Author: Elizaveta Stukanova

The Boy’s Word. Blood on the Asphalt (Слово пацана. Кровь на асфальте, 2023)
Genre: Drama
Director: Zhora Kryzhovnikov

A breakthrough in Russian television. A piercing crime drama about teenage gangs in late-1980s Kazan.

In recent years, Russia’s TV industry has undergone a renaissance. There was a time when people only joked about the poor quality of domestic series, sending each other memes from melodramas on “Russia 1.” But that era seems long gone. What we’re seeing now is nothing short of a revival.

Synopsis from Kinopoisk
Kazan, early 1989. While their parents struggle to survive, teenagers form street gangs and fight for control of the asphalt—literally—to claim everything that stands on or moves through ‘their’ turf. Amid widespread poverty, strict codes of honor emerge, loyalty becomes everything, and a boy’s word carries more weight than any oath.

Fourteen-year-old Andrei comes from an educated family—he attends music school and lives with his mother and younger sister. One day, he’s asked to tutor his classmate Marat in English. Marat is a local gang member. After spending time with someone from ‘the real world,’ Andrei decides he’s tired of being a loser—and joins the gang.

That description says it all. Now let’s talk about why this series became a cultural phenomenon.

Why it's worth watching?
Last winter, the country was gripped by The Boy’s Word fever—and that’s no exaggeration. The first episodes dropped with little fanfare, but soon, students all over Russia were dividing themselves into “gangs” and mimicking the characters. Teenagers from Kaliningrad to Chita began scouring second-hand shops for vintage tracksuits, giving each other nicknames, and even staging fights, just like in the series.

The public response was immediate. Police launched investigations into certain incidents, and voices in the State Duma called for the show to be banned. But forbidden fruit is sweet—so the show’s ratings skyrocketed.

Key phrases from the series—like chushpan (outsider), otshit’ (cut someone off), and “real guys don’t apologize”—became part of everyday slang. The actors were mobbed by fans. The show generated so much buzz that the final episode was delayed. The official reason: planned reshoots to heighten the drama. Fans suspected censorship. Eventually, two alternate endings surfaced online—turns out, there wasn’t much difference.

Cultural context & trends
The geography of Russian television is shifting. No longer confined to Moscow or St. Petersburg, the setting here is Kazan—a city with its own unique energy, history, Tatar culture… and its own criminal underworld. Russia remains fascinated by the so-called “wild ’90s,” and continues to reflect on that chaotic period. If you want to understand what life looked like back then, this series is essential viewing.

The music is another standout element. Iconic ’80s Russian hits like “Kak byt’” by Alexander Serov, “Sedaya noch” and “Belye rozy” by Laskovyi Mai, and “Ya khochu byt’ s toboy” by Nautilus Pompilius saw a massive resurgence in popularity. The original theme song—performed in Tatar—was so catchy, it had teenagers across the country learning a few words of the language.

Editor’s note
A word of caution: the series contains graphic violence. There’s blood, there are murders, there are scenes that make you want to look away. It’s intense—but important to understand that the fiction is rooted in truth. The writing team based the plot on a memoir by Robert Garaev, a former gang member who lived through these events. The book is available online, if you’re curious to dig deeper.

There’s even a story about a journalist who once approached the Head of Tatarstan and asked:
“Have you seen The Boy’s Word? What do you think of it?”
To which he replied,
“Miss, why would I need to watch it? I lived it.”

Central Russia's Vampires  (Вампиры средней полосы, Seizoen 1, 2021–...)
Genre: Comedy, Mystery, Fantasy, Drama
Director: Anton Maslov

A charming comedy about humane vampires living in Smolensk.

Synopsis (once again, we turn to Kinopoisk for the summary)
Smolensk is a typical city of Central Russia. Or so it seems. In truth, it’s been home to vampires for centuries. While they do allow themselves the occasional human hunt, they strictly abide by an ancient pact: for every person killed, one of their own must be sacrificed to the guardians who enforce the law.

When a couple of drained bodies turn up in a birch grove on the outskirts of town, this fragile peace is shattered. The local vampire cell—led by the eldest of their kind, Grandpa Slava (a.k.a. Svyatoslav Vernidubovich)—must track down the rogue predator before everything falls apart.

