The BEST ORTF shows of all time

Every ORTF show, ranked

We've compiled the average episode rating for every ORTF show to compile this list of best shows!

star
7.63
154 votes

#1 - Arsène Lupin

Arsène Lupin is a French TV show which was co-produced with German, Canadian, Belgian, Dutch, Swiss, Italian and Austrian TV stations. It is loosely based on the novels by Maurice Leblanc. Georges Descrières' portrayal of Arsène Lupin showed more similarity to Graf Yoster than to Maurice Leblanc's original. He behaved in the first place as a perfect gentleman who never got angry. He was always relaxed, because whatever could possibly have bothered him in daily life was taken care of by his butler. It wasn't questioned how he had come to his financial independence although the series sometimes discreetly implied that he was a professional criminal. Besides rescuing damsels in distress Lupin took on (other) criminals, competing with their wit and intelligence. Either he stole paintings from rich people who had to be considered white-collar criminals or he acted as a detective who derailed criminal schemes. However, when he was attacked, he could defend himself effortlessly by using elegant jujutsu methods. (Graf Yoster left such matters to his butler.) Among the guest stars were German actors such as Günter Strack and Sky du Mont. Jean-Paul Salomé said in his commentary on the DVD version of his film Arsène Lupin (2004) he had liked this series as a child. German TV, one the investors, would broadcast the show eventually between 18:00-20:00 o'clock because it was only allowed to show commercials within that timeslot. For them to get a financial return on investment the show had to be appropriate for families and also for children who would watch it alone. Subsequently it was nearby to ask to defuse and flatten some of Leblanc's plots in order to avoid possible complaints that could force the station to broadcast the show beyond the "Vorabendprogramm".

View Episode Rankings
star
7.24
269 votes

#2 - Barbapapa

The Barbapapas are a blob-like shape-shifting family consisting of the pink Barbapapa, the black Barbamama and their seven children. Throughout their adventures, they display family spirit and a great imagination to solve problems while taking care to protect the environment and the well-being of animals. Always in a fun and playful mood, the Barbapapa family values friendship, family spirit and non-violence.

View Episode Rankings