Monsieur Spade review: Clive Owen's witty and wildly entertaining prestige TV show

Legendary gumshoe Sam Spade lives on through Clive Owen in the new limited series Monsieur Spade, coming January 14 to AMC, AMC Plus and Acorn TV. Monsieur Spade is prestige television at its finest, as it brings the early 1960s to life in the south of France with one of modern literature's most memorable characters. 

Monsieur Spade is a visual delight, full of nods to the source material, 1934's The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett. It's utterly charming and brilliantly witty, with a fast-paced story that moves quickly without sacrificing the delicious details that make this series so special. 

I had a chance to watch the six-episode limited series ahead of the premiere. The story follows Sam Spade as he ends up in Bozouls, France. What was supposed to be a brief trip turns into the famed detective's retirement. His quiet life is interrupted by the brutal murder of six nuns at the local convent and the return of an enemy he never thought he'd see again. 

Clive Owen is utterly magnificent in his portrayal of Sam Spade. Owen leans heavily into the character, delivering every line with a straight face and scorching wit. He plays a masterful game of accent gymnastics, alternating between an American accent of the era to an American speaking bad French and ultimately to an American speaking decent French. 

Spade quickly establishes his presence in Bozouls as he works to deliver his young charge, Teresa (Cara Bossom), to her family. He meets Chief of Police Patrice Michaud (Denis Ménochet) and a mysterious woman who captures his attention and, eventually, his heart. The supporting cast of characters is phenomenally and fully dimensional; each of the characters has plenty of space to tell their own stories so that Sam Spade's investigation becomes all the more interesting — and complicated. 

Co-creators, writers and executive producers Scott Frank (The Queen's Gambit) and Tom Fontana (Oz) give their talented cast plenty to work with. You can see that they've really invested the time in understanding how to bring this older, perhaps wiser and definitely more world-weary version of Sam Spade to life. The dialogue is crisp and sharp, whether it's in English or in French. While the series is mostly in English, there is quite a bit of French spoken but the subtitles aren't distracting, and watching Owen's Spade struggle with his limited French is a lot of fun.

It's impossible to watch Monsieur Spade and not be swept away by the stunning visuals. 1960s France comes to life in spectacular detail, but in a way that seems utterly effortless; if you didn't know better, you might think the series was filmed in 1963 and not 2023. 

Funnily enough, AMC is now home to two series set in France featuring iconic characters who must deal with language barriers, caring for young people and the shocking death of nuns at the local convent. But when they feature the same combination of bilingual dialogue, amazing locations and landscapes, and are incredibly entertaining, we can forgive the coincidental overlap between Monsieur Spade and The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon.

Whether you're a Sam Spade fan or not, Monsieur Spade has something for everyone to enjoy in this brilliant series that's sure to be an awards show darling.

Monsieur Spade premieres Sunday, January 14, at 9 pm ET/PT on AMC, and is available to stream on AMC Plus and Acorn TV. Watch the trailer directly below.