The Research Unit is a special unit of the National Gendarmerie, responsible for the most complex cases. In Bordeaux and then in Nice, it investigates child abductions, disappearances, vicious or sexual crimes. In search of witnesses, the team is empowered to extend its investigations beyond the borders of France.
Development
The series was developed at the same time as another series of TF1: R.I.S, police scientifique. The producer decides to differentiate itself from this series on all the aspects. It chooses to stage gendarmes in the provinces, her choice will be based on Bordeaux, in order to be able to use different types of scenery. Moreover, it's decided to play the card of humans, inspired by American series such as "Cold Case" and "Without a Trace". The series is one of the few French productions to be written with the writing room processes, as American series are written. Dominique Lancelot is both producer and screenwriter of the program, which gives him a position of show runner. The screenwriters work in two workshops to produce two scenarios at a time. They meet several days a week to work together on a scenario. One of the screenwriters is then designated to write the sequencer, another author then resumes writing the dialogues. Each scenario thus passes through several hands before receiving the approval of the show runner for the shoot. The series is therefore written in tense flow, As soon as an episode is finalized, it is shot, which is quite rare for a French series used to turning seasons. The budget of an episode of 900 000 € which must be added the participation of CNC of 100 000 €, which represents a budget of one million euros per episode. In 2013, after the seventh season, producers decided to make many changes for the following season. They moved the brigade from Bordeaux to Nice. The producers explain that this change is due to technical and creative constraints. The weather not always clemente of the Gironde created many problems for the filming of the many scenes outdoors. The writers wanted to develop the leafy aspect of the series, but it was necessary to have a milder weather like that of the Alpes-Maritimes. A tenth season is controlled by TF1 for broadcast in 2016. The series then experiencing a major upheaval because at the end of the ninth season, producer Dominique Lancelot stepping down as showrunner, and is replaced by Marie Guilmineau.
Casting
In 2008, Linda Hardy joined the cast of the third season as a Chief Warrant OfficerClaire Linsky. She decides to leave at the end of next season series in 2010 to focus on his family. In 2011, two new characters appeared in the fifth season: Warrant OfficerFanny Caradec played by Félicité Du Jeu and Officer Marc-Olivier Delcroix played by Vincent Primault. The seventh season saw many casting changes. Félicité Du Jeu left the series because of her pregnancy, she puts her career on hold to give birth to a baby girl. Kamel Belghazi also left the series in mid-season. Manon Azem joined the show shortly after in the role of Warrant Officer Sarah Casanova. In 2013, the relocation of the series from Bordeaux to Nice for the eighth season led to many changes in the cast: except for Xavier Deluc and Chrystelle Labaude and Manon Azem, all the other actors are written out. New joined as the new characters: Franck Sémonin in the role of Lieutenant Lucas Auriol and Julie Fournier in lieutenant Roxane Janin. Them joined also Stéphane Soo Mongo as Warrant Officer Alexandre Sainte-Rose and Félicité Chaton as Warrant Officer Victoire Cabral. Finally, Manon Azem returns to the cast in the eighth season to the fifth episode.
Cast
Episodes
For the first seven seasons the set was in Bordeaux and from season 8 onward the set is in Nice.
Shooting
The filming of the first six seasons takes place in Bordeaux and in the Aquitaine region for outdoor scenes and in Paris for indoor scenes. The filming of episodes 67 and 68: from April 3 to April 20 in Angoulême and around, episodes 69 and 70: from may 22 for 3 weeks in Angoulême and surroundings, episodes 71 and 72: from June 18 for 3 weeks in Angoulême and surroundings and episodes 73 and 74: from September 3 for 3 weeks in Angoulême and the surrounding area. The filming of the final of the fifth season in La Réunion lasted 24 days. The shooting of the sixth season begins at the end of February 2011 for an expected duration of nine months. The shooting of the seventh season is from April to December 2012. Since the eighth season and the relocation of the series to Nice, production has set up its studios in a former perfumery factory in the Grasse zone. The shooting of the eighth season begins in April 2013 in region. The filming of the ninth season begins March 24, 2014. The shooting of the tenth season is planned in two stages: a first part from the end of March 2015, and a second part from the summer until the end of December 2015. The filming of the eleventh season began in March 2016. The shooting of the twelfth season began on March 13, 2017.
