Honestly, if you haven’t finished the third season of the French hit Family Business on Netflix yet, you’re missing out on some of the most chaotic energy ever put to film. It’s rare for a show to maintain its soul while pivoting from a failing kosher butcher shop to a full-blown "marijuana cafe" and eventually to a high-stakes kidnapping plot in a remote monastery. But here we are. The family business cast season 3 had to carry a lot of emotional weight this time around. They weren’t just selling weed anymore; they were fighting for their actual lives while trapped in a bizarre "witness protection" scenario that felt more like a prison.
Jonathan Cohen. That's the name. If you don't know him, you haven't seen the face of modern French comedy. He plays Joseph Hazan, the man with a thousand terrible ideas and a heart that’s perpetually in the wrong place. In season 3, Cohen takes Joseph to a place of pure desperation. He's twitchy. He's loud. Yet, you somehow still root for him even when he's making everything worse for his father and sister.
The chemistry is what makes it work. It’s not just about the plot.
The Core Hazan Family Dynamics in Season 3
Gérard Hazan, played by the legendary Gérard Darmon, remains the anchor. It’s fascinating to watch a veteran actor like Darmon play the "straight man" to Cohen’s insanity. In the third season, his character is exhausted. You can see it in his eyes—the toll of having a son who turned the family legacy into a narcotics empire. Julia Piaton returns as Aure, Joseph’s sister, and she’s arguably the smartest person in any room she enters. Her performance in season 3 is more nuanced than previous years. She’s dealing with the fallout of their shared crimes while trying to maintain a semblance of a personal life under the watchful eye of their captors.
Then there’s Liliane Rovere. She plays Mammy Hazan. She is a force of nature. At over 80 years old, Rovere brings a "don't give a damn" attitude that provides the show's biggest laughs. Whether she’s accidentally getting high or criticizing her son's parenting, she steals every scene. It’s not just comic relief; it’s a masterclass in timing.
Supporting Players Who Kept the Tension High
Ali Marhyar as Clément and Olivier Rosemberg as Olivier are the "extended" family that no one asked for but everyone needs. Their roles expanded significantly by the time the family business cast season 3 wrapped production. They represent the loyalty that exists outside of blood ties. Olivier, in particular, has this pathetic yet endearing quality that makes his arc in the final episodes surprisingly touching.
We also have to talk about Catherine Jacob. Joining the fray as Catherine, she brings a level of unpredictable menace. The show creators—Igor Gotesman, primarily—have a knack for casting people who look like they belong in a cozy neighborhood bakery but act like they belong in a Scorsese film.
✨ Don't miss: Why October London Make Me Wanna Is the Soul Revival We Actually Needed
Why the Season 3 Casting Pivot Worked
The third season took a massive risk by moving the setting. We left the familiar streets of Le Marais in Paris. Suddenly, the cast was isolated. This "bottle episode" feeling lasted for a huge chunk of the season. When you trap an ensemble like this in one location, the acting has to be top-tier. There's no flashy scenery to hide behind.
It was a gamble.
Usually, when a show moves its primary location, it loses its identity. Think about how many sitcoms failed when they "went to Vegas" or "moved to LA." But because the family business cast season 3 relied so heavily on the established shorthand between the actors, it felt like a weird summer camp from hell. They leaned into the absurdity.
Louise Coldefy as Clémentine is a prime example of this. Her character is... a lot. She’s high-energy, socially unaware, and deeply obsessed with Joseph. In season 3, she’s not just a side character; she’s a catalyst for half the problems they face. Coldefy plays her with such frantic commitment that you find yourself cringing and laughing simultaneously.
Breaking Down the Performances
If we look at the trajectory of the performances:
- Jonathan Cohen (Joseph): More frantic, less confident, deeply vulnerable.
- Gérard Darmon (Gérard): The "grandfather" of the group who finally starts to snap.
- Julia Piaton (Aure): The emotional center who eventually has to take charge.
- Liliane Rovere (Mammy): Pure, unadulterated chaos.
