Investigation was spun: the best Russian detective procedurals
The list of the 100 most popular TV series of 2025, according to the Medialogy analysis, demonstrated both the dedication of viewers to franchises and their interest in extraordinary novelties. In addition, he showed a demand for genre diversity. Izvestia has already talked about the best stories dedicated to the dashing decades. And now, based on the Russian rating of TV series, we have compiled the top 5 detective procedural series, where each new episode is dedicated to a new case.
Sled, 3rd place
Directed by Yuri Harnas. Starring: Olga Koposova, Vladimir Tashlykov, Anton Vozdishchev, Vladimir Fisenko, Anna Dankova, Kirill Byrkin, Olga Zeiger, Ruslan Sasin, Sergey Kovalenko, Yulia Vaishnur, Alexander Kotov
The criminal detective story about the employees of the fictional Federal Expert Service (FES) is, without exaggeration, a national hit. This is not only one of the main centenarians on the domestic screen (it has been released since 2007), but also the most popular Russian TV series in the Medialogy rating in the top 100 for 2025. He has more than 3.5 thousand episodes to his credit, in each of which criminologists, using the latest technologies, prove that even the most cunning criminals leave traces. Both the audience and the actors are devoted to the project — the star backbone of the team from the very beginning.
— The team was very well chosen — both the director, the script, and the cast. These are the main components that have been working smoothly for almost 19 years," explained Vladimir Tashlykov, who plays the role of Nikolai Kruglov. — Secondly, the niche that we occupied was vacant. All these technologies that have been developing over the years were new. And we plunged into this area, began to show the people who do it, began to speak their language. It was new and very interesting for us.
Where to watch: Channel Five, Wink
"Secrets of the investigation", 19th place
Director: Maxim Demchenko. Starring: Anna Kovalchuk, Vyacheslav Zakharov, Sergey Yushkevich, Sergey Peregudov, Alexey Komashko, Olga Pavlovets
"Secrets of the Investigation" is another example of longevity on the air. Only his story tells about the everyday life of the prosecutor's office. The main star of the department is investigator Maria Shvetsova, played by Anna Kovalchuk. In the company of colleagues, she continues to unravel intricate murders, robberies and kidnappings. The creators are betting not only on the procedural, but also on the love line.
Where to watch: the "Watch" platform
"Method", 20th place
Directed by Yuri Bykov. Starring: Konstantin Khabensky, Anna Savranskaya, Nikita Kologrivy, Lev Zulkarnaev, Eldar Kalimulin, Egor Kenzhametov, Anna Banshchikova, Snezhana Samokhina, Igor Chernevich
The premiere of the detective story about the extraordinary investigator Meglin, performed by Konstantin Khabensky, who uses a special method of searching for serial killers, took place in 2015. And it wasn't until 2025 that he returned with a third season. Now the hero, who seems to have something wrong with himself, does not act in the company of Yeseni (Paulina Andreeva), but gathers around himself something like a suicide squad. These are eight maniacs who got a second chance and, knowing how the criminal thinks, catch their own kind.
— You know, a lot of time has passed between the first and second seasons of "Method". The pauses were exactly five years long. There was no need to convince me, especially Yuri Bykov. He just called and said he knows how to restart this project. I asked: "Do you know for sure?" — "I know for sure!" — "Everything, go ahead!", — Konstantin Khabensky told Izvestia. — He is a man who writes, gushes, fantasizes. I have no questions for Yuri Bykov. He said in a nutshell that this would be Meglin's story in the direction of a certain team that he gathers around himself. More precisely, this is his attempt to save people with a terrible childhood at least some kind of life.
Where to watch: Kinopoisk
The Magnificent Five, 29th place
Directed by Semyon Kopylov, Andrey Golubev, Alexey Krasnotsvetov. Starring: Pavel Grigoriev, Andrey Gorbachev, Alexey Krasnotsvetov, Egor Kutenkov, Nodar Dzhanelidze, Konstantin Grishanov
The plot moves to St. Petersburg, where the opera of the "homicide" department of the Petrovsky District Police Department punishes criminals every day. The team operates under the leadership of Lieutenant Colonel Andrei Golovanov, a man with humor and a rich past. They have investigated the most mysterious murders: a top manager whose body is found on his own grave - he has been presumed dead for several years; a maid in an old hotel, whose killer may be a copycat maniac; and medical workers, against whom an unknown poison was used.
Where to watch: Channel Five
"Overheard in Rybinsk", 33rd place
Directed by Peter Todorovsky. Starring: Timofey Tribuntsev, Anton Vasiliev, Ruzil Minekaev, Mikhail Kremer, Varvara Volodina, Yulia Khlynina, Sergey Dyakov
"Overheard in Rybinsk" is not a classic procedural. The action takes place in a small town where everyone is connected to each other, so the crime stories cannot be independent of each other. What is happening is generally shrouded in mysticism. In the center of the plot is Yura, a journalist tired of life and enthusiastically drinking, who suddenly becomes the owner of a gift — he begins to anticipate murders and tries to prevent a new one every episode (not always successfully). The creators themselves define the genre as an ironic detective story.
Where to watch: Premier and Start
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
