An Atypical Delight: 'Astrid' is a Shining Star on PBS Passport

Walter Presents, the Channel 4 anthology series from the U.K. that debuted on PBS Passport just months before the pandemic, isn’t marketed that heavily to Americans as part of their membership. However, there have been a few breakout hits, including the French police procedural Astrid (originally Astrid et Raphaëlle), a compelling female-led series offering a well-drawn autistic character as one of its two leads. The show is as invested in the partnership between the two leads as in telling a great murder mystery. The investigations in each episode are packed with gripping plots and interesting twists which keep the audience riveted.

The French series centers on clever and brilliant Astrid Nielsen (Sara Mortensen), a woman on the spectrum, who works in the police records department and is drawn into an active investigation by the messy but well-meaning detective Raphaëlle Coste (Lola Dewaere). The two develop a partnership in solving cases together, with Astrid continually discovering key details or connecting incidents the police investigators miss.

The series introduces Coste in the series’ premiere as a bit of a wild card whose boss assigns her a seemingly ho-hum suicide case, with a clear message that it’s punishment for her previous reckless behavior. However, when asked to pull the file, Astrid also supplies Coste with a past case of a suspicious death with similar circumstances. Astrid’s initiative and conclusions impress Coste, who brings her on as a consultant. Astrid’s data leads them to investigate both deaths as homicides. By the second episode, her incredible talent for remembering every case record she has ever read or filed makes her an invaluable asset to Coste and the police.