Top 20 best Ukrainian shows

I already made a list of my favorite Croatian shows, however, I did not talk about another part of my cultural heritage. I'm Ukrainian on my mother's side, I can read, write and speak the languge fluently, and for most of my childhood and teen years a lot of my exposure to TV as a format came through Ukrainian networks on my satellite TV. So I decided to compile all those years of watching into a neat list of my 50 absolute favorites. I will, of course, note where these shows are available with English subtitles for my non-Ukrainain readers.

As with the previous list, I have some criteria. This list will only include Ukrainian langug shows and miniseries, so no Russian languge productions (which do exist in Ukraine, however, they're very frowned upon).

Also some Ukrainian shows are just theatrical films chopped up into multiple episodes (for example the fantasy film The Guardian Post), so I won't be including those either, as they began their life as films.

As with my list of favorite Croatian shows, I won't be including documentaries, so an honourable mention goes out to The Lost World (Загубленний Світ).

It was incredibly hard to find trailers for a lot of these, so I decided to link up first episodes of th ones I couldn't find. I apologise for this strongly.

So without further addo, let's start this list off with...

20) There will be people (І будуть люди)

Focusing on the trials and tribulations of ordinary people in the Ukrainian region of Poltavschynna this epic period piece, based on the novel of the same name by Anatoli Dimarov, shows us the how the inhabitants of a small village witnessed various significant historical events: The First World War, the October Revolution, the rise and fall of the People's Republic of Ukraine, it's defeat in the war with Bolshevyk troops and the arrival of the Soviet goverment and the beggining of new horrors.

The show is an anthology, with each episode focusing on a different character, with some mild overlap. It was one of the most, if not the most, expensive Ukrainian languge TV productions of all time, and the budget clearly shows with stunning visuals, a wonderfully selected cast and some of the best costume work I've seen in any show. Going in, I though the writing was going to be overtly melodramatic, however, I was impecably wrong because it's not only authentic to the time period, but really emotional and even a bit thought provoking. Overall this is one of the best period dramas I've ever watched. The show is available to non-Ukrainian viewers for rent or purchase on Amazon Prime.

19) A crime with many unkowns (Злочин з багатьма невідомими)

This 7 episode miniseries is based on a series of articles published in 1899, in the Polish languge Ukrainian newspaper Kurjer Lwowski by journalist, author, poet, folklorist and freedom fighter Ivan Jakovych Franko (1856-1916), who is one of the most renowned figures in Ukrainian patriotic literature. Some elements of these events would later be used in Franko's short story The Basics of society.

The series is set in two separate timelines, one being the main narrative taking place in the city of Lviv in 1888, and the other being various events and narratives from the lives of the characters in the past, all of which culminate to the begging of the series itself.

It's an engaging mystery thriller with a spark of societal commentary of the era, so I highley reccomend it to anyone fancying a good period drama with an edge. However, it's very dialoge heavy, so you might not enjoy it if you're a very visual person.

18) Ambulance (Швидка)

A comedy following the misadventures of a group of quirky paramedics who get into all sorts of comedic situations and mishaps whilst saving lives.

The show was written, developed and produced by Ukrainian stand-up comedian, economist, politician and actor Sergii Prytula and aired on the now defunct network NLOTV, which aired some other really fun shows my non-European readers are certainly familiar with, like Elementary, NCIS, Grimm, Warehouse 13, Charmed etc.

Whilst I usually don't give a lot of comedies a shot, Ukrainian comedy is one of the few that geniuenly makes me laugh and this one was no exception. Even though I'm not too fond of Prytula's writing style and don't consider it overtly clever or challenging, I do think he did a great job here, parodying usual medical drama tropes and adding a special flair of Ukrainian authenticity.

17) Psychic (Екстрасенс)

A guilty pleasure of mine are Ukrainian psychic reality shows, which flooded Ukrainian television for a while, for example Psychics investigating (Слідство ведуть екстрасенси) and a Ukrainian adaptation of Britain's psychic challenge called Battle of the psychics (Битва екстрасенсів).

