7 Russian TV series that are highly rated abroad

Witch Doctor (2019)

• Genre: drama, melodrama
• Number of episodes: 16
• Rating: KinoPoisk – 7.5, IMDb – 6.8
• The main locations were various hospitals in St. Petersburg.

Pavel Andreev always dreamed of becoming a famous neurosurgeon. Having successfully graduated from the university, the main character gets a job at a hospital. The man immediately has a competitor, Sergei Strelnikov, with whom he previously studied. Tense relationships in a new place are already familiar conditions, but Andreev’s personal life is a complete mess. One day he falls in love with the daughter of his boss Nikolai Semenov, who asked him to perform a complex operation and remove an advanced tumor. Pavel agrees, and after a while something terrible happens to him: as a result of an accident, he loses his memory...

Details about the series

Chernobyl: Exclusion Zone (2014-2017)

One of the best Russian series of recent years in the fantasy thriller genre is the action-packed story of Pavel Vershinin and his comrades. Young people become participants in mysterious events related to time travel and a mysterious wanderer who wants them dead.

Once in the closed area around Chernobyl, the guys will have to face the terrible secrets of the exclusion zone, learn about the secrets of local scientists and fight off the maniac hot on their heels. The most incredible thing will be the transition to the past, where the guys will have the opportunity to change history and save the country from collapse.

Selection on the topic: 17 feature films about Chernobyl

Watch the trailer
Actors : Konstantin Davydov, Sergei Romanovich, Anvar Khalilulayev... Country : Russia Rating : Kinopoisk – 7.9, IMDb – 7.5 Age restrictions : 16+

Method (2015)

• Genre: thriller, drama, crime
• Number of episodes in season 1: 16
• Rating: KinoPoisk – 8.0, IMDb – 7.4
• All the cases that Rodion Meglin is investigating are based on real events.

“Method” is one of the most interesting Russian series with a high rating. Rodion Meglin is an investigator of the highest level, who in his youth discovered the strange tendencies of a maniac, but with the help of psychologists he managed to get rid of this pathology. Having overcome his congenital defects, the man gets a job in the police. He solves even the most complicated cases with ease, because he has his own secret method of finding criminals. A detective can easily predict the behavior of a maniac. He was used to working alone, without revealing the secrets of his method. But one day, law school graduate Yesenya becomes Rodion’s trainee and learns about the intricacies of a detective’s work.

Details about season 2

About the village

From sadness to joy (2016)

Yana Kunitsyna is talented and dreams of becoming an actress. So far she only gets minor roles, but one day luck smiled on the girl. Yana will star in a full-length film about village life in the title role - a seasoned milkmaid. But the girl clearly has few skills - she’s afraid of cows and doesn’t know how to work in the village. There is another girl - Anna. She is a rural worker in love with her boss. He fights for the farm and dreams of finding happiness. Having met, the two girls find themselves separated as twin sisters. And this is just to their advantage - they can change places.

Family detective (2011)

The Gordeev couple and their son Zhenya live in a small town. Nikolai worked in the police, and Galya worked as a history teacher. All neighbors know about their reverent and tender feelings for each other. Zhenya followed in his father’s footsteps by joining the police, but in his personal life everything is not as smooth as he would like. The ex-wife left and Evgeniy's heart is broken forever. To forget, the lively guy seeks extreme sports and risk, which makes everyone seriously worried. Whom all? Parents and a modest girl - a young investigator Ekaterina. She has been in love with Zhenya for a long time.

Poor Liz (2013)

Joe Sokoloff is a sergeant in the Canadian police. He comes to Russia to fulfill his grandmother's last wish. On the way on the train he is robbed and left with empty pockets. But the guy continues to believe in the good nature of people and dreams of understanding the mysterious nature of Russians. And the main subject of attention for him becomes Lisa, a Cossack woman and a beauty.

Note:

New Russian and Ukrainian melodrama series of 2020 (already released).

