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

Introduction

1. The Cultural Euphemism of Kul′tura: Soviet Nostalgia on the Russia-K Channel
Alyssa DeBlasio

2. The Great Patriotic Serial: Penal Battalion (Shtrafbat), Historical Taboos, and the Beginnings of the New National Idea
Stephen M. Norris

3. Orlova and Aleksandrov Redux: The TV Series
Rimgaila Salys

4. Putin-Era Television Productions about Catherine the Great: Active Measures as Period Drama
Elena Prokhorova and Alexander Prokhorov

5. Between Pornography and Nostalgia: Valery Todorovsky’s The Thaw (Ottepel′)
Lilya Kaganovsky

6. The State of Affairs: Screwing Family Values in Putin’s Russia
Tatiana Mikhailova

7. Glocalizing Neo-Noir: Iury Bykov’s The Method and Sleepers
Elena Prokhorova, Alexander Prokhorov, and Rimgaila Salys

8. Queer Families: Gender, Sexuality, and the Neoliberal State on Russian Television
Vlad Strukov

9. The Web Series Bitches (Stervochki) and Post-Legacy Television in Russia
Saara Ratilainen

10. Interviews

Alexander Dulerain: Television Producer and Showrunner
Sergei Fiks: Producer and Studio Executive
Denis Gorelov: Scriptwriter, Executive Producer, and Film Critic
Natalia Meshchaninova: Director and Scriptwriter
Maksim Stishov: Producer, Showrunner, and Scriptwriter

Contributors