EXHIBITION - Festival Séries Mania

On 8 April 1990, we discovered the story of a prom queen found dead in a plastic sheet. Her name was Laura Palmer, and her creators were a seasoned scriptwriter, Mark Frost, and a filmmaker, David Lynch. Under their influence, frames became wider, shots lingered longer, lighting was more stunning, and the mystery was even more profound. The small screen welcomed great productions, and their quality could be seen every second. In 2017, the highly experimental third season of Twin Peaks again shattered all conventions, confirming itself to be something truly unique.

Journey to Twin Peaks

The series by David Lynch and Mark Frost was filmed in the American Pacific Northwest, in Snoqualmie and North Bend. Today still, fans continue to make nostalgic pilgrimages to its iconic locations to eat some cherry pie, drink a “damn good coffee” and admire the waterfalls, the Great Northern (now called the Salish Lodge), the totems, or Josie Packard’s sawmill.

The exhibition’s curator, Charlotte Blum, has been a regular visitor since 2015. Here is an extract from her notebooks.

The case of Lars von Trier

In November 1994, the Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier presented the incredible miniseries The Kingdom, which enjoyed all the freedoms earned by Twin Peaks: the right to oddity, dreamlike sequences, an elastic pace, and surreal, burlesque characters. Inspired by David Lynch and the release of The Return in 2017, he decided to create a new chapter for his own story in 2023, with a profoundly meta and even stranger third season. Fans of Twin Peaks will notice many references to the series, particularly an owl flying through a room for no apparent reason!

Tarantino in ER

A year after receiving the Palme d’Or for Pulp Fiction, Quentin Tarantino directed an episode of one of his favourite series: ER! On set, he realised that in television, directors are merely underlings; so, to maintain control over the editing process, he decided to shoot only one take of each scene.

Blood and film-makers

In the late 1980s, filmmakers enjoyed themselves with horror series. Created by Steven Spielberg, the Amazing Stories anthology featured directors such as Joe Dante, Tobe Hooper, Martin Scorsese, Robert Zemeckis, and even Danny DeVito and Clint Eastwood. For Tales from the Crypt, William Friedkin, Richard Donner, and actors Michael J. Fox and Arnold Schwarzenegger, among others, brought spine-chilling thrills to the small screen.

BASED ON A TRUE STORY

The Columbine Massacre

On 20 April 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold murdered 12 students and a teacher at Columbine High School before taking their own lives. In season 1 of American Horror Story (2011), Ryan Murphy portrayed Tate Langdon (Evan Peters), the ghost of a teenager who, after arriving at his school armed with a rifle, dressed as a skeleton, murders several students before being shot dead by a police squad.

French cases

During the 1990s, France was shaken, wounded, and marked by several legal cases that inspired both fictional and documentary series, all of which have been released in the past four years. This look back at the archives of French dramas on our screens reveals how television serves as a space for healing, understanding, and analysis.

Here are three cases recounted with talent, perspective, and reserve:

The Women and the Murderer

The documentary series recounts the search for Guy Georges, known as the “East Paris Killer”, by Anne Gautier, the mother of one of the victims, and Martine Monteil, the first woman to head the French crime squad.

Sambre

It took thirty years to apprehend Dino Scala, the “Rapist of the Sambre,” who spread terror throughout France and Belgium. The series presents the victims’ voices and the judicial system’s dysfunctions.

La Fraternité

Between 1994 and 1997, the cult of the Order of the Solar Temple, founded by Joseph ‘Jo’ Di Mambro and Luc Jouret, was responsible for the deaths of more than seventy people. Fraternité offers its former members a chance to tell their story.

Ryan Murphy’s obsession

The great guru of television series, Ryan Murphy, has a deep fascination for 1990s criminal cases. He endlessly revisits them in his two anthology series, American Crime Story and Monster, and is sometimes criticised for romanticising criminals and manipulating the viewer’s perspective, especially when he looks at the life of Jeffrey Dahmer. He also includes infamous killers in American Horror Story.We find Richard Speck in Murder House (season 1), Gwendolyn Graham and Cathy Wood in Roanoke (season 6), Richard Ramirez and John Wayne Gacy in Hotel (season 5), as well as Charles Manson and Jim Jones in Cult (season 7).