Country Romance (2016)

Svetlana Bardina is a highly qualified and ambitious specialist in an agricultural holding. She has never seen a live cow, but she knows all about milk production. Her dream is to be promoted to regional director. Her fiancé and colleague Vadim dreams about the same thing. The director offers the couple a competition - to debug the work of the branch. For Svetlana, this is an excellent opportunity to provide for her mother and sister with her children, she just moved them to Moscow. But when she gets to the branch - an outback village - Svetlana has a hard time, because she doesn’t know the village laws at all.

Night Guest (2011)

Small village. The girl works as a rural librarian and is raising her little son. Her friends consider our heroine too modest, so they strive to introduce her to some man. Having persuaded the girl to go on a date, they have no idea that the stranger will not be the one the heroine expected to see.

Talk to me about love (2013)

Tanya grew up in the village. Her father worked as the chairman of a collective farm. She helps her father and resolves issues in the village. But in her personal life she has tragedy after tragedy. Just before the wedding, the groom cheated on her with someone else and now she cannot find a groom. Although no, candidates immediately lined up, but not everyone experiences sincere feelings.

Bonfire in the Snow (2012)

Anastasia lived in a boarding school, and then returned to the village. Her family is poor, but the girl is not afraid of financial problems. She is ready to take any hard job. It turned out that her family was not at all happy with her - her stepfather was against it, and her mother was like a stranger. Against the background of family dramas, Nastya begins a relationship with the handsome Pavel, but upon learning about the pregnancy, love quickly evaporates, because Pavel does not need it.

Heiress (2011)

Marina Kotova works as a TV presenter. She received an inheritance from her grandfather - a house with a sawmill. But she is of little interest in this; she has no desire to go to the village at all. Just to get rid of the paperwork with the house, she plans to come to the wilderness for a day, and then, as luck would have it, the trip is clearly delayed.

Petrovich (2012)

Galina has a strict character. She is principled and demanding. It’s unlikely that anyone will argue with her. She even has a corresponding nickname - Petrovich. But when a German artist comes to the village, Galina changes before her eyes. Romantic relationships immediately soften a woman’s character, but there are always obstacles along the way and our heroes need to overcome them.

Forest Lake (2012)

There is a large lake in the forest - it is like a barrier between two different worlds. On one bank there are rich cottages, on the other there is a village village. It is not often that residents of opposite banks intersect. Antonina and Nikolai live peacefully on the other side - in the village. But one bad day Nikolai leaves his wife and goes to Alina, a beauty from the other side. Antonina is so desperate that she meets a wealthy stable owner.

Malacholnaya (2009)

Nadya is a country girl and is not eager to go to the city, like her friend Ksyusha. Our heroine is trusting and dreamy, for which she received the nickname - runaway. But Nadya knows that love will definitely come to her, but for now the girl responds with kindness to everyone who needs it.

Love on demand (2009)

Tanya Agashkova is an orphan, she studies at a boarding school and believes in love. The girl finds her match through correspondence and communicates with Kostya using good old letters. But Kostya stopped writing something. And when Tanya celebrates her majority and goes home, she dreams of finding her chosen one, getting a job, and, in general, living a happy life. But this life hit her hard and forced her to face reality.

Don't Leave Me, Love (2014)

Lyuba works as a secretary in the village council. She is raising 15-year-old Stepan alone. There was love in her life, but Nikolai went abroad, leaving her alone with the child, now she is unlikely to trust anyone. But everything changes when Victor arrives in the village - he is a new district police officer. Victor is actively caring for our heroine. This story could have ended quickly if Nikolai had not arrived from abroad.

Love and Romance (2014)

Lyuba graduated from medical school and plans to marry Ivan, a local rural guy. But then she accidentally meets Roman, a stately city officer. The couple feels spiritual closeness, but Lyuba has already been promised to Ivan and cannot break her word. The village is small, rumors spread quickly, and now Ivan is aware of the bride’s love. Fury pushes the guy to rash actions, but Roman heroically saves the girl from danger. A happy ending for Lyuba and Roma, they get married and raise their son Yegor. When the boy grows up and turns into a handsome guy, he finds himself a girlfriend. And she turned out to be the daughter of that same Ivan, who now enjoys the power of the prosecutor. While checking out his daughter's potential groom, Ivan realizes who fate has brought him together with and plans to take revenge.