This show is a comedy following a psychic with Sherlock Holmes-esque mental abbilities who is called upon to investigate supposedly supernatural cases, often resulting in mishaps and shennanigans, or simply aid people using his supernatural powers. In this crusade against the darkness he is aided by his incompetent brother, quirky best friend and a strict Mrs. Hudson-esque landlady.

This show does a great job of parodying horror, scifi and fantasy tropes, as well as methods used by psychics in afframentioned reality shows. It's a wild, yet still fun romp which tries to be more than just an acerage sitcom.

16) Cossacks: an absolutely false historical account (Козаки: абсолютно брехлива історія)

Yet another comedy, however, this time in a less conetmporary setting.

Here we follow a young man who steals a supposedly magical artifact from the Russian emperor whilst wishing to free his mother from prison. However, it turns out that this artifact is vital to the survival of the entire empire so he unwittingly becomes a target of everyone within it's border, from assasin's and mercenaries to common crooks and thieves. Whilst on the run, he stumbles upon the Zaporizhian Sich, a real life cossack settlement, where he encounters some deliciously over the top cossack warriors who are ready to defend the Sich, their pride and Ukrainian integrity, as well as his life.

Might sound a bit stupid? It's surprisingly not. The writing is geniuenly clever, far more than it has any right or need to be, and it's elevated by a slew of great performances from respected comedy actors.

Overall, if you're in the mood for something in the feel of Pirates of the Carribean or One piece, this is a show for you.

15) Saga (Сага)

This show follows the many generations of the Kozak family as they navigate their way through Ukraine's turbulent 20th century. From the many early wars, revolutions and uprisings, Stalin's Holodomor genocide and opressions following it, the 1941 occupation of Kyiv by Nazi forces, the Chornobil nuclear plant disaster, the downfall of the Soviet Union, the proclamation of Ukrainian independence, to the more recent events like The Orange Revolution and Euromaidan.

Whilst the show is certainly not as high budget or thought provoking as There will be people, it was certainly well executed and conveyed the many horrors and triumphs of the Ukrainian nation throught it's troubled past. It's a wonderful insight into Ukraine's national pride and patriotism with a surprisingly great selection of actors which elevate the show quite a lot in it's many aspects.

(14) The Brave (Відважні)

So far this list consisted of comedies and period pieces, but now I want to steer away from those and discuss a police procedural.

The Brave has a very simple, albeit interesting premise. It follows the fictional all-female division of the Kyiv police department know as the Domestic Violence Unit as they solve cases of primarily spousal and other types of domestic abuse. Whilst the show certainly isn't as complex as it could be, it covers it's topic with a lot of respect and simpathy for the victims and their families. The show was funded and aired in order to raise awareness of this issue and it does so remarkably well, far better than I expected it to be completely honest. Also for a show that didn't air on cable, it could get very dark and even surprisingly grizzly, which feels appropriate judging by the subject matter.

(13) Trace (Слід)

Keeping in trend with the police procedural genre let's talk about a show that split dozens of Ukrainians. Trace is a remake of the Russian series of the same name.

I never saw the original due to the fact that the fanbase (on both Russian and Ukrainian sides) were incredibly toxic, especially when it comes to this remake.

However what I do know is that it's the longest running Russian show ever made, which was in itself a remake of one of my favorite tv series of all time: Anthony Zuiker's CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. It's currently got a total of 30 seasons and 278 episodes. It's also resulted in three spin offs:the made for tv movie The Gardner and two shows Trace-52 and Akvatoria. I haven't seen any of these, so I can't exactly speak for their quality. Apart from Ukraine it was also remade in Poland under the title Slad (also meaning Trace).

Back to the Ukrainain remake.

The show centers on the agents of the fictional SIA (Special Investigation Agency) who investigate and combat crimes too complex or dangerous to handle for regular officers, task forces and forensic scientists. The team consists of Olga Kosach (head of operations, proffesor of criminalistics and forensic psychology), senior officer Viktor Shablii, Stanislav "Stas" Shugaev (team hacker with a knowledge in biology and chemistry, head of the analitics department), pathologyst Maria Nebesna (medical examiner), police captain Kateryna Chervona (expert in the fields of firearm examination, ballistics and trace evidence), special ops unit commanders Jaroslav Gaivoron (former military man) and Taras Rymar (master of disguise and persuassion) and biologist Albina Panchuk (forensics expert).