IN THE BOXES

François Vérove “Le Grêlé”

The documentary series that talks about it:

Insoupçonnable, France 2 (2024)

François Vérove, known as “Le Grêlé”, was one of France’s most elusive serial killers and rapists. The search for this former police officer from Gravelines, in northern France, who used to intimidate his victims by showing his police ID, spanned 35 years. He is suspected of at least five murders and several rapes committed on young girls, teenagers and adults between 1986 et 1994. He was identified by his DNA. After being summoned to take a DNA test, he committed suicide in 2021.

O. J. Simpson

The series that talk about it:

American Crime Story: The People v. O. J. Simpson, FX (2016)

O. J.: Made in America, ESPN (2016)

In 1994, O. J. Simpson, a former American football player, was accused of the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman. His defence team, led by Johnnie Cochran, accused the Los Angeles police of racism and tampering with evidence. This strategy was based on the long-standing and justified mistrust of law enforcement among the black community, further exacerbated by the 1992 Los Angeles riots following the Rodney King case. Despite damming evidence, Simpson was acquitted. In 2007, he was found guilty of armed robbery and kidnapping and sentenced to a 33-year prison term. He was released a decade later and died in 2024.

Bill Clinton & Monica Lewinsky

The series that talks about it:

American Crime Story: Impeachment, FX (2021)

Between 1995 and 1996, American President Bill Clinton had an affair with Monica Lewinsky, a White House intern. In 1998, their relationship was revealed, triggering a national scandal. Clinton initially denied the allegations but eventually confessed to infidelity under oath. This scandal led to impeachment proceedings, although the Senate later acquitted him.

The death of Lady Diana

The series that talks about it:

The Crown, Netflix (2016-2023)

Lady Diana Spencer married Prince Charles in 1981. The princess was adored for her commitment to humanitarian causes, particularly her campaign against landmines and her work to help people suffering from AIDS. The couple separated and later divorced in 1996. On 31 August 1997, Diana died in a horrific car crash in Paris. Her death has fuelled countless conspiracy theories and continues to be a subject of public interest.

POLITICAL EPISODES

Spine-chilling

Television series creators are continually drawn to the themes of past traumas, either in order to learn from these events or to exorcise their fears. The Cold War and its conclusion with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, followed by the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, are topics that continue to provide fodder for television series. Here are three shows to watch if you are looking for intellectual stimulation in front of your screen.

The Deutschland trilogy

The series follows Martin Rauch, a young East German soldier sent to spy on the West during the 1980s, and explores life under the GDR regime, the Cold War, and the German division, accompanied by a pop-infused soundtrack.

Kleo

After having worked for the Stasi, contract killer Kleo Straub is imprisoned in 1987 and miscarries the child she was carrying. Released two years later, after the fall of the Berlin Wall, she decides to seek vengeance and find those responsible for her incarceration in order to kill them.

The Man in the High Castle

An alternate history adapted from Philip K. Dick’s novel, set in a world in which the Axis Powers won World War II and Nazi Germany controls much of Europe and the United States. The series indirectly evokes the political and social realities of the 1950s and 60s, resonating with the theme of the division of Germany.

September 11, from reality to the screen

Just 23 days after the events of 11 September 2001, The West Wing aired a special episode featuring a discussion of the Islamic attacks between White House staff and visiting students.

In episode 8, season 3 of Friends, it was planned that Chandler would make a joke about bombs at the airport before leaving for his honeymoon with Monica. The scene was removed.

The shot of the World Trade Centre’s Twin Towers, reflected in Tony Soprano’s rear-view mirror in the opening credits of The Sopranos, was removed in season 4.

Five views of the 21st century

Whatever the period, television series are always linked to current events. Some contemporary shows offer brief insights into our current world, whether they draw inspiration from them, reimagine them in alternate history or dystopian worlds, or study them in mockumentaries.

These five contemporary series are proof of this:

Years and Years, a British fictional series that imagines the country’s future following its withdrawal from the European Union.

Succession, the power struggles of a family that manipulates the news and holds American politics in the palm of its hand.

Families like Ours, an ecological dystopia in which rising sea levels and evacuation threaten Denmark.

Veep, the daily life of a completely clueless, career-driven American Vice-President whose flaws may remind you of someone you know.

La Fièvre, the duel between two communication experts in a France where social media exacerbates divisions in identity.

Projection

Selected for this year’s Panorama International, A Life’s Worth immerses us in the heart of the Bosnian War that ripped the country apart in the 1990s. This French-Swedish series explores the unimaginable dilemma faced by peacekeepers sent to the region, forbidden from intervening in a conflict beyond their control.