The writing for season 3 was tighter in terms of character beats, even if the plot got a bit wild. They focused on the idea of legacy. What does a father owe his children? What does a son owe a father who gave up everything? Beneath the jokes about "Pastraweed," there’s a real story about a Jewish family trying to survive in a world that keeps moving the goalposts.
🔗 Read more: How to Watch The Wolf and the Lion Without Getting Lost in the Wild
Behind the Scenes and Real-World Reception
When the show first dropped on Netflix, it was a sleeper hit. By season 3, it was a cultural phenomenon in France and had a massive cult following in the US and UK. Fans were obsessed with the family business cast season 3 because they felt like real people. They weren't polished. They were sweaty, they wore the same clothes for days, and they argued about stupid things while guns were pointed at them.
The creator, Igor Gotesman, who also appears as a minor character, understood that the audience didn't just want a show about drugs. They wanted a show about a dysfunctional family that actually loved each other. That’s the secret sauce.
The Evolution of the Show's Tone
Season 1 was a caper.
Season 2 was an expansion.
Season 3 was a survival thriller disguised as a comedy.
This shift required the actors to play scenes with genuine stakes. When characters are in danger of being executed by a cartel leader, the jokes have to be darker. The cast handled this transition beautifully. You never felt like you were watching a different show, just a more intense version of the one you started.
The inclusion of Enrico Macias as himself is another stroke of genius. It’s a recurring meta-joke that pays off massively in the final act. Seeing a real-life French musical icon get dragged into a drug-trafficking subplot is the kind of humor that only Family Business can pull off. It adds a layer of surrealism that keeps the viewer off-balance.
What Made the Final Episodes Stand Out
The finale of season 3 had to wrap up multiple plot lines. There was the drug business, the kidnapping, the legal troubles, and the internal family rifts. Most shows stumble here. They either go too dark or too happy.
💡 You might also like: Is Lincoln Lawyer Coming Back? Mickey Haller's Next Move Explained
The family business cast season 3 delivered a conclusion that felt earned.
It wasn't a "perfect" ending where everyone got rich and lived happily ever after. It was messy. It was bittersweet. It acknowledged that while the Hazans are survivors, they’ve lost a lot along the way. The final scenes between Joseph and Gérard are particularly poignant. They strip away the "business" aspect and focus on the "family."
Practical Takeaways for Fans of the Show
If you're looking to dive deeper into the world of this cast or looking for similar vibes, here's what you should actually do.
First, watch La Flamme or Le Flambeau. These are Jonathan Cohen's other massive projects. They are parodies of dating shows and Survivor-style reality shows. They feature many of the same cast members and have that same "improvised" feel, even though they are tightly scripted.
Second, check out the early films of Gérard Darmon. Understanding his history as a "serious" actor in French cinema makes his comedic turns in Family Business even funnier. He’s a titan of the industry, and seeing him play a bumbling dad is a treat.
Finally, pay attention to the cinematography in season 3. They used a lot of tight, handheld shots to increase the feeling of claustrophobia. It’s a subtle trick that makes the monastery scenes feel much more high-stakes than they would have in a traditional multi-cam sitcom.
How to Navigate French Comedy After Season 3
- Look for the "Igor Gotesman" stamp: Anything he writes or directs usually shares this DNA of high-stakes absurdity.
- Follow the ensemble: Actors like Louise Coldefy and Ali Marhyar are popping up in more international co-productions.
- Don't skip the subtitles: While the dubbing is okay, the original French delivery—especially the slang used by Joseph—is where the real humor lives.
The legacy of the family business cast season 3 is that they proved you can end a show on a high note. They didn't drag it out for ten seasons until it became a parody of itself. They told a three-act story: the rise, the fall, and the weird, grassy rebirth. It remains one of the best examples of how Netflix can fund international stories that feel specific to their culture yet universal in their themes of family frustration and unconditional love.
The next step for any fan is to explore the broader filmography of Jonathan Cohen and Gérard Darmon to see how their chemistry evolved over decades of French media. Their partnership is the heartbeat of the show, and seeing where they came from provides a whole new perspective on their performances in the final season.