Whilst the show is your standard villain of the week procedural as someone who enjoys that genre a lot I don't see much of a problem with it and I'm pretty sure anyone who enjoys this style of shows will have a good time with it.

Fun fact

The original acronym of the organisation (OSA, derived from Osoblyva Slidcha Agencia) translates to "wasp" in a lot of Slavic languges, which is a reference to Kosach's nickname and the yellow and black stripes addorning it's vehicles.

Whilst the show is your standard villain of the week procedural as someone who enjoys that genre a lot I don't see much of a problem with it and I'm pretty sure anyone who enjoys this style of shows will have a good time with it.

(12) Secrets (Таємниці)

Contiuning with the remake thread this time we have Ukrainian take on a Croatian series with a village themed soap opera Secrets.

I must admit, I didn't think I was going to enjoy this show. However, it astounded me with great character work, a solid selection of actors and a decent mystery that drove the plot. The show is set over the course of three different years: 1941, 1991 and 2005.

The show first starts with the murder of a politician Nikola von Bussoff in the small village of Stanovo by the hands of activist Fedir Gryschuk, ending with Bussof's pregnant wife escaping to Austria where she gives birth to a baby girl she names Julia. Five decades later Julia returns to the village with her husband Borys and son Mykola and stays at the home of Semen and Ivan Gryschuk, the sons of her father's killer. Mykola quickly falls for Semen's daughter Katia, however, their young love is quickly ended by the murder of his mother of which his father is falsely accused, as well as the mysterious dissappearence of Katia's mother, resulting in Katia being sent to an orphanage. In 2005, Mykola returns to the village now as an investigator determined to uncover the truth behind his mother's death and his father's incarciration, igniting many old flames in the process.

As I mentioned the show had a fairly solid mystery which made me overlook the more romantic and cheesy elements. I've never seen the Croatian original, but I'm not particularly interested in doing that.

(11) The Black Council (Чорна рада)

Based on the novel of the same name by Pantleimon Kulish (which was in turn the earliest work of historical fiction in Ukrainian literature) this 9 episode miniseries documents the events of the rivalry for the position of a getman (general of the cossack army, as well as the their head strategist and political leader), after the death of Bogdan Hmelnytskyj (the most famous and accomplished getman) between Jakym Somko and Ivan Briuhvetskii and the many alliances, intrigues, murders and betrails happening between the two sides. These events culminate in the Black Council of 1663. These events were monitored by the Russian empirial forces and all candidates for the position were arrested and executed on charges of federal treason. Like a lot of fiction of the genre there is a fictional B plot, which is a love story.

The show's original 9 episode run has never been released in a physical form, and is mostly considered lost (even though there's a huge possibility it's in the archive of some of the many networks), however, a version that was released on home video was a 145 minute movie made for tv movie, which served as a replacement in case of possible tv airings. Overall this is a beautifully shot and atmospheric historical epic with stunning cinematography, costume work and battle scenes, coupled by talented performances.

(10) Cops at work (Копи на роботі)

A satyre of police procedurals based on the French shortcom Comissariat central, which I never watched due to not coming across it anywhere. The show's premise is pretty simple: we follow a group of young officers under the comissioner Petro Petrovych who investigate bizzare and wacky cases and deal with oddball individuals, criminals and civilians alike.

The show faired pretty poorly in the ratings department so it was cancelled after only a single season, consisting of 33 episodes (althought 35 were originally filmed and comissioned). The show is also notable for being the first original fully Ukrainian languge sitcom aired on the network ICTV.

Whilst I'm generally not too fond of comedy as a genre, this one was delightfully odd and quirky, plus it satyrized a genre I enjoy a lot. It didn't break any new ground, however, it made me smile and was a fresh breather from the usual type of shows I watch.

