They left a "Trace": the best TV series of April became known

From sports dramas and nostalgic comebacks to dark anime and outspoken teen dramas: Medialogia has published a fresh Russian series rating. Analysts have identified the most popular projects in April. These include domestic hits like "Molodezhki" and "Daddy's Daughters", and foreign anti-heroic "Boys", and provocative "Euphoria". Together with Izvestia, actors, screenwriters, and film critics have figured out the secret of audience success among the rating leaders.

Molodezhka, 1st place

The genre of sports drama knows how to keep the viewer hooked: here the dynamics and emotions go through the roof, and a wrong decision can cost victory both in the arena and beyond. The premiere of Molodezhka took place in 2013, and since 2024, the story continues with the New Shift, where a new generation of hockey players is already facing ambitions, competition and the struggle for a place on the ice.

Andrey Nesterenko, actor, performer of the role of forward of the hockey team "Sharks of Polytech" Igor Krepchuk:

— It seems to me that the secret of the "Youth" is that it is not just about hockey, but also about the age when you really choose yourself for the first time: a team, a dream, love, responsibility. That is, there is a lot of humanity there — friendship, competition, mistakes. And the question is also raised about how to remain human in such sometimes harsh conditions.

"Boys", 2nd place

The fantastic action movie by Eric Kripke, the showrunner of Supernatural, broke the usual image of a superhero. In his story, maniacs and psychopaths hide under the guise of noble saviors. They are confronted by the "Boys" — a squad of avengers eager to rip off the masks of the villains.

Max Chkonia, author of the Telegram channel "Max and TV series":

— "Boys" originally appeared as a response to viewer fatigue from classic superhero shows. This is not only a harsh satire on pop culture and politics, but, in fact, an evil deconstruction of the genre — a turnaround series in which the usual saviors of the world became villains. With nuances, but the "Boys" managed not to lose the initial novelty effect and keep the audience's attention from year to year. Yes, there has been more and more criticism with each season, but the series has a great fan base, so interest in the franchise is unlikely to disappear after the finale: now the most anticipated project from the world of "Boys" is "The Rise of the Vought Corporation", the premiere is promised next year. "The Boys" managed to become the main series of the era of oversaturation of superhero content. I think now we're in for another rethink of the genre.

"Magic Battle", 3rd place

Schoolboy Yuji Itadori finds himself in the epicenter of the fight against dangerous demons that feed on humans. Everything is at its maximum on the screen: a gloomy atmosphere, fast-paced battles and heroes who have to make difficult choices, being on the verge of life and death. The story became a global phenomenon and in 2024 it entered the Guinness Book of World Records as the most popular anime.

Ivan Afanasyev, film critic, writer:

— By the time "Magic Battle" was released, there was already a fairly impressive anime fandom in Russia, which grew up on the TV series "Naruto", "Bleach", "Death Note", "Attack on the Titans". The audience was prepared for a certain set of cliches: a school, a certain team, a mentor, superpowers. The "Magic Battle" took this formula and made it more grim and violent. There is a feeling that the Russian audience gets dark stories quite well. We have an easy-to-read story about a cruel world, a corrupt system, and the inability to save everyone. And in the "Magic Battle" there is quite a lot of this: death, guilt, burnout. But there's humor there, and we laugh while everything falls apart.

"Daddy's daughters", 4th place

The premiere of "Daddy's Daughters", one of the highest—rated domestic projects, took place almost 20 years ago. Since then, a generation has grown up — both heroes and viewers. In the relaunch, the story of a single father repeats itself in the same family - Dasha Vasnetsova runs away from her husband, Venik, leaving four children on his shoulders. The sixth season of the new "Daddy's Daughters" is already being filmed, in which actors from the original cast also take part.

Daria Melnikova, actress, performer of the role of Zhenya Vasnetsova:

— You know, I remember when the girls and I were little, the screenwriter Ilya Polezhaykin came to us, after whom one of the characters was named, and we kept telling him: "Write a guy for my heroine, and write this to me, please." So, he periodically gave us such scenic surprises. Our proposals are also being discussed and are often accepted. Now I have a completely different feeling of my character, Zhenya is not the main character like before. I really went through different stages of denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Now I treat the project as a series for a children's audience, including for my children.

Univer, 5th place

The comedy sitcom about a group of friends from a college dorm has now grown into a large franchise, which has spin-offs and several sequels. The premiere of the latter took place in April — "Univer. 15 years later." It became a kind of alumni meeting — the key actors of the franchise returned to the roles, including Maria Kozhevnikova in the image of Allochka.

