TOUTOUYOUTOU: Season One – Review

By Mark Glass | August 19, 2024

“Toutouyoutou” (pronounced “Two-Two-You-Two) is a comedy series set in a middle-class French suburb in the 1980s. The main women are either married or divorced. All the men work for a pioneering aeronautics company, focused on keeping up with, if not outpacing, the Americans, Russians and Brits in technological development. Everyone is getting along comfortably until a wild card is introduced. Jane (Alexia Barlier), a super attractive, outgoing Yank comes to town, introducing aerobics to the area just as it’s starting to gain popularity elsewhere. Despite her outward friendliness, suspicion starts to grow that her motives may not be as innocent as they seem. The one to have the most nagging doubts is Karine (Claire Dumas), who emerges as the main protagonist.

All the men find Jane alluring. The women want to be like her, sign up for her classes and start forming friendships. Karine’s reservations are dismissed… for a while. Is she just jealous of Jane’s gravitational pull, or onto something? We soon find out the latter is the case. Jane is there for espionage, though it’s not clear whether it’s industrial or governmental, and what master she’s serving.

For 10 half-hour episodes the plot unfolds with light character comedy, a solid dose of suspense, a whiff of danger and a pinch of violence. It’s not nearly as sexy or edgy as shows like our “Desperate Housewives”, but Barlier and company provide plenty of PG-13ish eye candy in their colorful spandex and leg warmers. The outfits and exercises are true to the legacy Jane Fonda was establishing back then. And just as enjoyable to watch. The sets are idyllically homey, and the cast delivers in fine style.   

I opened this review with Season One and question marks for a reason. It aired in 2022. I don’t know if there’s a second season in the works, but it’s certainly not too late for one to follow. The story ends with a satisfying degree of resolution, but on a final note teasing ambiguity for more to come. I’d be quite pleased if it does. If nothing else, maybe they’ll explain what the heck this weird title means.   

 3 stars out of 4

“Toutouyoutou”, mostly in French, with subtitles, streams on MHzChoice on August 20, 2024.

Stars Claire Dumas (Platonique), Alexia Barlier (The Art of Crime, The Forest), Sophie Cattani (Visions), Apollonia Luisetti (Girlsquad), Souad Arsane (Sages-fémmes)

Writers: Benjamin Adam, Géraldine de Margerie (Louis XXVIII), Maxime Donzel (Louis XXVIII), Julien Patry (Un entretien)

Director: Julien Patry (Un entretien)