FRENCH-STYLE TELEVISION

– sur grille

At the end of the 1980s, French television experienced great change: in 1986, the channel La Cinq arrived, followed by M6, then TF1 was privatised, while Canal+, which had been broadcasting since 1984, continued to take its inspiration from HBO. As everywhere else, teenagers became a target audience with shows such as Hélène et les Garçons and its rival Seconde B. While in the United States, more and more ensemble series were being written, in particular NYPD Blue or Law & Order, in France, solitary heroes, such as Julie Lescaut and Navarro, were chosen. With experiments like H, which ventured into pure sitcom, or Un gars, une fille, which embraced the short format, alongside more traditional summer sagas, France was preparing for what would become the television of the future: our television.

Behind the scenes of Seconde B

Two seasons following the seemingly mundane but profoundly transformative lives of a group of friends at the Lycée Rimbaud in suburban Paris, Seconde B tackles the problems of youth head-on, with candour: drugs, AIDS, unemployment, and delinquency. Nadia, Michael, Pauline, Kader, and Jimmy represent vibrant, multicultural adolescence, passionate but also anxious and angry, visible in every playground around the world, offering the audience an honest image of reality.

The shared universe of AB Productions

In AB Productions’ world, everything is connected! From Premiers Baisers to Salut les Musclés and Hélène et les Garçons, the family tree of this (very) large family is dizzying. Did you know that Annette did actually end up with Mr Girard? That Hélène and Nicolas had a child together? That Lola is Justine’s cousin? If all this fascinates you, we suggest you watch the TV film Famille Fou Rire, which brings together most of the AB family for a great New Year’s Eve celebration.

And incidentally, this shared universe almost exceeded the confines of the TF1 network since the role of housekeeper in Le Miel et les Abeilles, initially played by Annie Savarin, was offered to Marthe Villalonga, who played a similar character in… Maguy! In the end, Josy Lafont ended up playing the part.

AN INDUSTRY EXPERIENCING A (R)EVOLUTION

– sur grille

Thanks to significant technological progress and the gradual setting up of writing rooms for scriptwriting, the 1990s marked the turning point that would lead peak TV a few years later.

Created in the 1970s, HBO was initially a cable channel that broadcast films, sports events, and documentaries. It soon decided to enter the competitive world of television series. Taking advantage of its status as a private network, it offered scriptwriters great creative freedom, breaking down the barriers of censorship with shows like Dream On (1990), Oz (1997), and The Sopranos, bringing the decade to a close with flair and precision. The shows spoke of sex and violence, with the only limits being those set by the writers themselves, and the language became increasingly profane, with 26 “Fucks” in the 60-minute pilot of The Sopranos. There are believed to be 5,000 insults throughout the entire series. Above all, the plots became more complex, and the number of main characters skyrocketed: welcome to the era of ensemble casts.

On public networks, this wave of freedom proved to be inspiring. It helped improve and deepen procedural dramas, which up until then had followed a very strict format, focusing on resolving the week’s case, whether it be medical or legal. Police officers, doctors, and lawyers enjoyed more detailed story arcs and viewers gradually became attached to them.

Technological advancements

Slowly but surely, analogue cameras were replaced by lighter and more affordable digital cameras, better suited to the frantic pace of shooting television series (24 series a year on networks like ABC or NBC). At the same time, the post-production process was facilitated with the advent of software such as Avid, which began to replace traditional editing tables such as the iconic Moviola. The downside of this was that the large number of women that used to be found in editing rooms became increasingly scarce since they were not encouraged to learn the new technologies and computer skills. Fortunately, this trend has since been reversed.

It was also the period of the boom in digital special effects, which, although used mainly in cinema, helped drive the trend for genre television series.

Television screen formats also changed at the very end of the 1990s, switching from 4:3 (almost square format) to 16:9 (cinema format). Some series saw their format change from one season to the next, while others were reformatted years later, much to the frustration of directors who had initially chosen their shots according to the earlier format.

More police, fewer stereotypes

The 1990s marked a major shift in police series. In 1988, the reality TV show COPS was broadcast on Fox. In it, we followed officers at work, by day and by night, and it became an instant hit despite the stereotypes: the police officers who had the final cut were portrayed as heroes, while ethnic minorities were depicted as criminals.

