If the Safdie Brothers’ Uncut Gems was a two-hour panic attack set in Manhattan’s diamond district, then HBO Max’s Privileges is its French cousin having a breakdown in the service elevator of a five-star Parisian hotel.

Both share the same DNA: a protagonist who is constantly one bad decision away from losing everything, a setting that’s equal parts glamorous and suffocating, and tense scenarios that make you feel like your head is being held underwater. The difference? Privilèges swaps Howard Ratner’s gambling addiction for something arguably more harrowing— a young incarcerated woman whose ticket to freedom depends on keeping the most unsatisfied people on Earth happy.

What is the plot of Privileges?

No matter how eccentric (or downright dangerous) the errand, rest assured that the 1% that The Citadel serves will be accommodated. The Parisian luxury palace hotel’s management has hit the loophole jackpot to ensure this hospitality promise is always kept— hire someone with nothing left to lose and everything to gain. A conditional release worker’s program is formed, giving inmates an opportunity to step back into society by working at The Citadel on menial tasks with little to no interaction with its guests. But not every inmate is cut out for that type of work— some, like Privileges’ Adèle (Manon Bresch), are hungry for more than just the bellhop label, and eager to please. Enter slimy director Édouard (Melvil Poupaud), who sniffs out Adèle’s desperation and ambition, and exploits it: Stealing exotic animals, hiring fake dentists, and dabbling in corporate espionage? It’s all one and the same for this duo until things take a sinister turn, and a power struggle to get a seat at the table begins.

Why Privileges hits:

Frantic (but masterful) cinematography that ups the ante of an already chaotic plot premise, and an atmospheric score composed by Amine Bouhafa that revs up the secondhand dread you’ll no doubt get watching Adèle make trouble while trying not to get in it, makes Privileges an entertaining — albeit extremely stressful — watch. Privileges is a nail-biter, but if you’re a fan of seeing what it’s like to accommodate the 1%, no matter how eccentric the errand, then bienvenue.

Privileges joins a slate of prestige anti-capitalist drama shows on HBO Max that critique the upper crust with no-holds-barred, including The White Lotus, Succession, and Industry. The show is part of a larger, ongoing trend of entertainment made for the masses that is outright in its disdain for the wealthy, a departure from the romanticization of the elites that was most prominent during the Gossip Girl era and the peak of celebrity-driven reality TV in the mid-aughts. But instead of just keeping up with the Joneses, Privileges stands out by highlighting the absurdity of ultra-consumerism by presenting the nouveau riche through the lens of a working-class, currently-incarcerated Black woman. Unlike some of the other titles mentioned here, the Louis Vuittons and the Rolexes are presented as the rare exception rather than the norm, making Adèle’s perspective all the more relevant and relatable to audiences.

Who shines in Privileges?

French-Cameroonian actress Manon Bresch, known best for starring in the action/comedy flick Wingwomen, an original Netflix production based on the graphic novel “La Grande Odalisque,” is a breathless force in Privileges. Her performance as protagonist Adèle Charki is raw, teeming with frenetic energy and anxiety in both her physicality and line delivery, while also obfuscating the show’s bigger mysteries (like how or why Adèle ended up attempting to murder someone and got herself thrown in jail in the first place). Bresch, as Adèle, is both a showman and a shadow, making the complex, enigmatic character even more of an intriguing watch as she stumbles her way to the top of the hospitality industry’s food chain. And even when Adèle puts herself in plain dumb situations for the sake of The Citadel’s fussy hotel clients, it’s hard not to root for her, even without knowing where her moral compass is guiding her. Like the Safdie Brothers’ trademark morally ambiguous but mesmerizing main characters, you can’t peel your eyes away from Adèle motorcycling through the grey zone in her gritty POV of Paris.

When and where to stream Privileges:

The first half of the six-part French-language series, created and directed by Marie Monge and Vladimir de Fontenay, is now streaming on HBO Max. Subsequent episodes will be released weekly on Fridays, with Episode 4 coming on Friday, April 17, 2026. The miniseries will conclude on May 1st. (Pro tip: Pair your Privileges stream with Euphoria’s Season 3 premiere tonight as a prime-time shot/chaser.)

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Sunday Streaming Rec: The French Cousin of ‘Uncut Gems’ on HBO Max