Wormwood - the cursed grass (2010)

Forty-year-old Lyuba Kruzhkina works as a telegraph operator. She has a son and lives in the village. Loneliness became familiar to the woman until a suitor unexpectedly knocked on her door - a local teacher named Gennady Ivanovich. But Lyuba doesn’t like an overly intelligent man, especially after the proposal.

Leave to Stay (2014)

Andrei Gradov settles near a lake and draws inspiration for his writing from the silence of the village. One day he has to save a drowning girl. The beautiful girl also lost her memory, and there was not a soul in the area.

In secret around the world (2015)

Anyuta works as a salesperson in a rural store. She copes with the household, children and a lazy husband, who is safely placed on the heroine’s neck with his brother. One day after a shift at Anyuta’s store, robbers cleared all the product shelves. The owner transfers a significant debt to the girl. The troubles quickly put everything in its place - the husband ran away and there was nowhere to wait for help. And if it weren’t for help from a side that Anyuta couldn’t even imagine...

Waiting for Spring (2012)

Nadya graduates from college and begins her adult life. She dreams of family and home. But the harsh reality does not spare the girl - the guy betrays her trust, and the house burned to the ground. Thoughts are focused on suicide and Nadya has to break herself in order to move on and build everything anew.

Shores of Love (2013)

Vera is a jack of all trades, she really works and stops a galloping horse. But this does not bring her happiness in life. The husband cheats, and Vera is left alone with the children. Now there is no time for a romantic relationship, but then a city doctor appears in the village and he is crazy about our heroine.

Better than people (2018-2019)

• Genre: drama, fantasy
• Number of episodes: 24
• Rating: KinoPoisk – 6.9, IMDb – 7.4
• “Better than People” is an analogue of the successful foreign project “People”.

“Better Than People” is a long series with many episodes. The future has finally arrived! Almost every person can afford to buy a mechanical assistant - a robot. At first, designed to replace people in space, mines and heavy production, they quickly penetrated into homes: they wake you up in the morning, make delicious coffee, work as nannies, act as personal drivers and even raise children. It seemed that a rosy and carefree future had arrived, but not everyone was happy about the new neighbors. Some “Liquidators” are ready to destroy the bots...

Details about the series

Consultant (2016 – 2018)

• Genre: detective, drama
• How many episodes were released: 20
• Rating: KinoPoisk – 7.3
• In preparation for his role, actor Kirill Kyaro consulted with real forensic psychologists.

The maniac brutally dealt with his victims in a small town for a long time. Local investigator Oleg Bragin is confident that he has caught the same killer whom he has been tracking for ten years. At this time, on behalf of the top leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, expert consultant Vyacheslav Shirokov, specializing in deviations in human behavior, comes from the capital to Pridonsk. The man declares that Bragin was mistaken, and an innocent man is in the dock. Is the maniac still calmly walking free in search of his next victim?

Details about season 2

Y'all are pissing me off (2017)

• Genre: comedy
• Number of episodes: 20
• Rating: KinoPoisk – 7.8, IMDb – 8.0
• It was planned that the series would be released under the title “Bitch.”

Journalist of a popular city publication Sonya Bagretsova is not known for her friendliness and sociability. Everyone pisses her off. The girl prefers to spend her evenings at home, in the company of hot coffee and an exciting book. She hates empty and useless chatter with random acquaintances. But there is one way that can make Sonya the kindest and sweetest person in the world - a drop of alcohol. Knowing about her “illness,” the heroine tries to avoid wild parties and alcoholic parties. But one day at the opening of a restaurant, Bagretsova got so drunk that now her new boyfriend, Kirill, and her chatty work colleague, Katya, can’t get enough of her. How can I explain to the “attachers” so that they will unhook from her?

