Best Russian drama series
Get ready to binge. We've found a collection of must-watch drama shows from Russia, now streaming on Netflix, HBO, Hulu, Prime Video, and other top services!
Better Than Us 2018
Moscow in a not so distant future where human beings share their daily lives with robots. Georgy, a forensic who has a robot assistant, suddenly finds himself caught up in the first murder committed by a new kind of experimental humanoid.
72To the Lake 2019
A grim drama that unfolds against the backdrop of a global catastrophe. An unknown new virus turns Moscow into a city of the dead. Money loses its value and those not yet infected struggle desperately for food and survival.
69The Kitchen 2012
Maksim "Max" Lavrov wants to become a great chef. But he finds out that the kitchen isn't the place for an easy career. And at restaurant "Claude Monet," this job looks to be harder and much more complicated than just cooking.
81Brigada 2002
A quartet of childhood pals who create a business together find themselves at the core of a powerful Moscow gang in the aftermath of an unplanned murder.
77The Boy's Word: Blood on the Asphalt 2023
In the late 1980s, when “perestroika” was taking place in the USSR and the era of the Soviet Union was about to collapse, life became unstable and very different. The 1980s brought not only freedom, but also waves of crime on the city streets. While some young people began to ‘grow up’ on the streets, others found it difficult to find their place in this unpredictable reality. Andrey, lives with his mother and five-year-old sister. He studies at a music school and often encounters street teenagers who harass him. To protect himself, Andrey makes friends with one of these teenagers, Marat, who introduces him to gang life. Youth groups fight for every piece of territory; they defend their right to live the life, even breaking laws and promises. The only thing that matters to them is the vows they make to their gang members-brothers, with whom they confront the violence and fears of the adult world.
76Method 2015
After graduation our main character Yesenia dreams about work- ing with Rodion Meglin. He is a mysterious, secretive man, a lone investigator with little known about his methods. When Yesenia turns into his trainee she begins to realize that the essence of his method is that Meglin himself – that of a maniac. He feels them instinctively. He is allowed to eliminate some of them, look after others and save their lives. Our heroine who was never meant to work alone will go alone, facing the most horrible crimes of the last decade.
75The Master and Margarita 2005
The Master and Margarita is a Russian television production of Telekanal Rossiya, based on the novel The Master and Margarita, written by Soviet writer Mikhail Bulgakov between 1928 and 1940. Vladimir Bortko directed this adaptation and was also its screenwriter.
75Chornobyl: Exclusion Zone 2014
5 youths give chase after a man who has stolen 8 million rubles from them. The man reveals on his video blog his intention to travel to Chornobyl. With every kilometer the journey of the heroes becomes more dangerous and confusing.
77Policeman from Rublyovka 2016
The television tragicomic story about a young guy named Grisha Izmailov, who became a policeman and was called to protect peace and order in the most elite area of the city of Moscow and the Russian Federation. The guy has to investigate the cases in which the residents of Rublyovka get involved, and he does this, often exceeding his authority. Grisha is about 30 years old, he is handsome, lonely, rich, cynical, passionate and treats everything with a fair amount of black humor. He takes care of his younger sister Nika, who he is forced to constantly get out of trouble. He regularly mocks his boss, Volodya, who thinks that Grisha was sent to him for all his deadly sins. The main character’s best friend is Mukhich, a colorful, clumsy fat man who has no success with girls. Grisha himself, without exerting effort, knows how to please women, for example, his girlfriend - prostitute Christina, but can never achieve reciprocity from Alena, who has long been in love with.
76Silver Spoon 2014
Forced to become an apprentice cop, cocky playboy Igor finds he's got a knack for police work. But his job soon takes him down a dark personal path.
73Chicks 2020
Sveta, Marina and Lyuba work as prostitutes in a small southern township. Their friend Zhanna, who got a chance for a better life, comes back from Moscow with a plan — she wants to open a local gym. Together girls decide to abandon prostitution and start legal business, but their dream to become free, happy and independent will come at a cost.
