Television series

Dix pour cent

Name: Dix pour cent
Genre: Comedy
Released: 2015
Cast: Fanny Sidney, Camille Cottin, Thibault de Montalembert, Stéfi Celma, Grégory Montel

Satire

Dix pour cent (aka Call My Agent!) follows four agents at a Parisian talent firm scrambling to keep clients happy and deals alive after their boss's sudden death. Real French film stars play riotous, self-mocking versions of themselves in each episode. It's fast, witty workplace comedy with real emotional stakes — perfect for anyone who loves backstage chaos and people who are hopeless at life but brilliant at their jobs.

TVMaze rating

4.1

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy workplace comedies where the humour comes from sharp, fast talk and the ego-bruising politics of an industry that runs on favours, and you like watching professionals bluff their way through a bad afternoon.

Skip it if you want warmth and a clear emotional arc, since the characters are often brittle and the frantic phone-call rhythm can feel like being shouted at across a crowded office.

What it asks of you: Each episode runs about fifty minutes and the dialogue arrives quickly, so you need to keep up with rapid exchanges, sub-titles aside, across four seasons of twenty-four episodes.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Entourage2004

The American cousin: a fast, funny, fame-obsessed hangout show about an agent hustling for his movie-star client, packed with real celebrity cameos and just as addicted to the absurdity of the industry.

But It's louder, cruder, and far more interested in wealth and ego than in the emotional messiness Dix pour cent actually cares about.

Episodes2011

British writers get chewed up by a preposterous LA network in this sharp two-hander, skewering the collision of creative integrity and commercial nonsense — with Matt LeBlanc gleefully playing a monstrous version of himself.

But Fewer characters, tighter focus — you lose the big ensemble energy and roving cast of clients that makes Dix pour cent feel so alive.

Extras2005

Ricky Gervais's follow-up to The Office puts real A-listers in gloriously humiliating cameo roles, mining the same rich vein of stars sending themselves up that makes the guest spots here so delicious.

But Cringier and more mean-spirited — the humour leans on humiliation rather than the affection Dix pour cent has for its characters.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Dix pour cent

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

BoJack Horseman2014

Princess Carolyn is literally the agent Camille or Andréa could have been in a bleaker universe — same clients-before-self exhaustion and industry absurdity, but the format is cartoon animals and the emotional register goes somewhere this show never dares.

An animated tragicomedy where Princess Carolyn, a cat, is one of Hollywood's most overworked, underappreciated talent managers — juggling narcissistic clients and her own life falling apart, with wit as sharp as Dix pour cent's and a sadness it never lets itself feel.

But It's an animated existential drama about depression and addiction dressed as comedy — a much heavier, weirder watch than a Tuesday-night ensemble farce.

The Other Two2019

A sly, very funny modern satire about two adult siblings adrift as their little brother becomes a pop star, skewering management and publicity's absurd machinery with the same fond exasperation.

But American and much younger in setting — you trade the seasoned agency-world texture for a scrappier, more chaotic family comedy.

Slings & Arrows2003

A Canadian gem about a chaotic Shakespeare festival, this nails backstage industry politics, ego and craft with the same blend of comedy and real feeling for people who live for their work.

But Only three short seasons, theatre rather than film, and a slower, more melancholic rhythm than the breathless pace here.

Younger2015

Publishing instead of talent representation, but the same charming mix of workplace comedy, office politics and characters you end up rooting for despite their terrible decisions.

But Glossier and more romance-plot-driven — the industry satire is softer and less the point than it is here.

The Comeback2005

Lisa Kudrow's cult mockumentary about a fading sitcom star clinging to relevance is a masterclass in the humiliations of the entertainment machine, with a queasy, brilliant tension between comedy and real pain.

But Much darker and more uncomfortable to watch — this is satire with teeth, not the warm ensemble comfort of Dix pour cent.

Hacks2021

A veteran Vegas comedian and her reluctant young writer circle each other in an industry comedy that's as sharp about ambition and ego as it is genuinely moving.

But Two-hander rather than ensemble, and American stand-up rather than French cinema — a different rhythm and a narrower cast of characters.

Curb Your Enthusiasm2000

Larry David playing a nightmare version of himself among real celebrities cameoing as themselves is the spiritual ancestor of the guest-star gimmick here, just filtered through pure comic disaster.

But No real workplace or industry structure — it's looser, meaner, and entirely uninterested in anyone's actual career.

Sweet Smell of Success1957

Same engine — a fixer navigating egos, favours and reputations to keep the machine running — but sixty years earlier, shot as shadowy noir instead of breezy sitcom, showing how dark the job looks without the jokes.

A vicious, gorgeous black-and-white noir about a Broadway press agent scheming his way through New York's entertainment machine — proof the moral compromises of managing someone else's fame are as old as showbiz itself.

But No comedy to soften it — this is bleak, cynical, and entirely without the warmth Dix pour cent extends to even its worst behaviour.

The Player1992

Same insider's eye for industry absurdity and the same trick of real stars playing exaggerated versions of themselves, but Altman swaps sitcom warmth for a murder plot — comedy's engine dressed as a thriller.

Robert Altman's woozy Hollywood satire follows a studio executive fielding pitches and paranoia amid a murder mystery, stuffed with real actors playing themselves in a way that makes the stunt casting here look positively modest.

But It's a genuine thriller with a body count — the industry satire comes wrapped in noir plotting, not the low-stakes workplace comedy you're used to.