Russian TV Series in the Era of Transition

Alexander Prokhorov teaches at Russian and Film Studies Programs at The University of William & Mary.Elena Prokhorova teaches at Russian and Film Studies Programs at The University of William & Mary.Rimgaila Salys is Professor Emerita of Russian Program at the University of Colorado Boulder and an expert in twentieth century Russian literature, film, and culture.

• Table of Contents Note on Transliteration Introduction1. The Cultural Euphemism of Kul′tura: Soviet Nostalgia on the Russia-K ChannelAlyssa DeBlasio 2. The Great Patriotic Serial: Penal Battalion (Shtrafbat), Historical Taboos, and the Beginnings of the New National IdeaStephen M. Norris3. Orlova and Aleksandrov Redux: The TV SeriesRimgaila Salys4. Putin-Era Television Productions about Catherine the Great: Active Measures as Period DramaElena Prokhorova and Alexander Prokhorov5. Between Pornography and Nostalgia: Valery Todorovsky’s The Thaw (Ottepel′)Lilya Kaganovsky6. The State of Affairs: Screwing Family Values in Putin’s RussiaTatiana Mikhailova7. Glocalizing Neo-Noir: Iury Bykov’s The Method and SleepersElena Prokhorova, Alexander Prokhorov, and Rimgaila Salys 8. Queer Families: Gender, Sexuality, and the Neoliberal State on Russian TelevisionVlad Strukov9. The Web Series Bitches (Stervochki) and Post-Legacy Television in RussiaSaara Ratilainen 10. InterviewsAlexander Dulerain: Television Producer and ShowrunnerSergei Fiks: Producer and Studio ExecutiveDenis Gorelov: Scriptwriter, Executive Producer, and Film CriticNatalia Meshchaninova: Director and ScriptwriterMaksim Stishov: Producer, Showrunner, and ScriptwriterContributors

“Thanks to the editorial efforts of Alexander Prokhorov, Elena Prokhorova, and Rimgaila Salys, students and scholars now have access to some of the most incisive and pertinent essays on the subject to date. … As television and media studies continue to gain prominence in the REEES field, Russian TV Series in the Era of Transition will prove to be a foundational text. Its broad range of topics, insightful analyses, and useful supplementary materials successfully address gaps in the existing scholarship, while its accessible tone is sure to attract broad audiences among scholars and non-scholars alike.”— Graham Weaver, The Jordan Center Blog“Russian TV Series is a welcome addition to a scanty bibliography. A handsomely produced book with many color stills, this edited collection consists of a brief introduction, nine essays, and five interviews with prominent figures in Russian television. (...) All the essays are well executed… [R]eaders interested in television will certainly benefit from the detailed synopses of these programs and the research leads related to production and reception that can be found in the articles’ footnotes.Russian TV Series’ most valuable contribution to television studies scholarship may, however, turn out to be the five short interviews with producers and showrunners Alexander Dulerain, Sergei Fiks and Maksim Stishov and script writers Denis Gorelov and Nataliia Meshchaninova that conclude the volume. The interviewees speak with relative candor about their difficulties navigating Russian cultural politics and their hopes for a future that would include greater collaboration with their counterparts in Europe, hopes that strike me as deeply poignant in the present context.”— Denise J. Youngblood, University of Vermont, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television“Edited by three established scholars of Russian cinema and television, this useful collection includes a brief introduction by the editors, nine articles, and five interviews with producers, screenwriters, and directors active in Russian Television in recent years. College students and teachers of contemporary Russian media will find it an informative and useful introduction to the subject. … The authors of the nine essays approach this impossibly large subject from diverse and complementary angles: some concentrate on individual series or auteurs, while others focus on historical and/or sociological themes, sexuality, and technology. The thread which holds the articles together… is their authors’ belief that Russian television series can provide a privileged view into Russian society and culture.”— Anthony Anemone, The New School, Russian Review (October 2022: Vol. 81, No. 4)