Game of Thrones: "The Story of his Handmaid" became the best TV series in July
The domestic premiere of the melodrama "The Story of his maid" topped the Russian rating of the series "Medialogy" for July 2026. The top 30 includes 16 Russian projects. Among the leaders is another novelty — the crime drama with Lyubov Aksenova "Cold". Read more about the top five in the Izvestia review.
"The Story of his maid", 1st place
In order to receive his mother's inheritance, the young Count Nikolai Sheremetyev is obliged to marry within a year. With his luck, the head of the Averin family loses the family estate to the count. Then the poor guy's eldest daughter, Anna, asks Sheremetyevo to forgive the debt, but he puts forward a condition for her.: She's supposed to be his maid for a year.
A shot from the TV series "The Story of his maid"
Milana Bru, the performer of the role of Anna Averina:
— I think ratings are important. The viewer's ratings — like or dislike — are his emotion. And this is exactly what we work for every day — so that the audience can empathize and get the most real, living out of themselves. This series is not about the era. This is a story about people and how, even in the most difficult times, a person finds the strength to remain himself. And about love. They usually draw her as correct, but in life everything is different. With us, these imperfect relationships are revealed and resonate with the viewer — they are very understandable. It is impossible not to mention the visual part of our story. It's beautiful, first of all, the costumes and decorations. At the same time, we do not distance ourselves from the viewer with complex dialogues. On the contrary, we are close to him. It seems to me that this symbiosis makes our series interesting.
"House of the Dragon", 2nd place
The fantasy drama series takes viewers back to the heyday of the Targaryen dynasty — almost two centuries before the events of Game of Thrones. The plot focuses on the struggle for the Iron Throne, which splits the royal family and leads to a bloody civil war. The story of the house, whose power was mainly held by dragons, is revealed against the background of court intrigues, family clashes and political alliances.
A shot from the TV series "House of the Dragon"
Roman Volynsky, cultural journalist, author of the TG channel "Sorry to be gone for a year"
— In the third season, "House of the Dragon" did not lose in views, but, on the contrary, increased. Honestly, it's amazing. It feels like the series continues to be watched mainly by the fan community and critics at work. The former, by the way, admit that they sometimes feel Spanish shame, but they still cannot deny themselves this pleasure. Yes, the showrunners skillfully exploit nostalgia for the "Game of Thrones", but it seems that the main reason for the audience's demand is individual acting images. The same one-eyed Eamond Targaryen played by Ewen Mitchell became a disaster for many, and Gwaine Hightower (Freddie Fox) fell in love with the audience for his sincere prudence. It's not for nothing that the third season broke up into a multitude of storylines, noticeably differing both stylistically and genre-wise. But there are also those who just patiently wait for scenes with large-scale battles and dragons. Anyway, the fourth season will put an end to the Targaryen war, after which HBO will be able to focus on a more intimate and original spin-off, Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
"Cold", 3rd place
As a result of a terrible car accident, Zhenya loses her beloved husband and six-year-old daughter in one day. But instead of the perpetrators of the tragedy, she herself is behind bars. In prison, the heroine meets the prisoner Yana, who helps her to harden her body and character, and then escape. Once free, Zhenya begins to take revenge on his enemies and seek justice where the law is powerless. In order to bring the image of the heroine on the edge to the screen as reliably as possible, the actress herself underwent a physical transformation.
A shot from the series "Cold"
Lyubov Aksenova, the performer of the role of Zhenya:
— Zhenya finds himself in a cell and decides to commit suicide. Two weeks pass, and she doesn't drink or eat. With director Alexey Kazakov, we decided that we should try to make sure that she really looked exhausted. We gradually reduced my calorie intake. I've been removing fat, water, exercising a lot, and eating little. I haven't lost much weight. She weighed about 53 kg, and 48 kg for filming. We did our best not to harm your health. This was monitored by an endocrinologist, a nutritionist, and a trainer. This effect could be achieved using graphics. But that's my approach — it's important for me to do everything I can. And in this case, so that the condition is really real.
"Boys", 4th place
Showrunner Eric Kripke reinterpreted the familiar world of superheroes, looking at them without a halo of valor and fearlessness. Behind the sleek suits and brilliant smiles, there are monsters and bloodthirsty killers who have an impeccable reputation more important than saving humanity. This system is opposed by a group of avengers eager to expose liars, the "Boys."
A shot from the TV series "Boys"
Denis Nemerov, film critic:
— The final season of the series greatly influenced its high numbers: people who watched only the first episodes became more active. Also, the characters of "Boys" were tightly tied to the Internet context, there were a lot of memes with them, and this played a big role in how the picture diverged. In addition, the fans actively discussed that the quality of the last season was not up to par, and due to this, of course, the discussions also grew.
Another question is that the fifth season is not much different from the previous two or three, because the characters underwent their transformations at the very beginning. Therefore, many people scold him for standing still and ending up not with something global, but just a small-town brawl.
At the very beginning, the provocativeness of the "Boys" attracted a large number of viewers. It was still a novelty back then: there weren't so many projects deconstructing the superhero genre, which was on the decline at that moment. The creators began to show dark superheroes, grotesque violence, cruelty beyond the pale, but in the end it played a cruel joke with the series. Self-replays appeared, and screenwriters began to think more about how to surprise the audience with an unusually nasty or bloody scene, rather than about character development.
"Magic Battle", 5th place
High school student Yuji Itadori has to grow up dramatically when he finds himself embroiled in a confrontation with demons that feed on humans. Now he is surrounded by a gloomy world, violent fights and a constant threat of death. The series quickly won the love of the audience and in 2024 received the status of the most popular anime according to the Guinness Book of Records.
A frame from the anime "Magic Battle"
Ivan Afanasyev, film critic, writer:
— The "Magic Battle" has a rather interesting and unusual world: all these curses, demons, parallel realities, a magic school. If you think about it, it's a mix of "Harry Potter" and, roughly speaking, "The Exorcist", designed for an adult audience in the first place. Tokyo High School of Witchcraft, for example, resembles Hogwarts. Besides, the characters are bright, interesting, and cool. Everyone has their own character, and everyone has their own ability. Like the heroine Nobara Kugisaki, who uses a hammer and nails as a weapon. It's a unique thing, I've never seen anything like it before. Of course, the series attracts with its spectacular combat scenes: the dynamics of what is happening are very high. And the scenes are always brightly, rigidly, uncompromisingly furnished. In this regard, the creators often do not spare either the viewer or the characters. That is, it is nominally an animated series, in which there are quite a lot of funny, funny moments, but nevertheless it does not babble with the audience.
"Magic Battle" is interesting because, unlike the same "Bleach" and "Naruto", it satisfies a wider audience, albeit not a large one. The series raises quite serious issues: themes of self-determination, identification, and following one's own path. And sometimes the characters face dilemmas that cannot be resolved by choosing something good. You choose between the bad and the bad, just like in real life.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
