Monsieur Spade’s risky premise was its secret weapon

Monsieur Spade has received a recent boost in popularity, proving that the show’s risky premise was its secret weapon. Although the series was a critical success after its release on AMC, the Netflix release of Monsieur Spade has put the show in front of even more eyes, with it standing out among the many AMC shows that have been added to Netflix. However, many fans do not realize how risky Monsieur Spade was.

Starring Clive Owen as the titular Sam Spade, Monsieur Spade is AMC’s continuation of one of the most iconic detective stories of all time, With it is a legacy sequel to the 1941 classic The Maltese Falcon. In the series, Owen takes over for Humphrey Bogart as the detective, who now has to solve a whole new mystery that is connected to some of the characters from the original film. Monsieur Spade Takes place two decades earlier The Maltese FalconBut even that’s not the most risque part of the AMC series.

Monsieur Spade took a big risk with his premise, but it paid off

The change of setting was a major gamble

In many other Sam Spade stories, Spade is a prominent detective, with many interesting characters visiting his office in San Francisco to enlist his services as a private eye. however, Monsieur Spade Gore approached Spade from his famous California home, with the events of the series relocated to France. Spade moved to France sometime between the events of The Maltese Falcon And Monsieur SpadeSet the stage for the events of the series.

The Maltese Falcon Is one of the most famous stories in the noir genre, with its California setting is a staple of these types of stories. Although some noir stories do not take place in California, even the exceptions tend to take place in massive crime-ridden concrete jungles in other parts of the United States. The Bozouls region of southern France Contains almost none of the characteristics that would typically be associated with noir, but the change of setting is actually what makes Monsieur Spade Great.

Monsieur Spade puts a refreshing twist on an old genre

It refreshes the typical noir staples

Sam Spade’s relocation to France may have hurt the series, but the change of setting actually put a refreshing twist on the noir genre. Since So many noir movies take place in California citiesLeaving this could allow for a new story. Monsieur Spade Takes it one step further by leaving out the United States entirely, making for an even more unique story.

On top of that, having Spade be older and less famous allows for a more interesting character arc, with him being a completely different person than he was in The Maltese Falcon. Despite being a sequel to the legendary film, Monsieur Spade It is not afraid to make some changes, and that is why it is so good.