In response, series began to challenge such stereotypes, in particular Homicide (based on the highly realistic journalistic work of David Simon) and New York Police Blues (inspired by the career of Bill Clark in the New York Police Department), where police officers were no longer infallible superheroes, but rather, sometimes lied, struggled with alcoholism, and, above all, failed.

Viewers had to accept that not every case in the series would necessarily be resolved and that the criminals would not always be caught, as in real life. Similarly, in Law & Order, the verdicts were not always satisfactory or reassuring.

A new relationship of trust was created between the series and its audiences, in which you had to accept the story told, even if it was painful.

The quest for profit

Unfortunately, the 1990s were not always synonymous with progress and bravery. The series Profit paid the price in 1996 when it was cancelled before it had even finished broadcasting! Reliant on its advertising revenue, Fox gave in to pressure from advertisers and viewers, who called the network day and night to complain about the series’ subversive content. The main character, Jim Profit, was even nicknamed “Satan in a suit”. Obscenely wealthy and traumatised by his past, he used to sleep naked in a box of waste installed in his lounge, regularly breaking the fourth wall and speaking directly to the audience, and sleeping with his step-mother, Bobby (she knew he was her step-son if that helps).

Long live DVDs!

Thanks to the technological advancements of the time and the creation of the DVD format in 1995, Profit became one of those series discovered later on and elevated to cult status. This phenomenon would benefit many series that had gone unnoticed at the time of their original release, including The Wire, which would experience a second lease of life after airing on HBO. It is difficult to imagine today, but before our lives were made easier by platforms and streaming, TV series boxed sets were all the rage in video rental shops, where people rushed to get their hands on the latest episodes.

SEEING DOUBLE !

– sur grille

The 1990s were the undisputed champions of crossovers, those magical moments when a character from one show makes a guest appearance in another! At a time without the Internet and social media, it was the perfect communication method to revive a series that was losing momentum or remind viewers of the scope of a channel’s catalogue. FOX, for example, combined The X-Files, Millennium, and, surprisingly, The Simpsons! Crossovers were also a way to generate a buzz in playgrounds and a water cooler effect, creating a genuine FOMO among viewers who would never miss another episode. What about you? What is the crossover of your dreams?

YOU’VE GOT THE LOOK!

– sur grille

Dressing in a ’90s style means daring to wear the boldest combinations of clothes while also remaining entirely at ease. And it is in TV series that the best ideas for retro-cool fashion can be found!

SAY IT WITH SERIES

– sur grille

Catchphrases have always formed part of our favourite characters’ dialogue, and those of the 1990s continue to be as cool as ever! From Joey Tribbiani’s “How you doin?” (with his signature lover’s grin) to Sam Beckett’s “Oh bravo” in the French version of Quantum Leap, these cult expressions have exceeded the boundaries of the screen to become part of our everyday vocabulary, the ultimate identifying sign for TV show fans. In series, not only do they create a comic effect, they also reinforce the ritualistic, even addictive, nature of episodes.

Here’s a short best-of for you. Remember to add your own favourites!

P.S. By the way, were Ross and Rachel on a break or not?

CULT MOMENTS

They made us laugh, cry, and seethe with anger; they sometimes even changed our lives, helped us make tough decisions or gave us the strength to face them head-on: here are our favourite scenes from 1990s’ series.

ON THE COVER

In the 1990s, long before the advent of influencers, the press played a crucial role in creating celebrities and ensuring their success. Being on the cover of a magazine marked a turning point in a career, and the competition was fierce.

Thanks to Series Mania, you can “make the cover” today after a quick trip to the make-up studio.

Smile, you’re a star!

MAKE IT ICONIC CONTEST!

Strike a pose for a 90s-style magazine cover!

HOW TO PARTICIPATE?

1️. Pay a visit to our stand and let the magic happen.
2️. Receive your photo by email.
3️. Share it on Instagram with #SeriesMania90. The three winners drawn at random will win a tote bag and Series Mania goodies!

The competition ends on Friday 28 March at 4 pm!

It’s your time to shine.

LET’S ROCK !

Our red room is much less dangerous than the one invented by David Lynch in Twin Peaks. Here, you won’t start backwards speaking, and Laura Palmer won’t whisper horrors in your ear. You can immortalise this moment in complete safety!

THE FINAL APPLAUSE … OF THE YEAR !