Alexander Martynov, actor, performer of the role of Valentin Budeyko:

— Lately, I've been hearing more and more from people: "Oh, I grew up watching your show." And I think that Univer has been alive for so many years thanks to the genius and intuition of the authors and producers, who once believed in this project and felt the time. This successfully coincided with the request of a young audience. "Univer" has been pleasing the viewer for so many years! A whole generation grew up with him. I'm glad to be a part of this story. For any actor, happiness comes when there is character development. It's great that the authors are coming up with new seasons where the characters and, of course, my Valentin Budeyko are developing, solving adult family problems and career growth issues. My character reveals new, unexpected traits for everyone.

"Very strange things", 6th place

The series takes place in the fictional provincial town of Hawking in 1983. Teenagers living in the American wilderness are faced with a parallel dimension, the Underside, whose inhabitants want to destroy their familiar world.

Andrey Zolotarev, screenwriter:

— "Very Strange Cases" is an absolutely unique case, because previously many producers mistakenly thought that the audience was coming to their age. For example, if we make movies about children, then children will come, if about adults, adults. "Very strange things" is a cool example that destroys this idea. Of course, this is a story about naive children. But the genre itself is almost horror, thriller, frightening. There's evil out there, and it's a grown-up story. The difference between the hero and the audience allows us to consider "Very Strange Cases" a breakthrough in the industry. And plus, there's a lot of nostalgia, which becomes a good engine — a combination of a cool script, an extraordinary plot, and that feeling. In fact, this is a bit of a King who also likes children's scary stories.

Euphoria, 7th place

Fans have been waiting for the third season of Euphoria for four years. In the finale, the characters have matured, and the stakes have become higher. Roux is still struggling with addiction, but now finds herself embroiled in a global criminal network. Nate plays businessman, but crosses the path of serious guys. Maddie, through Cassie's fault, falls into the power of a huge type who is not one of those who hears the word "no".

Sergey Sychev, film critic:

— The third season of Euphoria is a landmark phenomenon. We had to wait too long — the actors who were previously primarily associated with the series (Zendaya, Sidney Sweeney, Jacob Elordi) have come a long way during this time, have become megastars and are now associated with completely different roles. And, probably, they themselves are tired of the show, which has become such a springboard for them. However, this did not prevent the third season from preserving the best of the first two, although the big question is how much he managed to save his nerve: on the one hand, he became tougher, on the other hand, he somewhat wasted the radicalism on the verge of foul, which distinguished the first seasons. Nevertheless, the series remained very witty, hooligan, and evil, which is only worth its prologue with overcoming the wall on the border with Mexico.: this is a clear political satire, which, of course, is read not only by the American audience. It's a pity that there won't be a fourth season. Euphoria will remain in the history of pop culture as a series with perfect drama, casting and social sound. And, of course, almost nowhere in the last decade has the question "Is it easy to be young?" been raised so acutely.

Sled, 8th place

The series about the fictional FES (Federal Expert Intelligence Service) team, which investigates complicated crimes, is consistently among the most popular series in the Russian rating. Over the years, he has not lost his dynamics and tension on the screen, but on the contrary, he has gained, as evidenced not only by his place in the top, but also by the trust of the audience.

Olga Koposova, actress, performer of the role of the head of the FES Galina Rogozina:

— It's amazing: some people say, "I watch Sled, and it calms me down" (laughs). Although it would seem that such dynamics are on the screen — terrible murders and other crimes, detentions and interrogations with passion. But, probably, the fact is that our heroes are reliable. There is a lot of evil in the world, and every time we come, we reveal everything. Everyone understands that this is fiction. But the task of non—documentary films is to give people hope and joy, so that after watching a person would like to do something good: transfer an old lady across the street or even perform a small feat. This is the power of art.

"Black Sun", 9th place

The plot revolves around a series of murders of women. Principled investigator Igor Zhuk and wayward operative Evgeny Chagin, the charismatic duo of Yuri Chursin and Maxim Stoyanov, take over the investigation of crimes. And the mysterious Gaby becomes the key to the case.

Victoria Korlyakova, actress, performer of the role of Gabriela Ungourneanu:

— I think that the series got into the audience and began to be in demand because of the recognition of the characters who are represented there. There really are such people. They work in the services. And also the acting scenes in the series are very well constructed, which are interesting to watch. It was a thorough preparation of the director and the actors.

"The highest measure", 10th place

The series is inspired by real events and tells the story of an elusive maniac who manipulates the police. He is confronted by an uncompromising investigator who is ready to go all the way.

Igor Livanov, actor, performer of the role of the head physician of a psychiatric hospital:

— This is an interesting scenario that is based on documents. A wonderful selection of actors. Everything is very high quality, which our knowledgeable and respected audience liked. I hardly play such roles. This was the second negative character that I, as an actor who is interested in discovering new things, enjoyed playing.