72Liquidation 2007
The year is 1946. World War II is over, but it doesn't mean that there is no one to fight with. The post-war city of Odessa is ruled by serial killer prison-escapees and former Nazi collaborators. Fallen into disfavor, Marshal Zhoukov is sent to Odessa by Joseph Stalin to handle the situation. Together with the head of the local criminal investigation unit, David Gottsman, Zhoukov begins a special operation cleanup post-war Odessa from crime.
81The Swamp 2021
Faced with insurmountable problems, five young Muscovites flee to a monastery near the half-abandoned village of Topi. They view the trip as an adventure, a long-awaited freedom from worries, and an opportunity to forget. However, the journey turns into a series of mysterious events that only brings closer what they fled from and make them doubt the reality of what's happening.
64Trigger 2020
Artem is 35 years old. He’s a psychologist, he uses this provocative methodology successfully until one of his clients commits suicide. The one who Artem tried to heal from a suicidal mood by taking him to the roof and telling him that suicide was the right course of action. Artem is condemned to 8 years of colony, the psycholo- gist’s license is taken away, his wife Dasha (32) leaves him, his friends turn their backs on him. With the help of his best friend, Artem gets out of jail. All he is looking for is justice. He believes in his method and wants to prove that it’s actually working and the blame of the patient’s death is not on him. Each episode is a sep- arate case, Artem is brilliantly solving other people seemingly im- possible problems. But will he be able to save himself?
73Kitchenblock 2021
Summer 1980. While the Olympics held in the USSR, strange and horrible things are happening in a run-of-the-mill pioneer camp. It turns out pioneer vampires exist not only in horror stories. Smart beyond his years, independent, sensitive and determined to go all the way for the right reasons, main hero Valerka, arrives at summer camp ‘Thunderbird’ for 3 weeks of carefree recreation. Little brave boy secretly aim to discover the reason behind his brother death. Harmless and eternal journey begins to turn around when he soon discovers that one of his roommates is actually sucking the blood. Now, the independent hero must team up to find out how the vampires ended up in a Soviet summer camp, how to destroy them, and who actually killed his brother. Upon the way, Valerka learn how to trust, meet friends and sacrifice himself to the one he truly fell in love. The cost of everyone`s freedoms turned him into a vampire. Has he turned into a monster forever?
67Trotsky 2017
The life pages of a man who changed the world but paid back everything he had. Leon Trotsky is being interviewed in Mexico city of the year 1940 by Canadian journalist Frank Jackson. During eight days they have eight interview sessions revealing the true face of Comrade Trotsky.
69Ekaterina 2014
1745. The reigning Empress Elizabeth Petrovna is infertile. The only heir is her feeble-minded nephew Peter III. Elizabeth cannot allow Peter to ascend to the throne, so she decides to marry the tsarevich, wait for the birth of her son, and then take the boy and raise him as a real Russian emperor herself. Brides are coming to St. Petersburg. Among them is the lovely Fike - the young Princess Sofia Frederica from the impoverished branch of the Prussian kings.
74Patient Zero 2022
USSR, 1980s. The Elista Children's Hospital is experiencing the country's first major HIV outbreak, with more than 70 children and several adults infected. Now everyone: doctors, patients, relatives need to preserve human dignity in the face of a terrible disease for which there is no cure yet.
78Peace! Friendship! Chewing gum! 2020
The year is 1993. 14-year-old Alex Ryabinin lives a normal teenage life - looking for adventure, trying to protect himself from hooligans, does not want learn music, does not know how to meet girls and which adults to follow as an example. On the one hand - an honest but poor family with a saleswoman mother and a father who is a docent, on the other - the dangerous world of an Afghan veteran Uncle Alik. And there's also the girl Zhenya, whose encounter triggers a series of irreversible events that will forever change the life of Alex. Running away from hooligans, Alex steals a car of local criminal authority, and in an instant everything changes. Will he be able to cope with all the problems, being in the heart of events? Will he be able to save his family and finally understand who he is? Only one thing is clear - life will never be the same again. Not for Alex himself, nor for the whole of Russia.