(9) The Luck House (Будиночок на щастя)

Similar to the previous show this isn't the most high brow entertainment out there. It doesn't tackle any important themes it could, it's not the best written nor the best acted. However, it's here mostly for the nostalgia. I was in my early teens when this show was airing (not sure if it still is, I haven't kept up with it in a while) and, whilst I didn't outrigt laugh at it, I didn't think it was unwatchable. After a long and tiring day of boring classes and bullying this was the perfect show for me to relax to (a few years later that role would be taken on by The Big Bang Theory and Fresh off the boat).

Anyways, enough ramblings about my childhood and more TV talk.

The story follows Maksym, a mild mannered banker who decides to move to a small village of Senkivka with his perky and a tad bit bratty wife Masha and her dog Mulia to start an Ostrich farm bussiness on his grandfather's old property. Once they arrive there they struggle to adapt to the quirky location and it's peculiar residents, however they keep on trying to adapt to it nontheless.

Like I said, it's a fairly solid show, nothing too spectacular, but if you want something quirky to relax to, this is a show made for you.

(8) The Blue Rose (Блакитна трояанда)

One of the earliest fully Ukrainian languge TV productions (it was released in 1988, so before Ukrainian independence from the USSR) this two part miniseries directed by Oleg Biima for the production company Ukrtelefilm (which also released A crime with many unkowns).

The show is based upon the play of the same name by Ukrainian author Lesya Ukrainika (one of the most important and influential Ukrainian authors), which was not only her first experiance in writing for the stage, but also the earliest psychologycal drama in Ukrainian literature. It's main theme is the artful depiction of madness as a form of freedom for the human being, as well as a form of sadness that the body cannot fathom.

As many works of the romanticism era are, it's themes are depicted through a lense of a love story. This is the story of Liubov Goschynska who falls for Orest Gruich, however, instead of the more tragic elements stories of this sort in that era usually took on, this one focuses heavily on her conflict between her feelings and the beliefs of her surroundings, which forbid women to express themselves and their desires.

This is one of the most loyal adaptations I've ever seen, directly taking the runtime of the actual play (2 hours) and lifting the dialoge. It's also impecably acted, with probably my favorite performances in Ukrainian TV. If you're in the mood to see an adaptation of a classic of Ukrainian literature, I guarantee you'll enjoy this.

(7) Mom (Мама)

This one really hit me on a level not a lot of shows did before. I'm not usually into military dramas (excpet for period ones), however, this was a deep, intelligent and raw show that made me think about the current war in Ukraine far deeper than I did before and exceded any and all expectations.

The show follows Nina Petrivna Schevchuk, an inhabitant of Zhytomyr whose son Vitalii is currently fighting on the front and her life is quickly surrounded by war and grief. One day she recieves the news that her son has been taken as a prisoner of war and she decides to go on a search across the country to find him, facing her fears and the enemy upfront desperatley looking for the answer to the question is her son alive or not.

Lots of the show's emotions comes from the performance of Olesia Zhurakivska as Nina. Her acting makes the show stand out from all other military dramas because she geniuenly feels like a real mother. The viewer can sympathise with her as she experiances every emotion: fear, guilt, sadness, determination, amongst others. It's also one of the most authentic pieces of media when it comes to portraying the horrors of the Russian-Ukranian war.

If you're into deep character studies with amazing performances, you'll certainly enjoy this one. It's available on Youtube with English subtitles.

(6) New girl (Новенька)

I'm not a fan of most teen dramas. I find them corny, cheesy and overall cringeworthy. However, this one intrigued me with it's unique combination of a high school drama with an overarching mystery that manages to outdo atleast some of the genre's cliches.

The show follows Vira, a high school student recruited by the Kyiv PD to infiltrate Viviat, the city's most prestige (and also fictional) high school, to uncover reports of drug smuggling. Her superior, comissioner Lysenko, orders her to keep tabs of Roman, the school's most popular student, who she happens to bond with and fall for, ending up getting trapped in a whirlwind of romance, high school drama, music and drug affairs turning her life in a flash.