Following the grand tradition of yearbooks, the portrait-filled catalogues published at the end of the year by American high schools, we have created our own! The entire team at Series Mania and the Forever 90s exhibition has shared the sometimes painful memories of their own style between 1989 and 2001, with photos that perhaps would have been better kept secret.

Salle de classe

SECRET LOCKERS

Students from your favourite series have entrusted us with their school lockers, each of which holds their own personal secrets. We’ve unlocked some of them; try to open them!

Series Mania thanks the Piktura school students for their original visual creations.

FRANCE IN SERIES

How do French series map the country? Where did your favourite characters live? Follow the threads!

(NOT SUCH) AN AWKWARD AGE

A mundane scene from the late 20th century in the Western world: parents are at work, and teenagers find themselves home alone after school. TV shows were a combination of a babysitter and a life coach. Late afternoons were spent watching The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Seconde B, or Parker Lewis Can’t Lose, whose stories meant something in the lives of their audience. They talked about love, sex, bullying, alcohol, the fear of the future, music, fashion, everything that made up the everyday life of these rapidly changing young adults. They were central and indispensable.

The memory of Dawson Leery’s house (Dawson’s Creek)

“In the summer of 2019, I travelled from Memphis to Nashville and the East Coast and passed through Wilmington, where Dawson’s Creek was filmed. With some friends, we looked for Dawson Leery’s house (James Van Der Beek), which is tucked away at the end of a path. We saw two people talking, and I went over to introduce myself. It turned out that one of them was the owner of the house, and, at the time, he was managing an Instagram account with portraits and videos of fans from all over the world. He told me that following a hurricane, he’d had to rebuild the upstairs shutters and was offering original slats from Dawson’s bedroom to visitors. We often see this bedroom and these shutters in the show, especially when Joey Potter (Katie Holmes) looks in at Dawson through the window. I still have those two slats at home!”

Did you know?

Thanks to (or because of) Beverly Hills 90210, the name Brandon became hugely popular in the 1990s, at the same time as the series’ broadcast. Between 1992 and 1994, it was even the 5th most popular name in the United States!

Rumour has it that Mark-Paul Gosselaar, aka Zack in Saved by the Bell, dated all three of his female co-stars: first Elizabeth Berkley (Jessie), then Lark Voorhies (Lisa), and finally Tiffani-Amber Thiessen (Kelly). Just imagine how awkward it must have been on set.

Rickie Vasquez, portrayed by Wilson Cruz in My So-Called Life, was the first openly gay teenage character on American television.

In episode 18, season 6 of The X-Files, a tombstone bearing the names Diana and Nicholas Salinger can be seen. This is a nod to the parents who died in a car crash involving Charlie, Bailey, Julia, Claudia and Owen Salinger, characters in Party of Five, which was also broadcast on FOX.

That ‘70s Show loves music! The tracks of all the episodes in season 5 come from Led Zeppelin songs, season 6 pays tribute to The Who, season 7 to The Rolling Stones, and season 8 to Queen.

Quincy Jones, also a producer of the show, played the taxi driver in the opening credits of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

In contradiction to the usual pressures placed on actresses to be thin, Paul Feig and Judd Apatow advised Linda Cardellini and Busy Philipps not to lose weight for the filming of Freaks and Geeks so that their characters would be realistic.

Two things happened during season 2 of Felicity: Actress Keri Russell had her hair cut, and the WB rescheduled the show to Sunday nights. The ratings plummeted. Guess who the network blamed.

Hélène et les Garçons was adapted for the United States, with Lynda Lacoste playing Hélène and Rochelle Redfield taking on the role of Johanna. The scripts were the French versions translated into English. Helen and the Boys never found a broadcaster.

Garage et jardin

THE EARLY YEARS OF THE WEB

In 1990, just 1% of the world’s population was online! Three years later, the first webcam streamed a coffee pot from the computer lab at Cambridge University in England. In 1996, 20-year-old Jennifer Ringley decided to share her life online. JenniCam obtained up to 7 million connections. By the end of the 1990s, more than 280 million people were using the internet.

Online love

TV shows quickly embraced the progress of the Internet, particularly the creation of dating sites! In 1996, Chandler, the geek in Friends, was already trying it out (S02E24 – spoiler: it’s Janice), followed by Willow, who meets a certain “Malcolm” online in Buffy (S01E08 – spoiler: he isn’t a catch). In The X-Files, the French version gets slightly confused with technology when Scully declares she will “call the online service” (S03E06) in a murder investigation linked to encounters via chat.

