8 Top Polish TV-Series to Watch Online Now
Ghosts haunting one of the capital city’s theatres and Jewish gangsters in pre-war Warsaw; a blockbuster about the flood of the century and a thriller about the Polish-Ukrainian border; a Polish adaptation of Harlan Coben and a dark tale about the eve of a drug dealer. Here are the most interesting Polish series you can streaming now.
‘The Artists’ (Artyści) (2016) directed by Monika Strzępka
Presented in 2016, the eight-episode series by Monika Strzępka and Paweł Demirski still enjoys a reputation as one of the most original Polish TV series. No wonder – for The Artists is the work of two creators who have been involved in theatre for years. The screenwriter, Paweł Demirski, is one of Poland’s most respected playwrights, while the director, Monika Strzępka, is a star of the most notable theatres. Over years of collaboration, they have gained a reputation as theatrical revolutionaries who tackle social issues and combine left-wing sensitivity with a refusal to accept journalistic simplifications.
In The Artists, they tell the story of a theatre company struggling with financial and organisational problems, as well as with... ghosts haunting the theatre’s backstage. Demirski and Strzępka play with genre patterns, combining surreal comedy, a drama and psychological series, and at the same time, poke holes in the representatives of the Polish theatre world. And although their series is not without its faults, it still remains one of the most daring productions of Polish television.
Produced by Polish Television, the series is available on Netflix.
‘High Water’ (2022), directed by Jan Holoubek, Barłomiej Ignaciuk
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A still from the series 'High Water' directed by Jan Holoubek, 2022, photo: Robert Palka / Netflix
The series about the flood that destroyed Wrocław in 1997 is a prominent production of Polish Netflix and one of the most spectacular series ever filmed in Poland. The story of a young hydrologist who arrives in her hometown to warn the authorities of an impending catastrophe is transformed in Holoubek’s and Ignaciuk’s work into a tale of unhealed trauma, family and coming to terms with oneself.
To create a plausible image of the disaster on screen, the filmmakers not only used the latest developments in computer post-production, but also built full-size facades of several Wrocław townhouses in an old municipal swimming pool. The effect is superb – the series seduces with panache and authenticity, and the set designers flawlessly recreate the realities of the second half of the 1990s on screen. If we add to this Tomasz Schuchardt’s compelling performance, we get entertainment at a satisfying level.
The High Water series is available in 190 countries worldwide on Netflix.
‘The Border’ (Wataha) (2014- ) directed by Michał Gazda, Kasia Adamik, Olga Chajdas, Jan P. Matuszyński
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A still from the 'Wataha' series, photo: HBO
While series producers from Scandinavia seduce global audiences with tales of Vikings, Italians tell stories about the mafia and the British invite viewers into the world of aristocrats, Polish filmmakers have for many years been unable to find something that will make them stand out in the global market and allow them to break through local boundaries. The creators of The Border have accomplished this feat. The series, whose first season came out in 2014, shows a world that viewers in Poland and Europe did not know – the Polish-Ukrainian border region, which, after Poland had joined the European Union, became the ‘gateway to Europe’.
The story of border guards who stop illegal immigrants and fight smugglers as well as human traffickers presented in The Border is dressed up as a genuine thriller. Fantastic scenery of the Bieszczady Mountains, a precisely written screenplay, beautiful cinematography by Tomasz Augustynenk, and Leszek Lichota, who is in top form as an actor, made The Border a box office success that ran for as many as three seasons.
The series is produced by HBO Poland and is available on the HBO Max platform.
‘Hold Tight’ (2022) directed by Michał Gazda, Bartosz Konopka
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A still from the 'Hold Tight' series, 2022, photo: Netflix
When Netflix communicated the signing of a partnership with Harlan Coben, announcing that his upcoming bestsellers would be developed into series, no one imagined that Polish filmmakers would also be the beneficiaries of that deal. In the meantime, the streaming giant’s management decided that further series adaptations would be made in different countries, some of which would also be produced by Polish movie makers. This is how two novels by an American writer, The Woods and Hold Tight, the latter of which turned out to be a more successful adaptation, came out.
