How to watch Le Bureau des Legendes (Is the French spy series streaming in the US?)

The Agency, a spy thriller starring Michael Fassbender in the lead role of Martian, has landed on Paramount+ with Showtime and is currently airing on the cable network. The series plants us firmly in the world of the CIA's London Station in the middle of an unforeseen crisis. Martian is pulled from his mission in Ethiopia, forced to end his romance with Samia Zahir, and drawn back into a mode of living that he'd been absent from for six years.

Part of the show's appeal is its examination of what it means to shirk one's own identity for the sake of your country's interests and needs. Only two episodes have premiered, as of this article's writing, and already the toll lying has taken on Martian has made itself apparent. As has his vulnerability to Samia, a woman he was supposed to leave in his past but who is very much still apart of his present. The series, however, isn't an original story. It's actually a remake of the popular French spy drama Le Bureau des Legendes, otherwise known as The Bureau.

With five seasons and a total of 50 episodes, the French original follows the story of Guillaume Debailly, an agent of the Direction Générale de la Sécurité Extérieure (DGSE) in the department dubbed Le Bureau des Legendes. His mission in Syria was to identify assets the bureau could use as sources of intelligence. When he was called back home, Guillaume was supposed to erase all traces of his alias Paul Lefebvre from existence but he held onto one piece of the man, his love for Nadia El Mansour which threatens to upend everything he's worked for and forces him into clash with his own agency and the CIA.

As you can see, The Agency directly draws from The Bureau's overall plot but with the main spy organization changed to the CIA, the geopolitical interests, threats, and mess that's set to unfold for Martian will take different twists and turns. Still, if you'd like to watch the French original, you can do so in the U.S. but, unfortunately, it's not readily available through a subscription service. It'll have to be purchased and only Fandago at Home has all five seasons for digital download. Each season costs $14.99, individual episodes are $1.99.

Physical media is available for The Bureau. All five seasons are available on DVD individually on Amazon and there is a complete series boxset which has a list price of $89.95 but at the time of writing is being offered at $44.99.

As mentioned above the French original isn't streaming in the U.S., however, we'll keep you posted if that changes. Stay tuned to Americans Undercover for coverage of spy thrillers on TV, streaming, and in theaters. Follow us on X for more content!