PBS' Maigret follows Chief Inspector Maigret (played by Benjamin Wainwright), a rising star in the Paris Police Judiciaire, who has a unique way of connecting to his cases and those who carry out their crimes. The show, which is a great choice for those still waiting to see Sherlock Holmes 3 materialize, is based on the classic Inspector Maigret book series, written by George Simenon. The series began in 1931 and has since expanded to include 75 books and 28 short stories. There have been several adaptations of Simenon's stories, with 2025's Maigret bringing a contemporary take on the character.
The Direct interviewed Wainwright, who expressed the one improvement he'd love to see the show make if they come back for a Season 2. Wainwright pointed out how, in "some of the reviews," people have vocalized that they are "desperate to see more of The Maigrets and see those guys developed," a sentiment that the actor agreed with, noting how he "would love to see that."
"I think we deserve to see more of where [and] how the Maigrets have come to be who they are," Wainwright declared. While Season 1 was focused on establishing Maigret, the actor explained that he "think[s] [in] Season 2, we have a chance to establish everyone, and that's what [he] look[s] forward to."
While official word on a Season 2 for Maigret remains quiet, development has begun in Budapest for new episodes of the series. While vocalizing that they "don't know what's happened yet" regarding another round of episodes, Wainwright did confirm that he has "read episodes one and two of a potential Season 2."
The Direct's Russ Milheim also spoke with Shaniqua Okwok, who portrays Janiver in the series, one of Maigret's team members (also known as The Maigrets). More of the interview can be seen below.
Season 2 of Maigret Could Use This One Major Change
Some Are "Desperate to See More of the Maigrets and See Those Guys Developed."
- The Direct: "Vaguely, what can you tease about what Season 2 is going to be bringing to the table, and how it's going to elevate things from what we just got with Season 1?"
Benjamin Wainwright: Well, so I've read episodes one and two of a potential Season 2. Let's not say—we don't know what's happening yet, but there's a lot more. And this has come up in some of the reviews that they're desperate to see more of the Maigrets and see those guys developed. And I would love to see that.
I think we deserve to see more of where, how the Maigrets have come to be who they are, the likes of [Janiver] and [Lepointe] and [Torrence] and [Cavre], if he survives, who knows, and [Lucas]. But there's just such great chemistry, and they're such amazing characters.
And I don't think they got enough of a look in in the first season, because, you know, we're trying to establish Maigret. And I think Season 2, we have a chance to establish everyone, and that's what I look forward to.
The Maigret Crossover the Cast Wants To See With Idris Elba
"Let's Just See Luther and Maigret Hash That Out..."
- The Direct: "Who is a famous detective, from any medium, that you would love to see Maigret team up with?"
Shaniqua Okwok: Like, I mean, I know it's obvious, but we would love to just see [Maigret] and Sherlock... But also, this is so rogue, but I'm thinking, [Idris Elba's] Luther [from the BBC show]... Let's just see Luther and Maigret hash that out, because I think that would be really chaotic, but maybe really brilliant. Do you know what I mean? Like, I actually do.
And there are worlds where you complement each other. There are so, like, [Maigret] focus[es] on the psychological. Luther is a bit more ruthless, but you both have the same heart, like the heart and the passion are there, yeah.
Benjamin Wainwright: [They would be] unstoppable. Yeah, that's better than anything I can think of.
What Makes Maigret a Unique Detective Show
"Maigret Has a Very Particular Approach to Crime-Solving."
- The Direct: "My first question for you guys is, obviously, there are a lot of detective shows out there. What do you feel really makes this particular one unique among those others?"
Benjamin Wainwright: I think Maigret has a very particular approach to crime-solving. He almost has more sympathy for the perpetrator of the crime than the victim. Sometimes he's desperate to understand them, the circumstances that produce them, and their kind of psychological profile. And an element of that is the way French detectives investigate. And an element, an element of it is unique to him.
I think he could have gone two ways in his life. And Simenon, who wrote the Maigret books, talks about the policeman and the criminal growing up on the same street. And I think that's what's key to the way Maigret does these things. He knows these people. He's hung out with these people. He's absolutely of the Parisian streets, and even more so, his team, the Maigrets, represent an even wider tranche of that Parisian life, and that's why we have [Shaniqua Okwok] playing the likes of Janiver, bringing her particular expertise to the Maigrets, and he uses them as a kind of hive mind.
Shaniqua Okwok: We're very lucky to have both Patrick Harbinson, and then you've got Georges Simenon. We've got, like, this wealth of history in terms of the books, and so we've got a great starting point. And then you've got Patrick, who's an absolute genius. And you put those two together, and I think that's just such a unique—we're just so very lucky to be on a show that has two people with masterminds and put them together, and it's just this great production...
What Benjamin Wainwright & Shaniqua Okwok Brought to Their Characters In Maigret
"We Are Not All Conscious of Everything We Give Off As People."
- The Direct: "What do you feel something you guys brought to your character that wasn't inherently on the page, but through your performance and just finding who this person was, you kind of added to them?"
Shaniqua Okwok: That's a really good question. I like that question a lot... I am the first black woman, and woman as well to play Janvier and so I'm looking at this character, looking at the traits that Janiver already had in the book, but also thinking, what does that look like for a black woman in 2025 or at that point, 2024 and so, yeah, I kind of used, sort of the skeleton part of what I was given, but then also had to make her feel real and relatable to to a young person, but also as a young black woman as well. So, I think there was, like, I had a skeleton to work with, and then really tried to make her feel real and relevant to this day and age. For me, it's kind of the work that I was doing.
Benjamin Wainwright: I think for me, it was like so much of this stuff is, you can't necessarily take credit for because it's kind of done in casting. Like, we're not all conscious of everything we give off as people. I think it would be bad if we were, but I think kind of, you get cast in these roles and like, all right, well, there's something, in my essence, that works for this character, and then it's a question of kind of tweaking it and playing with the script, seeing what direction you can take it in. And some days I'd go too far this way, and Patrick would be like, 'That's not Maigret.'
And then some days I'd go in another direction, and he'd say 'That's not Maigret.' We're always trying to find it together. And we had some very fun scenes. I think myself, [Reda Elazouar], and Shaniqua had a scene where he was picking a lock, and we got to the point where we were turning into a kind of a pantomime, and Patrick had to be like, 'Alright guys, calm down. Yes, it's more fun than the old Maigret, but it's not that fun. It's a crime scene.' So, yeah, I think we had to keep it lid in it a lot of the time.
Another detective show that recently aired is Smoke, starring Taron Egerton, available on Apple TV.
