French alternate history series The Sentinels airs on BBC and secures second run
The eight-part French series The Sentinels has premiered on BBC Four, demonstrating that European television can successfully produce original science fiction without relying on established global franchises.
The eight-part television series The Sentinels has premiered on BBC Four and iPlayer, adapting a comic book by Enrique Breccia and Xavier Dorison into an alternate history drama. The show explores a fictionalized First World War where the French army develops a secret unit of enhanced super soldiers capable of extreme violence.
The narrative follows Gabriel Ferraud, played by Louis Peres, who is pulled from the battlefield in 1915 and injected with an experimental serum. The risky procedure provokes seizures and cellular mutations, turning the combatant into a prisoner of the programme who faces execution as a deserter if he reveals the truth.
Gabriel is desperate to reunite with his wife Irène, portrayed by Olivia Ross, and their infant son. Irène works as a journalist investigating military casualties, while her path intersects with The Baron, a nightclub owner played by Ouassini Embarek who is involved in questionable wartime dealings.
Within the laboratory, Dr Marthe, played by Pauline Étienne, grows concerned about the biological changes in Gabriel. His new army colleagues offer little comfort, telling him that "loss of control is normal at first" as the experimental drug causes mounting mental distress.
Alternate history has long been a staple of television, with previous shows exploring scenarios where the Axis powers won the Second World War or the Soviets won the space race. The Sentinels enters this crowded genre by mashing up postapocalyptic steampunk action with traditional war drama, creating a distinctly European atmosphere.
This approach represents a notable shift in a television landscape frequently dominated by recycled intellectual property and established franchises. The production demonstrates that original, homegrown concepts can deliver propulsive storytelling and complex worldbuilding without relying on pre-existing cinematic universes or threadbare formats.
While some reviewers note that the action sequences occasionally resemble video-game cut scenes, the series successfully balances its science fiction tropes with what the BBC describes as a "Frankenstein-ian level of depth and empathy." The narrative concludes with a brutal final scene that avoids a neat resolution and effectively guarantees a second run.
