Russian streaming services including KION, Okko, Ivi, and Start are launching a range of new crime dramas and comedy series in August 2026. The upcoming projects feature classic detective stories, dark comedies, and continuing series.
Streaming service KION premiered the crime comedy We're Screwed on July 31. Directed by Alexander Sobichevsky, the show debuted at the Pilot festival in Ivanovo and stars Makar Khlebnikov, Anton Shokalyuk, and Sharifbek Zakir as three young friends. The trio attempts to steal gas cylinders from a vocational school to cut down a rusty tower crane at an abandoned construction site for scrap metal. Their plan goes wrong when the crane falls on a local crime boss's car during a mob meeting. Dmitry Zhuravlev plays an antagonist police officer, with additional appearances by Timofey Tribuntsev and singer Tosya Chaikina.
Crime Dramas on Okko and Ivi
Tribuntsev also stars as cynical investigator Vsevolod Kosinsky in the Okko detective series Abduction, directed by Kirill Pletnyov, director of Offline, Zhgi!, and Without Me. Five episodes are currently available following its July debut, with the sixth episode scheduled for August 7 and new episodes releasing every Friday. The story follows famous conductor Mark Kretchetov, played by Artur Vakha, whose country mansion masks dark family secrets. When five-year-old grandson Grisha disappears during a walk, leaving his nanny with a head injury and amnesia, Kosinsky's team uncovers family secrets and treats every family member as a suspect.
Platform Ivi introduced the comedy series Star Cop on August 3, starring Nikita Panfilov as sarcastic veteran detective Kit alongside Anastasiya Krasovskaya as his principled, naive rookie partner. On August 5, Ivi premiered the 1990s detective series Number of the Beast, directed by Alexey Bystritsky and starring Dmitry Palamarchuk. In the series, investigator Alexey Kirsanov transfers to the Yaroslavl Region after receiving a black spot warning from gangsters. He investigates the shooting of a family in a local village where only an eight-year-old boy survived, uncovering three identical murders committed in the area ten years earlier.
Continuing Series on Start
Platform Start is airing new episodes of Cold, starring Lyubov Aksyonova as a woman who loses her husband, six-year-old daughter, and freedom following a crash caused by unpunished wealthy youths. After honing combat skills, she earns her freedom to seek revenge. Three episodes are available, with the fourth episode set for August 6. Meanwhile, Start has paused release of The Story of His Handmaid until autumn, with no set release date for future episodes. Starring Milana Bru and Matvey Lykov, 30 episodes are currently available, with the last episode released on August 4, according to Radiotochka NSN.
