The Bureau
Created by Éric Rochant
On Canal+
A psychologically intense espionage drama that treats undercover work as a form of existential dissolution, where the cost of living a false identity becomes the true subject.
Within the DGSE (General Directorate for External Security), a department called the Office Of Legends (BDL) forms and remote pilot the most important agents of the French intelligence services: Clandestine. Immersion in hostile country, their mission is to identify individuals who may be recruited as sources of information. Operating "under caption", that is to say in a fabricated identity from scratch, they live for many years in a permanent duplicity. Our hero just returned from a clandestine mission six years in Damascus. But contrary to what is required by safety rules, he does not abandon his legend and the identity under which he lived in Syria, thus putting in danger the whole system.
Keywords
Where to watch
Questions people ask
Is The Bureau sad? Yes, very. More sad than 96% of series.
Is The Bureau easy watching? Barely. Less comforting than 88% of series.
Does The Bureau leave you hopeful? Barely. Less hopeful than 88% of series.
Is The Bureau scary? Yes. More frightening than 87% of series.
Is The Bureau violent? Yes. More violent than 81% of series.
These describe how the series comes across across its whole run, compared with other well-known series. They are not a content list — nothing here was counted or checked episode by episode, so for age-suitability or specific content use a classification board or a dedicated content-warning service.
Cinnamon Score
How much this series gives you that nothing else will, and whether it delivers.
You have seen this shape before.
How unlike any other series this one feels
How much more it delivers than it promises
How much audiences actually like it
Ensemble
Everything like The Bureau, and what each one shares →
Like The Bureau
Nearest across the full emotional profile.
Same Mood as The Bureau
Nearest on what's most distinctive about this one.
Like The Bureau, But Darker
Similar, pushed toward heavier and more intense.
Like The Bureau, But Lighter
Similar, pushed toward warmer and easier.
Like The Bureau, But Less Popular
Same territory, far fewer people have seen it.