75King & Jester 2023
A fantasy drama infused with music and horror fables based on the real story of the 'King and Jester', a cult Russian punk-rock band, enormously popular in the 1990-2000s. The show goes along the band's rocky road to success and tells the story of its polarizing-natured frontman Michael Gorshenev and his tragic death in 2013. Tricksters, evil spirits, noblemen, and other characters of the 'King and Jester' song verse make their way into the lives of Gorshenev and his bandmates.
71Difficult teens 2019
The famous football player Anton Kovalev, who spent two years in prison for a drunken rowdy in a cafe, is released. With this misconduct, the former captain of the Russian national team put an end to his successful career. The reputation of the “downed pilot” does not allow him to continue his beloved business and get a prestigious job. Herman, who once raised Anton, the head of the center for difficult teenagers, offers him to return to alma mater in order to prepare difficult children for the local Olympics. Because of hopelessness, Kovalev agrees to the proposal, but does not even imagine how difficult it will be to find a common language with the guys and what important place they can take in his life.
82Happy End 2021
The series depicts the journey of a young couple who have decided to turn their relationship into a sexual attraction for the whole world through the webcam.
62The Private School 2011
An elite private school conceals dark secrets. When a teacher disappears, students embark on a perilous journey, facing obstacles and revelations before the gripping conclusion.
66Fisher 2023
1986. Teenagers are killed one by one in the area of the government dachas on Rublevskoye Shosse. Intelligent investigator Valery Kozyrev, his audacious partner from Rostov Evgeny Bokov and very young investigator Natalia Dobrovolskaya begin the investigation, not even knowing how much it will change the fate of each of them. The only witness capable of identifying the maniac - schoolboy Igor, whose parents are not at all happy about his son's contact with the police.
68Metal Family 2018
Metal Family follows the daily lives of Glam and Victoria, two metal fans that fell in love and had two children together, Dee and Heavy.
87Infidelities 2015
An incredible story of a young woman who had a husband and three lovers. The series describes what is happening with the fate of people who are cheating and who are being cheated on.
74The Penal Battalion 2004
Drama of the penalty parts of political prisoners, who fought on the Soviet fronts.
70Call DiCaprio! 2018
The main character is the star of a popular TV series about doctors, actor Yegor Rumyantsev. Having achieved great success, he becomes an egoist and does not notice the feelings and experiences of those around him: he does not come to the shooting, leads a promiscuous sex life and deceives people. One day, Egor finds out that he has HIV. Rumyantsev's brother Lev is a mediocre and unlucky actor who runs a program about useful handicrafts on the cable channel "Ant-TV". Leo has a pregnant wife with two young daughters. He has no prospects for making money and moving up the career ladder until he gets a chance to replace his brother Yegor in the series.
67Stone Jungle Laws 2015
Four guys from the outskirts of Moscow decide to make easy money - to overtake a car with stolen cargo inside. Not really thinking about the consequences, they make one mistake after another, and very soon they have serious problems with the law. Now there is no turning back, and in order to survive, four friends need to stick together at all costs.
72Molodezka 2013
In the town of Podolsk, The Bears hockey club hires a new coach, Sergei Makeyev, a former National Hockey League player, who sets out to get the club to the Junior Hockey League and make The Bears a successful team.
75Dark Side of the Moon 2012
For the last three years police Lieutenant Mikhail Solovyev has been chasing a maniac. The capital is petrified by this scourge of society who is leaving dead bodies in his wake. At the moment of his capture and arrest, a maniac crashes into Mikhail, causing the lieutenant`s death...Soloviev comes back to life after the accident and discovers that he has moved back in time and ended up in 1979 in his father`s body. Understanding nothing about this acci- dent, the lieutenant is trying to adapt to his new life. Coincidently, he works as a soviet police officer at the same time he is discover- ing his chances to get back...
68Chikatilo 2021
He killed and went unpunished for more than ten years, and more than fifty people died at his hands. An innocent man was convicted and shot instead. For a long time, the murders he committed could not be combined into one case. Maniacs of this caliber simply did not exist in the USSR, so law enforcement agencies were not ready to fight the "Rabid Beast", as journalists later dubbed it. Vigilantes, police officers, investigators from the prosecutor's office, psychiatrists were involved in the capture of Chikatilo, and new investigative techniques were developed that will help save innocent people.