Why you should watch:
If you've ever been to Russia between November and February, you know exactly what a Central Russian winter looks like—endless gray skies, slush-covered streets, and drab apartment blocks. It's that classic joke: you take a picture of St. Petersburg and can’t tell whether your phone switched to black-and-white mode or the world just looks like that.

Somehow, the creators of Vampires of Central Russia managed to romanticize that bleakness. Bare birch trees, foggy parks, muddy roads, and grimy cars—everyday Russian life, usually hard to depict beautifully, is presented here with unusual warmth and visual poetry. Smolensk has never looked so atmospheric on screen.

More than that, this series proves that even the most familiar tropes can be reimagined. Vampires aren’t exactly new material—but placed in a Russian provincial setting, with smart writing and strong performances, the show becomes something fresh and truly original. No wonder critics loved it.

Cultural context & trends:
Yuri Stoyanov, a People's Artist of Russia and a household name since the 1990s comedy show Gorodok, brings serious star power to the series. His pairing with rising actor Gleb Kalyuzhny (b. 1998) was a stroke of genius. The cross-generational chemistry between the two gave the show much of its heart—and after Vampires, the duo began landing lead roles together in other comedy series. A true success story.

Editor’s note:
Vampires of Central Russia wins viewers over with its sincerity. There’s a tender love story (in Season 1), a deep sense of family and togetherness, and that rare feeling of coziness you crave in the middle of winter. Yes, there’s blood—it is a vampire story, after all—but this is more than horror. It’s a grown-up fairy tale that makes you believe in magic, in justice, and in the bright future of Russian television.

Lada Gold (Лада Голд, 2023)
 

Genre: detective, komedie, drama
Regisseur: Nikita Vlasov

Lada Gold

Genre: Crime, Comedy, Drama
Director: Nikita Vlasov

A detective story about a car made of pure gold — and every gangster in the Volga region wants it.

Synopsis from Kinopoisk
Artur, grandson of the infamous crime boss Midas, is forced to return from the Netherlands to Russia for his grandfather’s funeral. Pavel, grandson of Togliatti’s legendary police hero Ogurtsov, is stuck dealing with family issues, a girlfriend, and money troubles. The two young men embark on the adventure of a lifetime in a Lada 21043 — made entirely of gangster gold. Hot on their trail are three recently released gang leaders — Baldy, Buba, and Grishka the Singer — as well as the ruthless Shamray, who will stop at nothing to reclaim the gold, the power, and the reputation he once had.

Sounds absurd? A car made of solid gold? Maybe — but then again, maybe not. In the wild 1990s, anything could happen in Russia. If this really had taken place, no one would’ve blinked.

Why watch it?
The show runs on a brilliantly absurd premise — a golden Lada — and spins it into a wildly unpredictable road trip. The characters all have secrets that will leave you gasping more than once.

At its heart, Lada Gold is a story about families, secrets, and buried histories. As screenwriter Yegor Chichkanov put it: “The adventures of our ancestors are full of legends and half-truths. We wanted to show that all of us are heirs to larger-than-life stories — we just don’t realize it until we come face to face with them.”

Well said. We are all heirs to big stories.

Cultural context & trends
On the surface, it’s another nostalgic nod to the 1990s, but the setting is very much modern — the story takes place in 2023. You'll see a stunning desert landscape (filmed in the Astrakhan region, standing in for Kazakhstan), a classic Soviet Lada 21043 (also known as the “chetvyorka”), and gritty turf wars in the Togliatti underworld. Along the way, you’ll also hear some Russian prison slang — much of which has now seeped into everyday speech.

The show also introduced a wider audience to actor Daniil Vorobyov. His performance is magnetic, manic, and unforgettable. Few actors could pull off the transformation he delivers here.

Editor's note:
This absurdist tale of a golden Lada also offers a subtle reflection on generational trauma. What happened in the '90s (or whenever it happened) didn’t stay in the '90s — its echoes are still with us. For today’s complex reality, the director’s message feels spot on: We do have the strength to break the cycle. To rise, start fresh, and say, “It ends with me.”

Published on 11.12.2024