10 TV series about the countryside and life in the provinces

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Many adventures await the heroes of these projects both on western ranches and farms, and in the Russian provinces.

Russian TV series about the village and the outback

1. Beetles

• Russia, 2019.
• Comedy.
• Duration: 2 seasons.
• IMDb: 7, 3.

Three talented IT specialists from the capital are about to sell a unique application for a smartphone, but the deal fails. In addition, the guys are drafted into the army. They will have to serve their military service in the half-abandoned village of Zhuki.

It is customary to treat Russian TV shows with distrust and skepticism. But "Beetles" perfectly reveal the topic of contradictions between city and village. In addition, there is really good humor here, and the actors showed their best side. Among them is the man-meme - Vladimir Epifantsev, better known for his role in "The Green Elephant".

2. Chiki

• Russia, 2020.
• Drama, comedy, crime.
• Duration: 1 season.
• IMDb: 7, 7.

Sveta, Marina and Luda, pushed by their brave and enterprising friend Zhanna, decide to quit with the ancient profession and open a fitness club. On the way to their goal, they will have to face a huge number of problems.

The series received a lot of praise for its successful fem-representation and the magnificently conveyed atmosphere of the south of the Russian hinterland. There was also criticism - for too stereotypical characters and a plot that is marking time. It is up to everyone to watch "Chick" or not, but you can evaluate the hit at least for the sake of the shock combo of Anton Lapenko and Irina Gorbacheva.

3. Territory

• Russia, 2020.
• Detective, fantasy, thriller, drama.
• Duration: 1 season.
• IMDb: 6, 7.

Egor, along with his uncle Nikolai and two random fellow travelers, comes to search for his parents who disappeared during an ethnographic expedition to the Perm Territory. As it turns out, this gloomy territory lives by its own rules, and around it is full of creepy otherworldly creatures.

The Russian project from the producers “Mira! Friendship! Chewing gum! combines family drama, folklore horrors based on the myths of the Komi-Permyak District, and road-movie. At the same time, it maintains the balance very well.

4. Swamp

• Russia, 2021.
• Thriller, horror.
• Duration: 1 season.
• IMDb: 6, 8.

Denis, the creator of the popular messenger, is tired of the problems that have fallen on him. Together with a group of similarly lost young people, he travels to a monastery near a half-abandoned village called Topi. Gradually, the heroes begin to suspect that something is wrong around them.

In "Swamps" the writer Dmitry Glukhovsky first worked as a full-fledged screenwriter. Nevertheless, the series still turned out to be very similar to "Territory", which was set in a similar setting.

Foreign TV series about ranches, farms and the province

5. Heartland

• Canada, 2007 - present.
• Drama, family.
• Duration: 14 seasons.
• IMDb: 8, 4.

The close-knit Fleming family lives on the picturesque Heartland Ranch in Alberta. Together they care for horses and support each other in joy and sorrow.

A Canadian project based on the novels of Lauren Brooke (the writers Linda Chapman and Beth Chambers are actually hiding behind this pseudonym) has been on the air for 14 years and has not lost ground yet. The fact is that the series is suitable for viewers of all ages: adults will appreciate the drama, and children will love the beautiful animals in the frame.

6. French town

• France, 2009-2017.
• Historical drama.
• Duration: 7 seasons.
• IMDb: 8, 3.

During World War II, the French village of Villeneuve comes under German occupation. For four terrible years, ordinary people have been helped to survive only by courage and mutual assistance.

The series captures the day-to-day life of the French provinces, but remains gripping and, in some respects, even dark. There is a partisan movement, a Holocaust, and very controversial characters.

7. Ann

• Canada 2017-2019.
• Drama, family.
• Duration: 3 seasons.
• IMDb: 8, 7.

Brother and sister Matthew and Marilla are no longer young, so they decide to take the orphan from the orphanage to help with the housework. Instead of the boy they have been waiting for, they are sent a lively redhead Anne. The old men are going to send the girl back, but gradually they realize that it was she who was lacking for them to be completely happy.

In addition to the soulful pastoral atmosphere in the style of Charles Dickens, the series is also catchy by the fact that it raises a huge number of important topics: racial intolerance, sexual orientation, discrimination against women. But at the same time, he reveals them delicately and very appropriately.

8. Yellowstone

• USA, 2018 - present.
• Drama, western.
• Duration: 4 seasons.
• IMDb: 8, 6.

The Dutton family owns a large ranch, which borders the Yellowstone National Park. This land is claimed by representatives of Indian tribes, greedy developers and local administration.

Yellowstone director and screenwriter Taylor Sheridan has written films such as The Assassin and At Any Cost, as well as directed The Windy River and Those Who Wish Me Death. In his works, he reinterprets the traditional American genre of the western, and in Yellowstone he also creates an image of a peaceful life in the provinces.

9. Ranch

• USA, 2016-2020.
• Drama, comedy, western.
• Duration: 4 seasons.
• IMDb: 7, 5.

Former athlete Colt Bennett, having completed his career, returns to his native ranch. Here his former school love, a grumpy father and attempts to start a family business with his brother await him.

Formally "Rancho" is an ordinary sitcom, the series was even filmed at the studio in the presence of spectators. But behind the jokes hides the real drama of country life, played out by excellent actors, including Ashton Kutcher, Sam Elliott and 80s star Debra Winger.

10. Bless this mess

• USA, 2019-2020.
• Comedy.
• Duration: 2 seasons.
• IMDb: 6, 9.

New York couple Rio and Mike decide to move from a bustling metropolis to a remote province. But the expectations of living on a small farm in Nebraska don't match reality at all.

As planned, the series is a bit like the cult American sitcom "Green Spaces", where wealthy spouses also moved to a wrecked house and tried to become farmers. In terms of humor, "Bless this mess" is much simpler, but it perfectly conveys a sense of pastoral comfort and makes the awkward situations that the heroes find themselves laughing.