“Black Sun”
A story about investigators for whom their work has long ceased to be just a profession. In this continuation of the detective series with a northern vibe, Zhuk (Yuri Chursin) returns to the Investigative Committee and almost immediately finds himself embroiled in a story where no event seems random. A mysterious corpse found in the Gulf of Finland and Chagin’s (Maksim Stoyanov) confession to the crime trigger an investigation that quickly expands beyond a single criminal incident. The heroes must unravel the motives of people on both sides of the law and discover who is really in control of what’s happening. We can expect a tense pace, more challenging circumstances and internal character conflicts.
“Fisher”
One of the most talked about Russian detective films of recent years, directed by Sergei Taramayev and Lyuba Lvova. The action takes place in 1986 in the USSR: the body of a murdered boy is found near government dachas. To catch the criminal, Rostov investigator Yevgeny Bokov, who worked on the Chikatilo case, is called to Moscow. He is joined by Prosecutor General Valery Kozyrev and young investigator Natalya Dobrovolskaya.
The investigation is arduous: management is pressuring him, colleagues are at odds, and the only key witness is a schoolboy, the journalist’s son. At the same time, the series closely examines the personal lives of the characters and the environment where the crime takes place.
“Fisher” is interesting not only for its search for the killer. It consistently shows how indifference, violence, and systemic errors pave the way for tragedies. Sometimes the social optics come to the fore, slowing the plot, but the series holds attention thanks to the characters and psychological tension.
“Murders in the Same Building”
A detective who looks at the genre from a different angle. Three neighbors come together in an elite house in Manhattan – an elderly actor, a Broadway director on the verge of bankruptcy, and a young artist. They are united by a love of true crime podcasts, and then a real murder that occurred right in the house.
The heroes begin their own investigation and launch a podcast, which unexpectedly becomes popular. New crimes are never far away, and with them, new suspects.
The series combines detective intrigue and situation comedy. An amateur approach to investigation is fundamental here: the characters make mistakes, reach dead ends, and develop dubious theories. The project plays with genre clichés and turns the very obsession with crime into an object of observation.
“True Detective”
An anthology that set a high bar for television investigations. Each season features a new story, new characters, and a new crime: from a ritualistic murder in Louisiana to a corruption scandal in California and a tragedy in an Arctic town.
The series is known for its leisurely pace and attention to detail. Here, the investigation always goes hand in hand with a psychological profile of the characters. Detectives search for criminals and face their own fears, addictions and past.
Different seasons differ in tone and style, but they are all united by an attempt to show how crime changes not only the victims, but also those who undertake the search for the truth.
“Twin Peaks”
No collection of detective stories is complete without “Twin Peaks”. In Russia, the series once sparked a genuine mania—to the point that Mikhail Gorbachev personally asked David Lynch who killed Laura Palmer.
At the same time, Twin Peaks is not just a detective story, but a distillation of Lynch’s signature style and one of the most influential series in history.
Formally, the plot begins as a classic investigation: a schoolgirl’s body is found in a small town, and FBI agent Dale Cooper arrives to sort out the mystery. But it quickly becomes clear that there’s more to the story than just murder. The town hides dozens of secrets, and conventional logic doesn’t always work.
Twin Peaks expanded the very notion of what a series could be: in mood, in visual language, in the freedom to work with genre. His influence can still be felt in a wide variety of projects.
“Easttown Mare”
The story of a small town where everyone knows everyone, meaning no crime goes without personal consequences. Investigator Mare is going through a difficult time: the breakdown of her family, the death of her son, and a conflict with her daughter. Against this backdrop, she is forced to investigate the disappearance of a teenager, and then the murder of a high school student.
The series carefully builds intrigue, but is in no hurry to provide answers. Neighbors, friends, and relatives come under suspicion—and each new fact changes the characters’ perceptions.
The strength of “Mare of Easttown” is its attention to the characters’ inner state. This is a detective story in which the search for the criminal is closely intertwined with the attempt of the main character (Kate Winslet) to cope with her own pain and responsibility to the city that she protects.
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