Passionate, Connected

The internet was a godsend for TV series fans who, at last, could share their interests, emotions, and theories on the (very first) forums. Dedicated personal pages, fan fiction, and many more or less professional directories began to emerge, including the now indispensable IMDb (Internet Movie Database), launched in October 1990. Much later came the first illegal downloading sites, which, of course, we do not recommend.

QUARTER HOUR OF GLORY

In 1992, MTV launched The Real World, an intelligent reality TV show where strangers live together while working. In it, for the first time, uncensored conversations on sensitive topics such as racism, homosexuality, and AIDS were heard. Four years later, the advent of digital camcorders sparked the boom in UGC (user-generated content), with videos filmed by unknowns hoping to break into television.

THE SATURDAY TRILOGY

In October 1995, M6 gave fantasy series a chance by broadcasting two episodes of The X-Files, followed by Tales from the Crypt.The concept evolved until, one December evening in 1997, it became La Trilogie du Samedi, inspired by NBC’s Thrillogy. French teenagers were introduced to The Pretender, Dark Skies, Profiler, and later Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed, and other dark and thrilling treasures. This new Saturday evening event soon became a must for an entire generation.

FAN MAIL

We look forward to receiving your news, whether it is a card, a pen, or words of love or protest! Mail is collected daily and will be read with great attention. The best cards will be posted on our Instagram account!

Please include your @ in the letter if you want to be identified.

THE SOUNDTRACK OF A LIFETIME

Music is a key element of the DNA of an era. It talks about society, nurtures it, and shakes it up. It gives rhythm to parties, car rides, and breakups and transcends emotions. It also serves as a unifying force, a pillar of community. In the 1990s, you were grunge or a fan of hip-hop, you wore English-style polo shirts or sported the iconic pigtails of girl bands. Television series accompanied this passionate love affair with their carefully selected soundtracks.

At Series Mania, we fill your days with vintage playlists meticulously crafted for your pleasure! Each day of the festival, discover a musical style from the nineties: from rock to pop, French popular music to dance, the choice is yours. Sometimes, the raw energy of Nirvana helps you unwind; at other times, the soothing voice of Céline Dion sets you in motion.

Selection

We like the “So 90s” soundtrack:

Yellowjackets for grunge

My Mad Fat Diary for Brit-pop

Ted Lasso for high-quality pop

The Get Down for hip-hop

Tapie for French music

LEGO WORKSHOP

This diorama was produced by members of the FreeLUG association. It portrays an urban landscape inspired by Springfield, the fictional town in The Simpsons, and contains countless references to 1990s TV series.

The FreeLUG association invites you to participate in the creation of four mosaic frescoes, from 10 am to 8 pm on Saturday and Sunday, and from 2 pm to 8 pm on Wednesday. Participating in the production of frescoes of The Simpsons, Twin Peaks, South Park, and The X-Files for the chance to win a LEGO® box.

THE FURTURE ACCORDING TO THE SIMPSONS

Are the writers of The Simpsons visionaries, or are we simply living in an episode of the show? We’ll let you decide when you see how often they predicted the future, even from the very first episodes! These ten examples are proof.

SIGNAGE

THESE VHS ARE AT YOUR DISPOSAL!

Have you never seen one before? It’s really easy: insert the cassette gently into the VCR and then press PLAY. If it’s the end of the tape, press REWIND because, YES, we had to rewind everything ourselves at the time.

THESE 1990s VIDEO GAMES ARE AT YOUR DISPOSAL!

Be patient with the aesthetics and gameplay. Remember, it was over 30 years ago, and it was all we had to help us unwind on a Saturday night… If you lose, don’t take it out on the person next to you or the controller: everything is fragile!

Sitcom

AND ACTION !

This film set, inspired by major American sitcoms, is at your disposal if you want to re-enact unforgettable scenes from Friends, Seinfeld, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and our personal favourite, The Nanny.Occupy the space, browse the scripts on the coffee table, find your rhythm, and get going!

A tripod is provided so you can set up your phone and film yourself, but we’ve also booked a film crew to guide you through your first steps as actors and actresses: check the schedule!

If you want to be filmed, meet the Cliffhanger association on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at the following times: from 10.15 am to 11.45 am, 12.00 pm to 1.30 pm, 2.45 pm to 3.45 pm, and 4.00 pm to 5.00 pm.

