First Look at M6’s New Series ‘Nouveau Jour’ – We Loved It!

Last April, while on location in Montpellier and its vicinity for the series’ filming, we viewed the first episode of M6’s inaugural daily soap on Monday, June 2, during a press briefing. Following in the footsteps of shows like “More Beautiful Life”, “Tomorrow is Ours”, “Here Everything Begins”, and “Such a Big Sun”, M6, once dubbed “the little network that could”, is poised to carve out a niche in the daily serial drama landscape with “New Day”.

“New Day,” A Fresh Challenge for M6

One thing is certain after watching the premiere: viewers who are fans of family drama, betrayal, lies, mystery, and twists will feel right at home. Although it’s a new challenge for M6, it’s a safe bet that they will meet it with flying colors, as all the essential elements of a gripping soap opera are present.

“New Day” features the Bartoli family, who own a beautiful 4-star hotel. After the patriarch, Lucien, goes missing at sea, his eldest daughter, Louise, takes over the reins of the estate. The arrival of her niece, Théa, with whom she had lost contact, completely reshuffles the deck within a family already brimming with secrets and tensions. To add to their troubles, a mysterious “black crow” begins targeting the Bartolis, posing a serious threat to their safety.

The cast includes familiar faces such as Héléna Noguerra (Louise), Bruno Solo, Laëtitia Milot, Alexandre Varga, alongside Vincent Desagnat and Jean-Baptiste Maunier. New talent enriches this lineup, including Marion Aymé in the role of Théa, who proves to be a true breakout star.

Promising and Rich Beginnings

To say the soap starts off with a bang is an understatement; it features a flashforward with Laëtitia Milot, hands covered in blood, next to a lifeless body (whose identity and the circumstances of death are unknown), reassuring Théa that there was nothing she could do to save the deceased.

Following the opening credits, written, composed, and performed by singer Hoshi (available on all platforms from June 13), the story then rewinds to four months earlier with Théa’s return to her hometown, where she reunites with her family and boyfriend. A graduate in hotel and restaurant management with experience in Paris’s grand palaces, she is immediately portrayed as a stubborn, determined, and resourceful young woman.

Théa’s arrival shakes things up for the Bartolis, who are already preoccupied with Louise’s upcoming wedding to her partner, and the looming threat of the “black crow” that disrupts the ceremony in a dramatic fashion at the episode’s end.

A Beloved Style of Soap Opera

In just about twenty minutes, “New Day” delivers a mysterious death, a wedding ceremony turned nightmare, tense family reunions, a menacing “black crow”, and a cliffhanger that will undoubtedly leave you eager to see more. All this is set against a thrilling, comedic, and dramatic backdrop at the magnificent Capion estate in Occitanie, which doubles as the Bartoli hotel.

Creators Mohamed Benyekhlef and Mari Mouazan, who previously collaborated on “Here Everything Begins”, are no strangers to the genre. On set, they expressed their enthusiasm for the artistic freedom the network allowed them, drawing inspiration from shows like “Melrose Place” and “Dynasty”.

By the end of the viewing, “New Day” feels like a breath of fresh air in the daily series genre and could easily find its place. It remains to be seen if the audience will tune in to this soap, the broadcast date of which M6 has yet to announce.