangely compelling. I remain thankful that I'm fairly fluent in French - so much backstory....
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