Meant as the pilot for a proposed TV series, entitled "Hé M'sieur!", which was developed after
Jean-Marie Bigard's previous attempt at a series,
The Principal (2003), wasn't picked up due to a disagreement between Bigard and producer
Serge Moati. As such, it features similar themes and much of the same creative crew as "Le Dirlo", with the notable exception of Moati. The two following episodes were in development and Bigard was hoping for a rhythm of two feature-length episodes per year, but the show wasn't picked up despite very high ratings for the pilot (over 7.5 million viewers).