Astrid et Raphaelle – Unmissable French Cozy Hit Renewed For Season 7

Last Updated on August 19, 2026

When it comes to cozy mysteries and whodunnits, I don’t have any preference for where they are filmed or even what language they are in. If there’s a puzzle to be solved, I’ll watch it.

More recently, one of my favorites has been Patience from the UK, but then I discovered that it is based on the French hit show Astrid et Raphaelle. So off I went on the hunt for it, and lo and behold, there it was on PBS.

I’m as caught up as I can be, but as often happens, international distribution can lag behind, so I know I have plenty more to come, especially as we now know that the show has been renewed for season 7, hurrah!

So let me tell you all about it so you can decide for yourself if it’s your cup of tea. Also, I watch it in French with subtitles, but dubbing is available.

Astrid: Murder in Paris

If you want something twisty but not bleak, character‑driven but never sluggish, Astrid et Raphaelle could be your next binge.

The fact that it has been renewed for a seventh season, with new episodes currently filming, tells you how strongly it’s connected with viewers over time.

At its core, Astrid et Raphaelle is about two very different women who slowly build an unlikely, deeply satisfying partnership.

Astrid Nielsen works as an archivist in the police criminal records department. She’s autistic, brilliant with patterns and details, and far more comfortable with files and evidence than with small talk.

Raphaëlle Coste is a police commander who barrels into life with instinct, impulsiveness, and a chaotic streak that often hides how much she cares.

The show’s pleasure is in watching their methods collide and then mesh. Astrid approaches a case like a complex puzzle, breaking it down into timelines, relationships, and contradictions, noticing tiny things nobody else has seen.

Raphaëlle throws herself into interviews, chases leads on gut feeling, and pushes at suspects until something cracks.

Over time, each starts to borrow a little from the other: Raphaëlle learns to slow down and respect Astrid’s process, and Astrid grows more confident about stepping into the field and challenging assumptions.

What keeps it within cozy territory for me is the tone. The crimes can be serious, but the show consistently centers empathy, respect, and curiosity.

It’s interested in why people do what they do, not just in catching them. Astrid’s autism is handled as an integral part of who she is, with strengths and vulnerabilities, rather than as a gimmick.

Raphaëlle’s flaws and bad decisions don’t make her a mess for shock value; they make her feel human and sometimes gently funny. The result is a crime series that feels kind, even when it’s dealing with dark material.

Astrid et Raphaelle Season 7

Seven seasons is a serious milestone for any drama, and it says a lot that Astrid et Raphaelle is still moving forward with new ideas.

Season 7 is currently filming, with the production splitting its time between Paris and Tokyo. That shift hints at a season that opens up the show’s world in a new way.

Taking our sleuthing duo outside their usual environment gives the writers room to test their habits and comfort zones, and I’m very curious to see how Astrid, in particular, handles that change of setting.

Previous seasons have already explored a wide range of environments: academic circles, niche subcultures, religious communities, and tight‑knit professional worlds. Season 7 looks set to continue that pattern while adding a cross‑border dimension.

On a character level, Season 7 is also a moment of upheaval. Astrid faces the possible loss or transformation of the archives that have given her life structure and safety.

Raphaëlle is working through the physical and emotional consequences of an accident and long rehabilitation, redefining what being a good cop means for her.

Cast, Characters, and Long‑Term Comfort

One of the reasons the series fits so naturally into a cozy mystery watchlist is the ensemble. Over seven seasons, the people around Astrid and Raphaëlle have become familiar, from colleagues at the station to Astrid’s support network.

The show also allows both leads to change in believable ways. Astrid’s social world slowly widens as she gains confidence and learns when she can bend her routines. Raphaëlle gradually becomes more protective of Astrid’s needs and more aware of her own patterns.

Their friendship evolves from wary cooperation to real trust, and that growth makes the later seasons especially satisfying. The more time you spend with them, the more their small gestures and in‑jokes land.

Patience, the UK version, is only at the beginning of that long road, but it’s already echoing a lot of what makes the French original so compelling: strong performances, careful writing around neurodivergence, and a commitment to showing partnership as something built over time, not given for free.

Where to Watch: UK, US, and Australia

If you’re in the UK, Astrid et Raphaelle is available under the title Astrid: Murder in Paris. You can watch it on Channel 4’s streaming platform.

In the US, it’s simply Astrid and is available through PBS, both on broadcast and via PBS’s streaming apps and website.

In Australia, the show is carried by Stan, with multiple seasons in rotation and additional availability on other platforms at times.

Platforms move things around, but those are the main homes to check first. Titles can vary slightly between regions, so if you don’t see Astrid et Raphaelle, try searching for Astrid: Murder in Paris or just Astrid.

Patience: The UK Cousin

Patience, the UK adaptation, is built from the same DNA. It takes the idea of a neurodivergent investigator paired with a more conventional police partner and moves it into a British setting.

The leads are different characters, not copies, and the cases reflect a different cultural backdrop, but the connection is clear: this is another show about how two people with very different brains can become an unexpectedly perfect team.

What I will say, though, having watched both shows, is that the UK mysteries very much mirror the French ones.

Obviously, the context is different, and Astrid et Raphaelle is steeped in Paris: ministries, museums, archives, narrow streets, and grand institutions. Patience swaps those out for British landscapes and systems, giving the same structural idea a new texture.

Together, they widen the cozy mystery map. Instead of only small English villages or isolated country houses, we get a French capital’s archives, city corners, and subcultures on one side, and a UK spin on institutional crime‑solving on the other.

Both shows are equally good, and share that focus on friendship, intelligence, and emotional growth that makes them easy to return to.

If you enjoy following one detective duo across years of cases and character growth, Astrid et Raphaelle is a treat, and it’s only becoming more interesting as it heads into Season 7.