Ten Percent

The characters largely retain the same core role as their French counterparts, but they succeed in feeling distinct, in large part due to their distinctly British traits.

It’s not bad, with a strong cast and a group of guest stars including Helena Bonham Carter and Kelly Macdonald who evoke some of the spirit — if not the brutal satire — of the original series. ... [But] It’s too loyal to the narrative blueprint of “Call My Agent!,” to the point where the story lines lose their charm because we’ve seen them play out already. Some remakes toy a bit with the source, but “Ten Percent,” written by John Morton, prefers to hew closely. More alterations might have helped to make it feel fresh, for those of us making a return trip.

The comedy is worth watching for the cameos, performances and because it is ideal comfort viewing: witnessing a series of thespian disasters explode and then be resolved, all against the backdrop of a twinkly Richard Curtis version of London, wields an irresistible charm. Even so, there’s nothing here that convinced me Call My Agent! needed a remake.

Ten Percent has neither riotous slapstick nor biting satire. It just rambles along benignly, like the radio at a hairdresser. But, in spite of all those weaknesses, there is a seductive quality to it. Like a comforting bowl of French onion soup, it is largely absent of texture or complexity, but will fill you up all the same.

I suspect that viewers who have not seen the French original may get more out of this, as the agents’ storylines, about secret daughters and reluctant love affairs and buyouts and sell-offs, have a heightened sense of melodrama that is rarely seen on British television.

What we end up with is an underdog story, as the Brits fight to defend their agency from a takeover by appalling Americans. By the end, you may even be rooting for them.