Where "House of Cards" portrays Washington DC as a diabolical den of wheeling and dealing, Netflix's new drama set in France, "Marseille", promises brutal local politics in a city widely seen as crime-ridden and seamy, reports Yahoo! News.
But two of the Frenchmen behind the new series to be shown late this year by the US streaming operator, screenwriter Dan Franck and producer Pascal Breton, say they have done their best to avoid perpetuating cliches.
"Those expecting Kalashnikovs will be disappointed," warned Breton in an interview with AFP, referring to the weapon of choice of Marseille's criminals to settle scores and keep police at bay. "It's out of the question to do any Marseille-bashing," Franck said.
Even though the eight episodes set in the southern coastal city, France's second-biggest after Paris, will delve into its dark underworld -- made famous in the 1971 Hollywood movie "The French Connection" -- the lead characters do not include any police officers. Indeed, the city itself looms largest.
"We chose Marseille because it's a city with an absolutely incredible personalty," said Franck, sitting with Breton in a bar overlooking Marseille's colourful historic port.
"The ghettos are a character. The politicians are characters. That's what interests us, it's not about standing up or tearing down Marseille's image.
"Human passions are strong everywhere, and they are even stronger in a Mediterranean city -- a city like Marseille, that is bigger than life, as the Americans say," Breton added.
The focus of the show is Marseille's city hall, and a power struggle between the veteran mayor and a young, hungry politician looking to usurp him. All of it is set within a Mediterranean city hosting gangs, ghettos, African and Muslim immigrants, and history dating back to the time of the Greeks.