So were going to do the hard work for you.
For co-creator and co-showrunner Stanislavs Tokalovs, the success has been a long time coming.
The idea was shelved until years later when appetite for a story set in an asylum was renewed.
What does Latvian communism andFinding Nemohave in common? Dive deeper into Series Mania winnerSoviet Jeansand you’ll find out.
Then Covid-19 struck and seemingly killed off the idea again.
Latvia is not a big country, he says.
This was a one-time thing for a country where episodes usually get made for $10,000.
The cash was duly secured, givingSoviet Jeansthe chance to cut through in the Baltic nation.
I was very persistent and called again to beg her to agree, he says.
The second time was more successful.
They ended up writing the series with U.S.-based Polish scribe Waldemar Kalinowski.
I had the feeling audiences were tired of bleak and depressing series from Eastern Europe, she says.
We had a tight deadline and we decided we should go for comedy.
Though life was tough for Latvians in the late 1970s, Tokalovs notes jokes helped them survive the reality.
People lived in these circumstances but found their little escapes and pieces of freedom, adds Markova.
Listening to music or wearing jeans were small acts of defiance against a big system.
As scripts were developed, inspiration came from an unlikely source.
Then they wanted another.
They binged it in two days and quickly signed up for international distribution.
Tokalovs and Markova then applied to screen at Berlinale Series, and were accepted the same day.
Series Mania followed and Latvia suddenly had one of the buzziest new shows in Europe.
Further negotiations with other key territories are currently ongoing.
Unlike most shows about the Soviet era,Soviet Jeansstrikes a totally different, uniquely light tone.
It really stands out from other shows of the region.
Markova recalls one screening where up to 200 people sat and watched all eight episodes over a day.
It was crazy, she says.
BeforeSoviet Jeans, a few series and some miniseries were produced, but rarely crossed borders.
The country also holds a national TV competition once every few years for miniseries.
The winning entry lands a budget of around 800,000 ($840,000).
However,Soviet Jeansmight take a different path if it continues.
The good news is they now have a calling card that is truly unique on the international TV stage.
Maybe rock n roll and jeans killed communism, laughs Markova.