62Crystal City 2021
Investigator Sergei Smirnov, must return to the city of his childhood to investigate some high-profile murders. In Crystal city, there is a maniacal pedophile on the loose. Not only does he torture and kill children, he does it in a devious, brutal way. Sergei is the best in his field, so he entrusted with the investigation. Sergei has a complex character; the hero has obviously been through a lot, and his most terrible secrets are buried here, in Crystal city, where Sergei was born and raised.
73The Highway 2024
Svetlana sets out to find her adopted daughter, who left to find her real parents and disappeared. At the same time in this resort town, a thirteen-year-old girl shoots her sleeping family, after which she tries to hang herself. A neighbor comes running to the gunshots and pulls the girl out of the noose. The head of the police of the district entrusts the investigation of the high-profile case to investigator Elvira Barayeva. But how are Svetlana, a St. Petersburg judge with a dark past, and her adopted daughter Kira connected to this case and this place?
75Sweet Life 2014
A single mother from Perm, by the will of fate, finds herself in the capital of Russia, where she makes significant changes to the well-established life of six successful 30-year-old Muscovites.
75An Ordinary Woman 2018
Marina is in her late 30s, she has a successful business and a close-knit family. Her husband is a surgeon and her daughters study at fancy establishments. To everybody her life seems perfect. Though, it is all just a facade concealing the real problems: her husband has a mistress, her elder daughter is a slacker and drug-dealer, her youngest is a sociopath. Well, Marina herself is not really a flower-lady, but a brothel-keeper who is hiding her dark business from everyone. The truth may come out when a girl of Marina’s is found dead.
73AnnDroid 2020
Russian scientists have created an android policeman. Perfect in all respects, Captain Anna Nikolaevna Korolkevich goes to serve in a provincial city to see real life and become a human. Colleagues think that Anna Nikolaevna is the daughter of the deputy minister, and nothing portends trouble until humanization goes too far.
62The Thaw 2013
The series is set in 1961. Cameraman Viktor Khrustalyov is in a difficult situation; he is suspected of being involved in the death of his friend, talented screenwriter Kostya Parshin, who committed suicide during a drinking-bout. The authorities try to put Khrustalyov in prison by any means. Viktor needs to shoot the comedy "The Girl and the Brigadier" in order to get permission to make the film "Shards" after the wonderful scenario left from his deceased screenwriter friend. Young director Yegor Myachin wants to adаpt this screenplay. Khrustalyov arranges him as a trainee to the venerable director Krivitsky for a comedy. In the same film act Khrustalev's ex-wife Inga and his young sweetheart Maryana, with whom Yegor Myachin is also in love.
70The Idiot 2003
The Idiot is a costume drama TV series produced by Russia TV Channel in 2003, based on Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel of the same title. The series' script is very close to Dostoevsky's original text, and the series features well-known Russian actors.
76Outsource 2025
In the mid-90s, when the death penalty was still allowed, a new employee appeared in the special purpose prison. Like his colleagues, Kostya will have to carry out death sentences. But he has a special view of justice. After meeting with the father of one of the victims, Kostya realizes that it is close people who have the right to carry out punishment. Besides, you can make good money on it. For example, they never dreamed of the kind of money that a mother offered for the murder of her daughter's rapist.
73Soviet Storm: WWII in the East 2011
Soviet Storm is a new and epic television history of the Second World War's Eastern Front. Giving an unprecedented Russian perspective on the war's most decisive and bloody theater.
72Dropper 2022
Vanya is an anesthesiologist and intensive care specialist working in a Moscow clinic. A few years ago, his girlfriend Masha died of an overdose, and her mother was paralyzed after such a tragedy. Vanya feels guilty and tries to somehow correct the mistakes of the past - for this it is necessary to raise a large amount of money for the operation to his mother, and the only real way to earn them is to become a "drip" — a person who illegally "pumps out" the rich and famous.
75Psycho 2020
It is not easy to make an appointment with the in-demand 40-year-old Moscow psychotherapist Oleg. To his clients, he seems to be a successful and independent family man, while passions are raging inside him, he himself needs qualified help from a specialist, and his wife went missing a little over a year ago.