Review

Genre: Comedy When released: 2014 IMDb rating: 8.30 Cast: Andrew Daly, Jessica St. Claire, Megan Stevenson, Michael Kroner

What: the story of a real blogger

How far can you go when coming up with themes for your TV show? Forrest McNeil has no such questions. He just constantly risks his health and life by trying all sorts of things.

Is it possible to become superman? How to engage in lewd behavior in a crowded place? What does it cost to go through a divorce? McNeil's show will answer these questions.

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Bloody Lady (2018)

• Genre: history, drama
• Number of episodes: 16
• Rating: KinoPoisk – 7.0, IMDb – 5.9
• Filming of the series took place in Kostroma, Rostov and Moscow.

18th century, a terrible time of serfdom. At the center of the story is the famous lady Daria Saltykova, better known as Saltychikha. As a child, the girl’s mother died, and she closed herself off, didn’t want to talk to anyone and behaved very strangely. The father did not bother raising his own daughter and sent her to a nunnery. Once free, the girl got married and gave birth to two sons. After the death of her husband, Daria again decides to imprison herself in the Troitskoye estate near Moscow. Here she behaves as if she had been possessed by a demon: Saltychikha goes on rampages and terrifies her entourage. Over the course of several years, she sent more than a hundred serfs to the next world...

ALGERIA. (2018)

• Genre: history, drama
• How many episodes were released: 11
• Rating: KinoPoisk – 7.0
• The series is based on real stories of women who ended up in the Akmola camp for the wives of traitors.

The plot of the film revolves around Stalin's women's camp, in which more than eight thousand women were kept. Among them were the wives of writers Boris Pilnyak, Arkady Gaidar, the sister of Marshal Tukhachevsky and others who did not please the state for various reasons. At the center of the plot is the wife of the aircraft designer Olga Pavlova, arrested as ChSIR - Member of the Families of Traitors of the Motherland, and Sofya Ashaturova, who was imprisoned following the denunciation of her rival. The girls meet on the prison train, where a difficult life begins for them, to which they will have to adapt.

Consequence of Love (2017)

The mother of three charming children and a talented police officer, Nadezhda Polyakova is a real star of one of the Moscow homicide departments. The woman has about fifty solved crimes on her record. It’s not for nothing that her colleagues love and respect her for all this, unlike Nadezhda’s ex-husband, Lieutenant Colonel Polyakov, who doesn’t really like the fact that she returned to service after a long break. Plus, her ex-husband doesn’t like the fact that she came under the command of Major Kryukov, with whom Nadezhda soon begins dating.

Call DiCaprio! (2018)

• Genre: Comedy, Drama
• Number of episodes: 8
• Rating: KinoPoisk – 7.0, IMDb – 6.9
• The final episode of the series was shown on December 1 on the TNT-PREMIER platform - AIDS Day. The authors of the project believed that in this way they would be able to attract more attention to the current problem.

Egor Rumyantsev is the star of a popular television series about doctors who does not want to listen to anyone and lives only for himself. Inspired by great success, he goes off the rails: he constantly lies to everyone, disrupts filming, and engages in sexual relations. The guy lives high until he finds out that he has HIV. The complete opposite is brother Lev, also an actor, but unlucky. The young man works on the Ant-TV channel, where he hosts a boring program about useful crafts. Lev lives in a tiny apartment with two daughters and a pregnant wife. A typical loser is terribly jealous of his brother, because he understands that he has no prospects. One day he gets a lucky chance to take the place of a star relative...

Epidemic (2019)

• Genre: drama, fantasy, thriller
• How many episodes were released: 8
• Rating: KinoPoisk – 7.1, IMDb – 6.5
• The world premiere of the film took place at the CanneSeries international festival.

“Epidemic” is an exciting Russian series that will amaze you from the first episode. A terrible virus has turned Moscow into a city of the dead. There is no electricity, and survivors are desperately fighting for water, food and gasoline. Sergei, his girlfriend and his autistic son live outside the city, where it is still safe. The main character cannot leave his ex-wife and child, so he goes to Moscow and miraculously saves them. On the way, they are joined by Sergei's father and an impudent couple with a baby in their arms. These people would never have ended up under the same roof, but a common misfortune brought them together. And now they will have to go on a deadly journey filled with dangers. Their goal is to get to a hunting lodge located on a desert island.

