Why is crime fiction so “in”?
Several times we’ve had a series here that exceeded all expectations and became number one in viewership, demonstrating that an exciting creation can draw all attention to one channel. this show managed to emulate that fame.
Recently, we had the opportunity to watch the crime drama Oktopus, which reigned supreme in prime time. A program that, due to its atmosphere, is among the most vital criminal projects of recent years. It doesn’t bet on fast action or frantic chases,but on a quiet,focused style that draws you in. Each episode revisits old cases, opens dusty files, and shows how much the world has changed. But Oktopus ended recently, and another creation immediately claimed its throne.
[Image of crime scene investigation. Source: Shutterstock]
Czechs have long had a special relationship with crime stories.
Already during the First Republic, people devoured court records and newspaper reports about crimes, and later the stories that arose from these cases. But the crime story was never just about suspense. It is indeed a certainty of justice that is frequently enough unattainable in the ordinary world. In a good detective story, there is always a criminal, a police officer, and the truth that must surface.
Whether the country was a monarchy, totalitarianism, or today’s democracy, we have always loved stories where in the end everything falls into place and the culprit is punished. As soon as televisions appeared in Czech living rooms, this desire for justice naturally moved to the screen and stayed there.
In addition, crime novels are not only about the case itself. The Czech viewer loves it when the detective is not just an austere figure in a uniform, but a person with weaknesses, character, and a personal life. This was the reason why people already loved Vacátek and his “gentlemen of the four” in the 1960s, and the same principle was later adopted by Malý pitaval, Kriminálka anděl, or Cases of the 1st Department. It’s a mix of humanity, the right tension, and a sense of closeness.
The detective story shows a world that is dark, but at the same time understandable. And when the last piece of the puzzle falls into place at the end of the case, the viewer gets exactly the feeling of satisfaction expected from the genre. That’s why The Nineties and other series can “eat up” almost half of the nation every season – because this certainty of justice and stories based on real cases is something that Czechs simply love.
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