“Streets of Broken Lights” – 25: how the series changed local television

Twenty-five years after the premiere of “Streets of Broken Lights”, the “cop” series genre is not even going to go into circulation. Projects about brave and corrupt servants of the law may not be the favorites of critics, but the audience still loves them. And this is the direct merit of the “Streets of Broken Lights”.

The series that became legendary appeared as if in spite of everything that was happening then on television. In the nineties, few people believed in Russian TV series. It seemed that no one really needed them, because there are “Ambulance”, “Cool Walker” and other imports, against the background of the quality of which our directors and producers had nothing to catch. Screening the works of Andrei Kivinov (he himself worked in the investigating authorities, described the everyday life of his department solely for the sake of fun, and his works were published by accident) was definitely a risky undertaking, besides, the technical equipment of the studios then caused only tears.

Surprisingly, but it was the blurry picture and, to put it mildly, the imperfect sound that became one of the success factors. An incredibly truthful series suddenly appeared on television, in which at first there were practically no scenery, most of the scenes were filmed right on the streets to save money, and Petersburg appeared in all its unkempt beauty characteristic of the nineties.

Savvy viewers, of course, immediately saw in “Streets of Broken Lights” an attempt to play the American series “Law & Order”. There was, however, one important detail. “Streets” became a series about law and order in a country where neither existed at all. But there was always talk of justice, a very scarce commodity in Soviet times that practically disappeared in the 1990s.

The desperate search for this justice has formed a rather creepy, at least by Western standards, approach to the fight against crime. It was implied that in the interests of fighting evil, good might sometimes be not entirely legal. The postulate that a thief should in any case be in prison was formulated in the TV series “The meeting place cannot be changed.” In “Streets of Broken Lanterns”, the employees of the homicide department build rather mutually beneficial relations with the law, and such behavior of seemingly positive characters is still relevant in TV shows about the police already. The truth, in which, as you know, force is often above the law. Essentially dangerous populism, but it has been working for decades.

Another elephant on which the cult of “Streets of Broken Lights” rests, of course, was the selection of actors. At that time, the artists who played the employees of the homicide department had not yet bathed in the rays of glory, and the public had no reason to contemptuously talk about the stars who depict something in the frame. The quartet of operas and the muse of the Abdulov department performed by Anastasia Melnikova looked like a folk group, and the audience accepted them unconditionally.

The type of each of the operas, whether it is Dukalis, quick to punish, Casanova, imposing and generous with sharp jokes, or Larin, a reflective intellectual, has become part of the image of the people’s militia, which, with all the confusion, is trying to protect ordinary people. And in a situation where general confusion reigned in the country, the daily show about obviously not rich, not very righteous, but rooting for the truth, policemen also played an uplifting role.

There is nothing surprising in the fact that the main stars of the series instantly turned into popular favorites who could have a creative evening in the Kremlin, participate in New Year’s broadcasts and other privileges of big celebrities. A role in such a series can easily overshadow a further career, which later happened. The filmography of the stars of the series is regularly updated, but their roles in the “Streets of Broken Lanterns” are still perceived by many viewers as the brightest. At the same time, the life of the “opers” clearly does not stand still. Anastasia Melnikova (Abdulova) found herself in social and political activities as a deputy of the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg. Sergei Selin (Dukalis) founded a film and television company.

As an actor, Mikhail Trukhin (Volkov), who managed to change roles in films about policemen to comedies, was probably most realized and established himself in this genre quite well. Alexander Lykov (Casanova) left the “Streets” first, so as not to become an actor in one role. Now he plays a variety of characters, but it is difficult to remember bright projects.

Alexei Nilov (Larin) and Alexander Polovtsev (Solovets) return to the roles of men in uniform from time to time, definitely evoking nostalgic feelings in the audience. True, there is a feeling that in some cases they deserve better use.

Given the current state of the local serial industry, the first season of Streets of Broken Lights feels like a real relic. Of course, now all this looks very naive, but sometimes there is much more truth in such naivety than in famously filmed modern action films. “Streets” in many ways opened up a new genre for our television and, surprisingly, is still one of its pinnacles.

Published in the newspaper “Moskovsky Komsomolets” No. 28947 dated January 11, 2023

Newspaper headline:
Break through, opera