Studio TF1 Debuts 'Dr. Seylan & Cindy' at Unifrance — SkimNews
Get the Culture newsletter
Daily culture — film, music, books, the trends and ideas worth your attention. Free.
- Studio TF1 launched medical drama "Dr. Seylan & Cindy" at Unifrance Rendez-Vous in Le Havre, marketing it as a feel-good series built around an unlikely duo of a female "Dr. House" and "Phoebe from 'Friends.'"
- The series is a six-episode run filmed in the Drôme region of Southeastern France, starring Natacha Lindinger as neurosurgeon Louise Seylan and Alice Pol as longtime local nurse Cindy.
- Cathy Verney directed block 1 and cast Lindinger after first working with her on "Hard" 17 years ago, while Edouard Deluc directed block 2 and joined after the scripts were nearly finished.
- The plot follows Louise Seylan, who returns to her village after her physician father dies and begrudgingly takes over his medical practice alongside Cindy, tackling one case per episode.
- Camélia Acef and Mathilde Pol created and wrote the series, which was made by Itinéraire Productions in co-production with TF1, with producers Juliette Lassalle, Anthony Lancret, and Pierre Laugier.
- Montélimar hospital physicians and ER doctors coached the cast and crew on medical procedures, with Verney citing the balance between realism and comedy — and the reality of rural medical deserts — as the show's central challenge.
Why it matters: Studio TF1 is positioning "Dr. Seylan & Cindy" as its next breakout international hit at Le Havre, betting that a character-driven rural medical procedural can replicate the global success of French series like "HIP" while filling TF1's pipeline with comforting, case-of-the-week entertainment.
Ask SkimNews