66Russian Affairs 2019
Moscow, present day. The city of big money, passion, gorgeous women and wealthy men, receptions and dangerous intrigue. Dasha, an art historian from the province, who came to the capital, dreams of a new, better life, but a mysterious and cruel incident will change everything.
63The Kidney 2021
An employee of the fire department - a manipulator and a bribe-taker - is trying to get herself a kidney for a transplant. But this is not easy to do, since she lived her life in such a way that no one wants to help her.
61Call Center 2020
Moscow. High rise. Here, on the 12th floor, is the office of the call center "Online Store for Adults". One morning, twelve people who are in the office suddenly find out that there is a bomb in the room. The voices of the unknowns who introduced themselves as Dad and Mom threaten to blow it up at any time if the hostages do not follow their instructions. While the countdown is going on, they will have to experience the absolute power of invisible sadists and learn something about each other’s life that they did not even suspect.
64The Monastery 2022
Maria is a charming party girl who lives at someone else's expense. One day in the Emirates, she goes to a nightclub with the billionaire's wife, the party gets out of control, and now Maria is facing jail, she is being chased by dangerous people, and accounts are blocked. She has to flee to Russia, but she is not safe at home either — and the girl takes refuge in the walls of the monastery.
66Detective Anna 2016
Nineteen-year-old Anna, living at the end of the nineteenth century in the town of Zatonsk, unexpectedly discovers that she possesses supernatural powers. The spirits of the dead literally haunt her, begging to help. Aided by her visions, Anna manages to investigate and solve a number of mysterious crimes which have baffled the police. An experienced detective, 37-year-old Yakov Shtolman, who is assigned to the police department and teams up with Anna and becomes her partner in hunting down criminals.
78The Road to Calvary 2017
Swept up in political unrest during World War I, two sisters in St. Petersburg cope with turbulent romances as Russian history is made around them.
68School 2010
9 "A" was an exemplary class, while their class teacher was Nosov Anatoly Germanovich - a strong and experienced teacher, recognized in 2009 as the Teacher of the Year. After his sudden illness, 9 "A" is left without a strong hand. The myth of the exemplary class is crumbling, discipline is cracking at the seams. Nosov's granddaughter, Anya Nosova, is perhaps the most difficult teenager of the school. A new student Ilya Epifanov provokes situations in which students manifest themselves from unexpected sides, turning upside down the usual idea of them as classmates and teachers. None of the teachers want to take on the class, which of the model has become the most difficult.
63Karamora 2022
A young anarchist Karamora and his lover, Alina are caught–up in a confrontation with members of a powerful organization which costs Alina her life. Devastated, Karamora wants vengeance but this ancient secret order’s tentacles are everywhere, with depth and reach far beyond human capabilities. Karamora uncovers classified information that goes right to the heart of this arcane organization only to find out that real power lies elsewhere. Who are they, and will Karamora find peace once the truth is revealed?
69How I Became a Russian 2015
A journalist of "American Post" Alex Wilson wrote a scorcher of a critique on unreachable “American dream” and "won" a termless business trip to Russia. At first he is terrified by thinking of the homeland of balalaika, vodka, and bears, but later he is inspired with love and respect for the foreign country.
67Happy Together 2006
The ordinary life of an ordinary family from the province: a couple, 2 children, a dog and neighbors. Dasha is a housewife who loves to watch TV shows and go shopping. Her husband, Gena, is a shoe store manager, likes to hang around in the garage and watch football with friends. Their daughter Sveta is a student of high school, changes the guys every week. And their son Roma is playing computer thew whole day and intrigues sister. Bukins quarrel at least once a day - so they have fun. They have been together for 16 years and still love each other. This is the happiest family in the world.
52Addicted 2018
Addicted is an ensemble drama set in New Home, a leading rehab centre run by a brilliant team of experts; psychologists, doctors and counsellors. Lead character Yana is a junkie. After getting herself into serious trouble she’s forced to choose between therapy or jail. Reluctantly she chooses rehab, where she meets Ilya, a newbie consultant therapist assigned to her case. Observing other patients helps Yana understand her situation better, re-discover her self-worth, and gradually recover her health and her life. As her treatment progresses, so does their friendship, presenting an ethical and moral dilemma for both.