Great

• 2015
• Historical drama.
• Duration: 1 season.
• IMDb: 6.5; Kinopoisk: 7.6.

Do not confuse it with the English-language series of the same name starring Elle Fanning. Although they are dedicated to one historical figure - Catherine II - they tell about her in completely different ways. American “The Great” is a satire that does not pretend to be authentic (the creators state this at the very beginning). The Russian “Great” is a drama that the creators tried to make historically accurate. The script of the series is based on archival documents - memoirs and diaries, including those of Catherine II herself.

“The Great” is a very expensive, and therefore very beautiful series: the creators did not skimp on costumes or scenery. The rental of premises alone cost about 250,000 rubles for one shooting day.

Teach me to live (2016)

• Genre: detective
• Number of episodes: 12
• Rating: KinoPoisk – 7.7
• Psychiatrist Nikolai Nemts prepared actor Kirill Kyaro for his role.

In the city, on a playground, the body of a young woman dressed in 1970s fashion is found. Investigator Rita Storozheva takes on the investigation of the complicated case, and she will be assisted by professional psychiatrist Ilya Lavrov, who has already participated in the capture of maniacs in the past. It turns out that 25 years ago a similar series of murders with the same style was solved. During the investigation, tense relations arise between Lavrov and Storozheva. The heroes decide to meet with detective Puchkov, who was working on this case, but for some reason he refuses to help them and at the same time behaves extremely strangely. Ilya and Rita decide to track down Puchkov and learn something very interesting...

Londongrad. Know ours

• 2015
• Drama.
• Duration: 1 season.
• IMDb: 5.8; Kinopoisk: 7.7.

Mikhail Kulikov is a Russian guy who lives in London. Five years before the events of the series began, he dropped out of Oxford: his restless character prevented him from getting a diploma. The lack of higher education of the main character did not break him. He opened the Londongrad agency in the capital of Great Britain. The company’s task is to solve various problems of Russian Britons: from a simple meeting at the airport to resolving problems with the police. During one of his assignments, Mikhail meets the oligarch’s daughter Alisa Zagorskaya and realizes that she will be an excellent business partner.

The series was inspired by the biography of rapper Oxxxymiron: he also had difficulties while studying at Oxford, and then he worked on solving the problems of Russians in London.

Cipher (2018 – 2019)

• Genre: detective
• Number of episodes: 16
• Rating: KinoPoisk – 7.0
• The Cipher is an adaptation of the British miniseries Murder Code.

Moscow, 1956. The story centers on four women who share a military background. Once upon a time they worked in the special department of the GRU, ten years later the heroines begin to work together again, helping investigators in solving the most complex and complicated criminal cases. Sophia, Anna, Irina and Katerina have amazing analytical skills. Every day, women have to risk themselves and their families to find criminals who threaten the security of the country.

Details about season 2

99% Dead (2017)

• Genre: action, detective
• Number of episodes: 10
• Rating: KinoPoisk – 6.2, IMDb – 7.2
• The slogan of the series is “The one in whom you believe lives.”

More than anything else, architect Artem Artov loves making money. A man's life resembles a fairy tale: expensive cars, elite restaurants and a chic model girl. The protagonist's idyll ends when he is mistakenly mistaken for a particularly dangerous criminal under the nickname Snake, who is credited with many crimes. The main character is being hunted not only by the special services, but also by Albanian arms dealers, deceived by the insidious and cunning Serpent. Artem will have to find a way out of a difficult situation and try to survive in the city without documents, a car or money. Will a man accustomed to luxury be able to pass through this fateful test?