The story of a mother who searches for her missing teenage son combines criminal intrigue with a tale of a family mystery. In the series, New York City from the novel is replaced by nouveau riche Warsaw, and the line of investigation intertwines with the story of conflicts between parents and children in the age of social media.
The series is available on Netflix.
‘Blinded by the Lights’ (2018), directed by Krzysztof Skonieczny
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'Blinded by the Lights', pictured: Jan Frycz as 'Dario', directed by Krzysztof Skonieczny, photo: promotional materials
In the last decade, there have been few equally spectacular series whose dialogues have broken into our everyday vocabulary. Blinded by the Lights, the story of a Warsaw drug dealer who, on the day before Christmas Eve, tries to sort out his affairs by tangling in a dangerous game with the capital city’s gangsters, is the work of two outstanding artists, Krzysztof Skonieczny and Jakub Żulczyk. The former is a director whose debut Hardkor Disko was one of the discoveries of the past decade, while the latter is a screenwriter and novelist who is blessed with an extraordinary talent for dialogue and has a history of recovery from addiction.
They have created one of the most radical Polish series of recent years. Blinded by the Lights is a completely original work – not devoid of flaws, but skilfully covering them up with a vivid style, strong characters and very well-written dialogue. The phenomenal acting of Jan Frycz and Robert Więckiewicz, the impressive cinematography of Michał Englert and the black rain washing away the sins of the Polish capital city are just a part of what Skonieczny’s series has to offer.
Blinded by the Lights is available on the HBO Max platform.
‘Klangor’ (2021) directed by Łukasz Kośmicki
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A still from the series 'Klangor', photo: Canal +
When the teenage daughter of a prison psychologist goes missing one day, her father begins a desperate search. Mafia wars, secret prison deals, corrupt guards, and teenage drug dealers – in Klangor, it all comes together in a story of disintegrating family relationships and bonds that need rebuilding.
In the story created by Kacper Wysocki, the psychological drama goes hand in hand with the thriller. Inspired by Scandinavian noir detective stories, Klangor brings their sultry atmosphere to the reality of the seaside town of Świnoujście, a city that connects Poland and Germany. A precise script, excellent Arkadiusz Jakubik’s acting and Witold Płóciennik’s cinematography make Klangor one of the best Polish series of recent years, a story both expressive and subtle.
The series produced for Canal+ Poland is available on Studio Canal services.
‘The King of Warsaw’ (2020) directed by Jan P. Matuszyński
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Still from the series 'The King of Warsaw', directed by: Jan Paweł Matuszyński, pictured: Kacper Olszewski, Michał Żurawski. 2020, photo: Canal + Polska
Two years ago, it was the most awaited series premiere in Poland. It was looked forward to by fans of TV series, lovers of literature and art house cinema festivals. The King of Warsaw is an adaptation of the famous, controversial, award-winning novel by Szczepan Twardoch. The film was made by Jan P. Matuszyński, one of the most acclaimed Polish directors of the younger generation, creator of the excellent The Last Family.
The series about a Jewish boxer doing business in Warsaw in 1937 is a non-obvious tale of Polish history: about nationalism and anti-Semitism, gangsters, politicians, and the imminent end of the world. The large-scale, spectacularly filmed, skilfully balancing between historical fresco and film noir, The King of Warsaw is one of the most important series productions that has been made in Poland in recent years.
The series produced for Canal+ Poland is available on Studio Canal services.
‘The Raven’ (Kruk) (2018- ) directed by Maciej Pieprzyca
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'The Raven', photo: Jarosław Sosiński / Canal +
This is one of the most unusual Polish detective stories. When a forty-year-old cop returns to his hometown to investigate the kidnapping of a teenage boy, not only new mysteries await him, but also... the ghosts (including those literally understood) of the past. In The Raven, the story of a mysterious murder intermingles with a tale of disintegrating identity; all dressed up in the costume of magical realism.
Written by Jakub Korolczuk, the series combines a classic detective story with the story of Podlasie, an eastern region of Poland where you can still meet wise women, Orthodox and Catholics live side by side, and national minorities are part of the cultural landscape.
The Raven has had two seasons so far, but a third season of the Podlasie crime drama is on the way, likely to come out in 2023.
The series produced by Canal+ Poland is available on streaming platforms, among others, in the UK, Germany, India, Mexico and Australia.
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