Again, this isn't the best written or best acted show, as is the case with most teen dramas. In fact I do sincerely believe it can be quite stupid at points and there are moments that show how little people writing this understand teenage behaviour and way of thinking. It's also brimming with cliches of other shows akin to this.

However, in spite of all of that, this show just drew me in, and, apparently it was interesting enough for me to finish up the entire thing. If you're looking for a corny watch which isn't too comedic, I highley reccomend this one.

(5) Jacob's Century (Століття Якова)

This four episode period drama miniseries based on the novel of the same name by Volodymyr Lys tells the story of a young girl named Olena, whose thrown away by her drug dealer on the side of the road in the village of Zagorany. She is found and nursed back to help by a 99 year old man named Jacob who recounts to her his life story, paralelling the real world history and events of Ukraine, from the Polish occupation of western Ukraine, the Second World War, the USSR and the modern era. Jacob travels from one army to another, whilst still retaining a pacificstic spirit and wishing for only two things: to live and to find someone to love. It's a touching tale of scoietal issues, love and, my personal favorite aspect, history.

Whilst most critics and audiences gave the show solid and even generally positive reviews, the author of the original novel wasn't quite the fan. Some of his pet peeves included: lack of traditional dialect of the Polissyian region (where the story is set for the most part), innaccurate design of a church (churches in Polissya are known for their stark colors, whilst the one depicted in the show is made from plain wood) and trimming down of some storylines present in the book. However, he did praise the show's production value, some of the artistic choices and the performance of Stanislav Boklan as an elderly Jacob.

I went into this show completely blind. I heard about the novel, but, as I don't live in Ukraine obtaining a copy wasn't exactly easy. So when on the summer camp for Ukrainian languge and culture we were presented with an opportunity to view all 4 episodes I was all in. And I was not dissapointed as this is one of the most gutwrenchig, intelligently executed and beautifully shot shows I've seen from a non-English languge country. If you have a passion for history or want to see a simple, yet beautiful story, then this show is certainly for you.

(4) Slavs (Слов'яни/Slovania)

This Ukrainian-Slovenian coproduction was a Erupean attempt at a GOT like dark fantasy, however, this one would be helped by it's heavy usage of Slavic mythology.

As mentioned way back in my earliest post Slavic mythology is my favorite mythology, and I geniuenly feel it needs as much exposure in media as Greco-Roman, Egyptian or Norse ones, if not even more. This show proved that it's a completely accomplishable task (which was their goal to begin with). It also broke the record for being the most expensive tv show ever made, in both Ukraine and Slovakia.

The show was heavily inspired by elements from both Ukrainian and Slovakian legends and mythology, as well as being filmed in both countries (althought most of the filming took place in Ukraine, with some scenes being filmed in Czechia) and having a cast from both countries' respective filmographies.

But enough about the technical aspects, let's talk about the story.

The show follows a young healer from a small hunter-gatherer Carpathian village of Velykyj Stil named Draga who has strange, supernatural senses and abbilities. One day, whilst collecting herbs she comes across an unconcious man in a suit of armor whom she wakes up and nurses back to health. The man, however, has amnesia and is unable to remember his name and his origins and they set out on a quest to discover the truth. All the while threats of unimaginable power arise as the dangerous Avarian horde is approaching and the gods seem to have strange desires for Draga and the mysterious stranger.

It's very clear that this show blew my mind in every aspect. It looks gorgeous, with stunning camera work and visual effects which are quite impressive for a European production. It has a fantastic cast who do a terrific job. And, finally, the designs on all of the supernatural characters look terrific. The writing can be a bit cliche at times, falling into usual fantasy and period piece tropes and cliches, however, I don't mind them if they are done well, and they certainly are here. Some elements are, of course, inaccurate or overblown, however, as this is a fantasy show first and foremost, I don't think that's a bad thing.

Sadly, the show itself didn't fair too well with the ratings due to being placed at an unfortunate timeslot of 10 PM, so the second season is well of in a limbo rght now.

Overall, if you're interested in learning more about Slavic mythology then this is a show for you.

