Plus belle la vie, sometimes known by the acronym PBLV, is a 5-days-a-week French TV soap created by Magaly Richard-Serrano, Bénedicte Achard, Georges Desmouceaux, and Olivier Szulzynger, and produced by Hubert Besson, Michèle Podroznik, and François Charlent. On air since 30 August 2004, it currently goes out at 20.15 each Monday to Friday evening on France 3.
Reflecting the daily lives of the inhabitants of "le Mistral", an imaginary neighbourhood in the Mediterranean port city of Marseille, where wealthy families cross paths with the less than rich, two main types of storyline dominate, covering:
⁕the day-to-day doings of the inhabitants of le Mistral, their troubles and triumphs, and the evolution of their love-lives and friendships;
⁕the criminal intrigues in which certain residents of the neighbourhood are involved.
The series attracts an average audience of 5.3 million viewers with a 23.2% audience share each weekday evening. On 17 November 2008, Plus belle la vie received its highest-ever rating figure, with over 6.8 million viewers and a 24.9% audience share.
The story revolves around the people of Sète, France. Their lives are punctuated by family rivalries, romance and scenes from daily life, but also by plots involving police investigations, secrets and betrayals.