‘Frenchie Shore’ Sparks Criticism From Country’s Culture Minister for Being Too Sexually Explicit: ‘Borderline Porno’
“Frenchie Shore,” the local adaptation of the popular American reality show “Jersey Shore,” rivaled Ridley Scott’s historical epic “Napoleon” as November’s most polarizing entertainment topic in France.
Since launching on Paramount+ and MTV France on Nov. 11, the reality show has inundated social media, especially TikTok where users have been posting sexually explicit, yet blurred, clips from the show illegally. It currently tops the chart of the most watched programs on Paramount+ in France, where a new episode drops every Saturday at 11 p.m.
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A faithful adaptation of “Jersey Shore,” “Frenchie Shore” follows the lives of 10 housemates at a vacation home in a villa in Southern France, where they party and hook up. It was described as “borderline porno” and “the trashiest reality show ever produced in France” by French minister of culture Rima Abdul Malak in a wide-ranging interview with the newspaper Le Parisien published on Nov. 20.
Along with triggering a tsunami of articles in newspapers and magazines, the show has also been mocked by journalists on primetime talk shows such as Quotidien, while others on news channels BFMTV and CNews have deemed it “dangerous” for French youths.
The last reality show to have caused such an uproar dates back to 2001 when “Loft Story,” the local adaptation of “Big Brother,” launched on the commercial channel M6. France’s first reality show depicting the debauchery of candidates confined in a house, “Loft Story” triggered vivid reactions and even protests in front of M6’s headquarters in Paris.
Asked about the controversy around “Frenchie Shore” by Le Parisien, Abdul Malak said that even though the program has a warning for viewers under 16 on Paramount (and 18 years old on MTV), “Anyone can come across it on social networks.” She said she was concerned for inexperienced teenagers who “will think it realistically depicts human interactions and sexual relationships.”
Abdul Malak also pressed the French broadcasting authority, Arcom, to step in and take action against “Frenchie Shore,” as it does with programs airing on traditional French TV channels. But the org said it can’t intervene to prevent the show from airing or fine it because neither MTV France nor Paramount+ are headquartered in France, according to a source close to the program. MTV France and Paramount+ are based in Czech Republic and Germany, respectively. Roch-Olivier Maistre, the president of Arcom, nevertheless wrote letters to his counterparts in Czech Republic and Germany to raise the alarm on content that presents issues regarding “the respect and protection of human dignity” as well as the “protection of minors,” according to the news outlet France Info. A source close to the production says the show can’t be fined or suspended because it’s correctly rated and the sexual content is blurred.
While the French broadcasting authority also can’t act on illegal content featured on social networks, such as TikTok, a spokesperson for the platform told the news outlet AFP that it has already deleted certain videos uploaded under hashtag #FrenchieShore and will continue doing so.
“Frenchie Shore” is produced by Ah Production, a label of Satisfaction Group. Contacted by Variety, Paramount+ and Ah Production declined to comment.
It’s the third iteration of “Jersey Shore” in France. The format was previously adapted by Banijay Production France into “Les Ch’tis” in Northern France and “Les Marseillais” in the Southern city of Marseille.
“Jersey Shore” has also been adapted in Germany, Mexico, the U.K., Italy and Mexico.
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