63Mediator 2021
Andrey is a professional negotiator. When people can't agree, he helps them to — for a lot of money. For each dispute, he changes himself beyond recognition. Andrey can convince anyone of anything, anytime and anywhere, but he seems to have a hard time accepting his own self. This twisted psychological thriller tests the limits of how far people can go to get what they want. Cruel, dark, and shockingly manipulative, Andrey proves to be extremely efficient. But is it all worth it in the end? And what is the real cost of his abilities?
65Psychologirls 2017
Graduates of the psychology faculty Vika, Tanya and Alina know firsthand what "cognitive helplessness", "impostor syndrome" and "demon of jealousy" are. However, after meeting ten years later, the girls realize that Freud and other luminaries of psychology do not save their personal lives. Alina starts fleeting affairs, Vika has become a tyrant in her own family, and Tanya has acquired a baggage of complexes. The friends got close again to help each other with professional advice when the diagnosis should be made not to the patient, but to herself.
72Londongrad 2015
Russian comedy detective series centres around a ‘fixing’ agency set up to troubleshoot problems for rich Russians in London.
69The Red Queen 2015
Story of the rise of a girl from proverbial humble beginnings to top Russian fashion model during Cold War-era USSR.
69The Day After 2013
A drug company, attempting to create a perfect human race, releases a virus which proves to be deadly. People are dying by the thousands, but eleven strangers, who wake up in a bunker with no memory of how they got there, find themselves responsible for determining the future of all mankind.
60Gogol' 2019
The year 1829. Nikolay Gogol, a young Third Section clerk, is desperate: his own books seem shallow and mediocre, so he keeps buying entire print runs just to burn them all. He is suffering from violent epileptic seizures and struggles to keep on working. Investigator Yakov Guro accidentally witnesses one such fit and realizes that Gogol's visions contain clues that could help solve actual crimes. Together, Gogol and Guro take on a particularly weird and baffling case that brings them to a small village of Dikanka, where everyone has a huge secret to hide.
59The Big Moment 2021
Estranged ex-lovers, Kostya and Kira are unexpectedly thrown together again when they're asked to collaborate as script-writers on a love-story set in a music school. The script focuses on teachers Rostislav (Dmitry Lysenkov) and Arina (Evgeniya Borzykh), who are caught-up in a difficult situation, made more complicated by Arina passing off a new colleague as her boyfriend to placate her demanding mother. The real and phoney relationships, both on and off-paper (or in reality or in the script), test all the characters, and examine themes of love, trust, sex, infidelity, friendship, responsibility as well as compatibility.
69Territory 2020
19-year-old Egor Chudinov goes in search of his parents, who disappeared during an ethnographic expedition to the Perm Region. Together with his uncle Nikolai and two random fellow travelers — students of philology Tanya and Nadia - Egor moves deeper into the territory, which lives according to its own laws and traditions. There is a gloomy nature here, hermits live in forest dugouts, diseases are treated by sorcerers, and the cause of troubles is considered to be damage caused by witches, and somewhere among the dense forests a bear shaman wanders. At first, Egor is skeptical about the stories about ancient creatures of Komi-Permian mythology, but gradually realizes that the world is much wider than his ideas.
67The Street 2017
History of residents of one of the streets of the sleeping area of a big city. Schoolchildren and students, housewives and sellers, oligarchs and simple workers - more than 30 characters of different age and social status will meet here, each of them has its own story. There are no main and secondary heroes in the “Universe” of the Street. This is a story about all of us and our neighbors.
77Life on Call 2022
The story of an unusual businessman Alexander Schmidt, nicknamed Magic, who is ready to fulfill the most daring and explicit sex fantasies of his clients.
68Doomsday 2022
In the Chertanovo area, known for periodic invasions and attractions, the Prince of Darkness himself suddenly appears. He has grandiose plans, but to implement them, he needs the help of his son, a supermarket cashier, who has a lot of questions for his father from hell. The all-powerful Prince of Darkness will have to build relationships with earthly relatives in order to carry out his plans and teach humanity a lesson.
69Комбинация 2024
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