"The story of his handmaid" has surpassed foreign fantasy in the rating of the TV series "Medialogy"

The series "The Story of his handmaid" has surpassed foreign fantasy and superhero action, topping the July rating of the series of the company "Medialogia". It was compiled according to 19 indicators at once, including views, search queries and mentions in social networks. On August 28, Izvestia film critic Nikolai Nikulin spoke about the audience preferences of Russians.

The most popular TV series in July: from domestic costume melodrama to foreign action about superheroes. The Medialogia company, based on 19 advanced metrics, summed up the results of the audience viewing. This includes search engine data, the number of mentions in social networks, and, of course, the demand from television viewers.

There are 16 domestic projects among the 30 leaders. In the first place is the series "The Story of his Maid", which is our response to the melodramatic Turkish exoticism of the gallant 19th century. There are sculptures in the gardens, paintings in the manors, magnificent costumes on the characters, and the love of the count and the maid in the center. Matvey Lykov and Milana Bru in the main roles.

"It's beautiful, first of all. These are costumes, decorations. We are close to the viewer, but at the same time we convey the era. It seems to me that this symbiosis of such qualities makes our series interesting and close," explained Bru.

There are two Russian novelties in the top five at once: in addition to "The Story of his Handmaid", there is also a thriller with Lyubov Aksenova "Cold". Many have dubbed him the female version of the "Count of Monte Cristo." The unfairly accused heroine ends up in a penal colony, from where she escapes to take revenge on her abusers. Dramatic, dark, and chilling. Hence the name "Cold".

The series "House of the Dragon", which took the second place, is another confirmation of the audience's love for foreign fantasy. They show the battle for the Iron Throne, palace intrigues, and all this with spectacular computer graphics. Of course, an expensive project, every dollar of which is visible on the screen — this is its success, says screenwriter and creative producer Andrei Zolotarev.

"Our foreign colleagues spend more money on movies. Because, of course, when we talk about the action genre, fantasy is still expensive. It is expensive to produce, it is more difficult, and we are in a very unpleasant competitive field when we try to do something in this territory. And it's all the more expensive when something works out," he said.

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The superhero series "Boys" has firmly established itself in fourth place and has been in the lead among domestic viewers for several months. What is the appeal of this genre is an urgent question. At the International Film Week in Moscow, invited experts discuss, among other things, how the creators are building a dialogue with the audience.

Actor Christopher Lambert, who attended the forum, admitted in an interview that superheroes are always interesting. His "Highlander" was one of those who instilled a love for fantastic characters.

"People are having fun, people are having fun because they see there what they would like to do in reality, but it's just impossible," the artist explained.

Interestingly, the leaders of the month are three detective series of the Fifth Channel: "Pilgrim", "Trace", "The Magnificent Five". The secret is simple: the detective resembles a fairy tale, admits Marina Fomenko, head of the series production department.

"Indeed, evil is committed at the very beginning, the investigation continues, and justice prevails in the end," she stressed.

The conclusion is as follows: viewers still prefer melodramas, comedies and detective stories from domestic content, fantasy and action from foreign content.

"The numbers speak for themselves. Our people like to cry and laugh. It's some kind of genetic code," said producer Artem Mikhalkov.

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Earlier that day, on August 28, the analytical company Medialogia presented the results of the Russian series rating for July 2026. The Russian TV series "The Story of his Handmaid" became the leader of the top 30. The domestic novelty topped the rating, scoring 2,325 points. This is the first time a Russian TV series has been in the monthly top 30 since April, when Molodezhka was No. 1.

The second place was taken by the TV series "House of the Dragon" with 1824 points. In third place was the Russian TV series "Kholod", which received 1,580 points. The top five also included the American "Boys" with 1546 points and the Japanese anime "Magic Battle" with 1352 points.