(3) To capture a Kaydash (Спіймати Кайдаша)

Based on the novel The Kaydash family by Ievgenyi Nechui Levytskyj (well moreso following the same general themes, having the same characters and being set in the same region but setting the story in a modern era, kinda like BBC's Sherlock) this show follows the Kaydash family as they navigate their personal and proffesional lives of the Kaydash family, as they try to navigate in the everchanging political and social climate of 2010s Ukraine, with them serving as an encapsulated version of the Ukrainian nation as a whole.

The original novel was set in the 1860s and served as commentary on the relinquishing of serfdom in the Russian Empire (known to be the last country to do so), and just like it, this show balances wonderfully between hysterical comedy about neighbourly and familial desputes and a thought provoking drama about life and love. It's a touching and emotional, yet at the same time wonderfully whimsical tale which will go down in history as one of the greatest Ukrainian shows of all time.

And that's not just me talking, this show recieved nothing but positive reviews from critics and audiences as well as ahigh amount of ratings on both television and Youtube. This sow is positively brilliant and anyone can recieve an immense amount of enjoyment out of it.

(2) Carpathian ranger (Карпатський рейнджер)

A Canadian mountie of Ukrainian decent Paul Gordiichak moves to the small town of Nagura in the Carpathians to be the leading judge on the competition Ukrainian Sheriff. However, after a new sheriff is elected he is accidently assasinated by a man sent to kill Paul, he decides to stay in the area and take on the mantle of sheriff throwing himself in the wild world of murder, espionage, conspiracies, drug trafficking and good old small town drama.

I went into this one with extremely low expectations for this, as it seemed like an over the top parody of action shows and police procedurals like Banshee, Justified, Walker: Texas Ranger and Longmire. Not that there is anything wrong with a good comed/parody/satyre, it's just that it's a genre I rarely go for. However, I was pleasently surprised at not only how seriously this show took it's premise, but at how gripping it was. I was invested in both solving the case and the personal dramas of the leads and there's an equal number of very heartwarming moments. The show's action coreography, whilst obviously staged, is generally decent. It's not on the same level of coolness and believability as Banshee, but it's impecably well executed.

If you're interested in modern and neo-westerns, this will certainly be a welcome cup of tea on your TV screens.

(1) First swallows/Early birds (Перші Ластівки)

Finally, let's discuss a show that surprised me for just how well written and downright brilliant it was. That show is First swallows.

As mentioned previously, I'm not really into teen dramas, however, this one was different. It was beautifully shot, boldly executed and dared to say things which are quite taboo in both Ukrainian society and Ukrainian media (like drug addiction, suicide, lgbtq+ discriminatation etc.). It felt like a European version of 13 reasons why (which is a show I personally wasn't fond off and thought this was far superior in terms of realism).

It's a bit of an anthology, with each season focusing on a new set of charactrs and a new storyline (in a similar vein to AHS, Fargo, True detective etc.). I haven't seen the second season (First swallows: Addicts/Перші ластівки: Залежні), however, if it's anything like the first one, then I guarantee I'll be blown away. According to reputable sources, the show had also been renewed for a third season.

The first season centers on several major characters: adrenaline junkie Nik Maslov, investigator Olga Makarova, queen bee Liera Farkash, bully magnet Katia Schaslyva, closeted homsexual Fedia Makarov and an unwilling suicide witness named Polina Dudka.

The show follows these characters as they become entangled into a strange mystery after the suicide of one of their classmates tied to a mysterious individual known only as The Friend who forces them into a series of Blue Whale-esque challenges ending in them committing suicide. The show was made to promote an anti suicide message, as that was one of the biggest numbers of causes of death with teenagers in Ukraine at the time.

It's a wonderfully stylish, creepy and intelligent watch which will not leave you the same person you were before seeing it.

To finish this brief review off, I'll end it with the quote by Nik Maslov (one of my favorite quotes in TV history): Hey parents, open your eyes. Or do we all have to die for you to finally notice us?

The show is available on Youtube with English under the title Early birds.