‘Bright Minds’ Season 7 Shoots in Tokyo in First Franco-Japanese Co-Production

Season 7 of the French crime series “Bright Minds” has filmed part of its episodes in Tokyo — a first for the show and, according to producer Jean-Sébastien Bouilloux, a first for any recurring French series. JLA Productions and Japan's NHK Enterprises co-produced the two Tokyo-shot episodes, with Paris-based France TV Distribution acting as the deal's matchmaker.

The numbers behind the move are straightforward. “Bright Minds,” known in France as “Astrid et Raphaëlle,” has sold to more than 130 countries. In 2025 it drew 24 million video views on france.tv, making it the platform's most-watched scripted series excluding daytime. In Japan, Season 6 premiered in February 2026 on Mystery Channel and scored the series' highest-ever ratings on J:COM, Japan's largest cable operator.

So the Tokyo shoot isn't a stunt. It's a market responding to demand.

What is the show, exactly?

“Astrid et Raphaëlle” follows Astrid (Sara Mortensen), a neurodivergent police records archivist with an extraordinary memory, who helps impulsive inspector Raphaëlle (Lola Dewaere) solve complex crimes. Alexandre de Seguins and Laurent Burtin created it; Jérôme Alméras and Amandine Bonnin direct. JLA Productions makes it for France Télévisions.

Its success has already spawned two remakes: Channel 4's British hit “Patience” and the Spanish series “Ágata and Lola.”

How did Japan fall for it?

Slowly, then completely. Season 1 landed in Japan in 2021 on cable and satellite outlet Mystery Channel (then AXN Mystery), then moved to public broadcaster NHK from 2022. All six seasons have aired on both channels. Catch-up streaming has outperformed most other programs, per France TV Distribution, and DVD sales have stayed steady.

The enthusiasm has a physical dimension. When the cast visited Japan in March 2025, Mystery Channel ran an event for 270 fans selected from applicants nationwide. France TV Distribution had organized a full promotional tour that year — press conferences and fan meetings included.

That's the context for Bouilloux's understated framing: “For several years, we had dreamed of filming episodes of ‘Bright Minds’ in Tokyo. Thanks to France Télévisions, France TV Distribution and NHK Enterprises Inc., that dream became a reality for Season 7.”

What happens in Season 7?

The Tokyo episodes sit inside a season that spans survivalism, ancient Egypt, Hindu communities and houseboat murders, with investigations running between Paris and Tokyo. The personal stakes are heavier this time:

• The police records department faces closure, threatening Astrid's one and only refuge.
• Raphaëlle is recovering from long rehabilitation and struggles with lost mobility that blunts her investigative energy.
• Both pressures force the pair to reinvent their relationship — with their friendship potentially at risk.

Bouilloux called Season 7 and the Japan shoot “a real turning point in the life of the series,” and said he was confident the episodes would “both surprise and delight audiences in both countries.”

“This is the first time ‘Bright Minds’ has gone abroad,” he added. “It is also the first recurring French series to do so, and I am very proud that it happened in Japan, a country with which the series has had many connections since its creation.”

What does this change for French drama exports?

The mechanism matters more than the milestone. France TV Distribution didn't just license the show; it brokered a co-production between a French indie producer and Japan's public broadcaster's commercial arm. Julia Schulte, head of international sales at France TV Distribution, framed it as a template: “We are delighted to have set up the first co-production between our companies, and we hope it will be the first of many more to come.”

The Japanese side signals cultural care as the selling point. “From the very beginning, I was struck by the team's sincere desire to embrace Japanese culture with authenticity and respect,” said Koji Sakabe of NHK Enterprises. “That spirit made this collaboration truly meaningful.”

Bouilloux described the shoot itself as “a wonderful adventure,” highlighting “the collaboration between the French and Japanese crews, and above all an incredible source of creativity and fruitful exchanges,” with the JLA and France TV Distribution teams working “hand in hand throughout the entire production process.”

Alongside Mortensen and Dewaere, the cast includes Benoît Michel, Sophia Yamna, Jean-Louis Garçon, Husky Kihal, Jean-Benoît Souilh, Kengo Saïto and Charlotte Gaccio.

If the Tokyo episodes land with audiences in both countries, expect more European series to treat Japan not just as a sales territory but as a production partner.