Orphan Black

Genre: fantasy, action, drama When released: 2013 IMDb rating: 8.30 Cast: Tatiana Maslany, Jordan Javaris, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Dylan Bruce

What: a mysterious story about a double life

The main character accidentally witnesses the suicide of an unfamiliar girl who is exactly like her.

To escape from her own problems, the Heroine steals the identity of a dead stranger, along with documents. A new life under a new name brings not only money and a good apartment, but also other people's problems.

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"Black Mirror" in Russian (2019)

• Genre fiction
• Number of episodes: 8
• Rating: KinoPoisk – 7.1
• Actor Artem Dubinin starred in the series for the first time.

The plot of the series develops the theme of a person under pressure from technological progress, when the present and future are filled with smartphones, computers, tablets and cameras. Gadgets have made existence convenient and comfortable. Live communication is slowly but surely fading into the background, giving way to social networks - VKontakte, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. The narrative begins in the 80s of the last century, showing how a talented programmer decides to combine a novel with a game. As a result, virtuality begins to mix with reality, creating strange consequences for all the characters...

Manumission

• 2018
• Historical melodrama.
• Duration: 1 season.
• IMDb: 7.6; Kinopoisk: 7.1.

The series takes place in Russia in the first half of the 19th century. Polina Lebedeva is a serf who lives not at all like a peasant woman. From early childhood, the girl was raised as his daughter by Prince Alexei Petrovich Golovin. He was going to sign the girl's freedom, but constantly postponed the process until later. Golovin failed to complete the re-registration of papers: the prince unexpectedly died of a heart attack.

After this, Polina's life turned upside down. The girl, along with the estate of her benefactor, came into the possession of the cruel Count Andrei Krechetsky.

Bad weather (2018)

• Genre: drama
• Number of episodes: 11
• Rating: KinoPoisk – 7.1
• The slogan is “Once upon a time in a country that no longer exists.”

The story revolves around the former soldier German Nevolin, nicknamed the German. The man went through the Afghan war, and now works as an ordinary driver. To dispel the bad weather in his soul, the main character decides to commit a daring crime. He goes on a robbery of a special van and steals 145 million rubles. Why did Herman sacrifice everything he valued - friendship and love?

Badaber Fortress 2020

Russia; genre: mini-series, military, drama, Russian

A tragic story about the feat of Soviet soldiers in the Afghan war. An intelligence officer, pretending to be a slave, infiltrates the fortress to take valuable footage. However, fearing being discovered, he gets rid of the camera. The local jeweler shows the officer medallions, among which he recognizes his best friend’s item. At home he is considered missing. So the scout understands that there may be a secret camp of prisoners of war soldiers in the fortress who may suffer during the assault. Therefore, he himself goes into captivity to persuade the guys to revolt.

Foundling (2019)

• Genre: detective
• Number of episodes: 12
• Rating: KinoPoisk – 7.0
• The film crew visited ancient mansions on Ligovsky Prospekt and the Tauride Garden.

“Foundling” is one of the most exciting Russian TV series on the list, which you can watch in one go. The series takes place at the height of the NEP, in 1926. The film tells the story of a Novgorod swindler nicknamed Foundling, who runs away from local thugs. The main character arrives in Leningrad, and the police mistakenly recognized him as the famous detective who had recently been appointed head of the Criminal Investigation Department. The cunning tomboy intends to sneak away unnoticed, but suddenly the Foundling finds out that there is a huge warehouse of expensive evidence in the city, so he decides to take his time. It’s a trivial matter to rob a premises while having a police officer’s ID in hand. The hero begins to think through the kidnapping...

Kept women

• 2019 - present.
• Thriller, drama.
• Duration: 2 seasons.
• IMDb: 6.1; Kinopoisk: 6.6.

“Kept Women” is the film debut of theater director Konstantin Bogomolov. This is a story about an art critic from the province Dasha. The girl moves to Moscow for a new life. A friend, who is provided by a married man, helps her settle in the capital.

“Kept Women” has an interesting detective mystery, a complexly woven web of love lines and a beautiful picture. This is also one of the most frank Russian series: there are a lot of daring sex scenes in it.