COMPETITION: AND ACTION!

Friends, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Seinfeld, The Nanny… Do you know these series inside out?

Prove it by recreating a legendary scene from one of these cult 1990s shows, and you could win some great prizes!

HOW TO PARTICIPATE?

1️. Choose your favourite scene and film your best video.
2️. Post it on TikTok with #SeriesMania90.
3️. The 3 TikToks with the most likes will win two fast-track entries to the grand Series Mania Prom (on Friday, right here) + 2 drinks per person + loads of Series Mania goodies!

The competition ends on Friday 28 March at 4 pm!

Find the videos on TikTok with #SeriesMania90 as well as all the Festival’s content with #seriesmania.

SIGNAGE

THESE SCRIPTS ARE AT YOUR DISPOSAL!

Re-enact five iconic sitcom scenes (with a double dose of Friends) on our set! Have a look before you get going; they are all here!

DO YOU HAVE A PLAN?

Artist Iñaki Aliste Lizarralde has been creating apartment floor plans from films and series for so long that he can tell you from memory the dimensions of the living room of Friends or the list of furniture from The Golden Girls. Take time to discover his work!

Can you present yourself?

I’m in my fifties and live in Azpeitia, a small town in the Spanish Basque Country. I’m an interior designer. During my career, I’ve designed homes and kitchens, sold furniture, and worked on projects for commercial spaces.

When and how did you start drawing apartment plans for TV series?

About ten years ago, I drew the plan for Frasier’s apartment for fun because I enjoyed the series. Years later, a friend who was a fan of Sex and the City asked me to draw Carrie Bradshaw’s apartment, then the apartments of the characters of Friends, and so on.

At the time, I was unemployed, and the project helped me get through this period of depression. I started publishing my creations, which were well-received! People started placing orders for them. What began as a hobby has become a way of life.

What’s your work process?

I watch the whole series and do some research. In sitcoms, the main set, usually the living room, appears in every episode. However, secondary sets, such as bedrooms and bathrooms, are often mobile, making my work more difficult! In series like Sex and the City, which is shot like a film, the sets are more closed, logical, and coherent.

I always create three plans. The first one is a rough draft with notes to establish the layout.
The second serves to adjust the proportions and place the furniture. For the third and last one, I look at the shades of wood, the colours of the materials, and so on. It takes me about 30 to 40 hours to produce a plan from start to finish.

My plans are drawn entirely by hand, without any architecture or interior design software. I use heavyweight paper, ink, markers, and coloured pencils. I prioritise the artistic side over the technical side to convey the personality of the homes with the warmth and imperfection of a drawing.

What are your favourite projects?

I’ve always enjoyed producing sitcom plans and trying to turn these almost theatrical sets into real homes. Sadly, the golden age of sitcoms is over. Now, I have to look for inspiration in other types of series. I look for interesting, iconic, or recognisable spaces, such as the purple walls in Monica and Rachel’s apartment!

What are your favourite series?

I’m slightly old-school; I love Northern Exposure, Six Feet Under, Upstairs / Downstairs, Twin Peaks, Fraggle Rock…To be honest, I’m more of a film lover than a TV series fan.

LOL

Sound engineer Charles Douglass invented the laff box in the 1950s to boost the audience’s reactions when they were insufficient, at a time when sitcoms were filmed in front of a live audience. For example, it was used in I Love Lucy.

Resembling a large typewriter on wheels, the laff box had a keyboard for selecting, mixing, and playing 320 recordings of laughter and applause recorded on cassettes. Foot pedals were used to control duration and volume. Charles Douglass always kept it under lock and key, and only his family had access to it.

YOUR IN-LAWS!

Sitcoms taught us that family, whether blood relations or those of the heart, is an essential part of our lives. Create your ideal group of friends with these cool and colourful characters! And if you share the result online, remember to tag your auntie @seriesmania.

FRIENDS FOR LIFE

Created in 1994 by Marta Kauffman and David Crane, Friends redefined stories of friendship on television and renewed the house-sharing trend in the 1990s. For ten seasons, viewers followed the adventures of Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Ross, Chandler, and Joey, identifying with the obsessive-compulsive disorders of one or the seductive powers of the other (we won’t mention any names). To celebrate the sitcom that always makes us smile when things are not going right, we have brought Central Perk to Lille just for you!

Thank you to Max, without whom we would not have been able to take a seat on this mythical couch. You’re our lobster.