Founded in 2000 by François Aramburu and Pascal Fontanille, Merlin Productions is a company of scriptwriters and producers. Its managers have brought in considerable new talent to create new formats and styles of writing and offer broadcasters a reactive editorial line.
Merlin Productions has produced :
- Clem, a series for TF1, directed by Joyce Bunuel, starring Victoria Abril, Lucie Lucas and Laurent Gamelon, which drew the largest audience for a French telefilm in 2010, with 9.4 million viewers.
- Nouvelle Maud, a series for France 3 directed by Régis Musset (season 2) and Bernard Malaterre (season 1), starring Emma Colberti and Gérard Rinaldi. A Parisian stripper inherits a coffee shop in a small provincial village from her brother, as well as his three children. Nouvelle Maud is a sincere, funny, moving series that deals with family, grief, food and sex and the clash between Paris and provincial France.
- Vidocq, « le masque et la plume », a 90′ one-off for TF1 by Alain Choquart, starring Bruno Madinier.
- “Juste un peu d’amour”, a romantic drama for France 2: At the dawn of the new millenium, in an era when love is ruled by market forces, blossoms via Meetic and dies by SMS, “Juste un peu d’amour” deals with the eternal quest for love.
- “De feu et de glace”, a one-off 90’ comedy drama for TF1, which marked the screen debut of Lorie Pester, alongside Christophe Malavoy, Nadia Fossier and Annie Grégorio.
- “Sa raison d’être”, a mini-series (two 96’ episodes) for France 2, on the consequences of the upsurge of AIDS in France for which Michaël Cohen and Nicolas Gob jointly won the Best Male Actor award at the 2008 Luchon International Television Film Festival.
- “La prophétie d’Avignon”, an esoteric fantastical thriller series (eight 52’ episodes) for France 2, with Louise Monot, Guillaume Cramoisan, Marthe Keller, one of the best-selling exports in the 2007-2008 season.
- “Les liens du sang”, a thriller (two 60’ episodes) for TF1, featuring Pierre Arditi, Ivan Gonzales, Ludmila Mikaël.
- “Mariés… ou presque !” a 90’ romantic comedy shown on France 2, with Carole Richert and Yvon Back.
- “Faites comme chez vous” (24×52’ episodes) for M6, a family comedy adapted from the Spanish format “Aquì no hay quien viva”. It was awarded the best early evening series award at the Festival of Fiction in Saint-Tropez in 2005.
- “Un amour à taire”, a historical drama (100’) for France 2, the first French drama to tackle the deportation of homosexuals during World War II, featuring Jérémie Rénier, Bruno Todeschini, Nicolas Gob, Louise Monot, Michel Jonasz and Charlotte de Turckheim. Coming away with five awards from the 2005 Festival of Luchon, this one-off production has since won many other awards at international festivals in Europe, the United States and Latin America.
- “Un été de Canicule”, France 2’s 2004 summer soap (four 90’ episodes), featuring Anthony Delon, Charlotte de Turckheim, Philippe Lefebvre. Nominated best TV serial at the 2004 Sept d’Or.
- “Baie Ouest”, a series for the young, 26×52’ episodes, for TF1 and showcasing Biarritz, surfing and ecology.
