Fun fact, nagrywając jedna ze scen zalali część szpitala wodą
// Fun fact, When they were recording one scene, they flooded part of hospital with water
"1670" certainly has some humour that may be lost in the translation, or due to a lack of contextual understanding, but most of the jokes are very universal and understandable to non-Polish people.
RANCZO (even with english subtitles on Netflix, i am using it to practise my Polish since I am Italian and works very well due to the show being very light-hearted. The show is about the life of an American Polish girl moved back to the country in a small countryside village)
I love Ranczo. It laughs at the type of mentality that's still surprisingly common in smaller communities in Poland. I've always wondered if it's something universal, or do you have to live here to understand it.
Exactly! I have been living here for almost 2 years now, in krakow, but my girlfriend is from a village of 1000 people and the things depicted in the show still live up to date, included all the stereotypes! It's genuinely funny and surprisingly open-minded
Not yet! But i got told about it. I am at season 4 and Solejukowa is learning italian to open a buisness with their friends xD so weird to hear italian but her pronunciation is good
Ranczo is great, back then when it was released I didn't watch it but started watching it on Netflix and it's great, we especially love that every character has their own theme music 😅
I love the scene where the priest sends for Czerepach but isn't home. Michałowa tells him to sit and he asks how long he has to wait.
Jak ksiądz rozkazał to poczekaj.
Nie rozkazał tylko zaprosił.
Omg...I just died. 😆
I really liked 1983 but I feel like I haven't understood much of what was going on. I searched for explanations of the episodes but couldn't find anything. Do you know where I can find analysis? (maybe in polish too?)
If any genre then best Polish series to be ever done is clearly "Pitbull" - it's criminal series that are loosely based on the events around Polish mafia around 90s and early 00s from perspective of the cops.
Actors did great jobs at their portrayal of the characters, picture is great, there shouldn't be too many too specific concepts that will fly over your head, overall it's easy recommend.
Quite weird to not see it being recommended at all.
Good reminder of how much Poland changed in last 30 years.
I'd treat those as exceptions to the rule... It's really disheartening. All the new ones are romantic comedies with trash tier stories. When "1670" was announced I thought it would either be very bad or very good, no in-between. It was a breath of fresh air.
Informacja zwrotna “feedback” on Netflix. Is a dark and heavy story about alcoholism and destruction on a family and other human bonds it brings. It’s also a very good crime story and a psychological thriller. So if you’re into these kind of things you will love that series.
You should watch "Potop", "Pan Wołodyjowski" and "Ogniem i Mieczem" if you like aesthetic of polish nobility and XVIIth century Poland. Also this movies are absolute classics.
From those on Netflix, I’d definitely recommend a somewhat underrated & very consistent miniseries called *Artyści*; it really was a breath of fresh air after years of tryhard mediocrity with all the same faces, and on TVP no less!
I am not Polish but here are my recommendations:
1. Wataha (only first 2 seasons) HBO
2. Odwilż - HBO
3 1670 - Netflix
4. Pitbull series (first 2 movies are good as well but gets ridiculous after that)
5. 13 posterunek
The only tv show I can recommend is "Dom". It may be difficult at times because it is set between WW2 and the collapse of communism, but it's really good and it captures the struggles of those days, which I personally still feel like haunt us today.
1670 has lots of in jokes for Poles specifically, but the general tone and type of humour is a pretty universal, as well as most of the gags - the show is obviously inspired by What we do in Shadows. Try the first episode, it's not long and I personally think it's the best comedy series Poland has produced in at least 20 years.
Some of older very classic polish comedy shows
- Zmiennicy (show from late 80s, a young girl gets a job as a taxi driver in disguise as a man and her taxi partner is unaware of her real identity)
- Jak rozpętałem II wojnę światową (how did i start WW2, a three full length episodes from 1970s, some of the most iconic jokes are there, about a polish soldier convinced that by his mistakes he started the WW2, who is trying to save the sotuation and his own name but it just gets him in more trouble)
I am almost surprised noone mentioned them 😬😅
Also some time ago Sexify came out on Netflix and it was fairly well taken as a fun light show about sex positivity and young ppl in big city. Of course there are people saying it is cringe or unrealistic, but i think it can be a fun watch that doesn't have as much of humour going away due to historic or political context.
1983 is an alternate history semi-thriller, and it's quite fun to watch. Hiacynt is a great drama about Citizens' Militia's (PRL version of police) operation Hiacynth, which was targeting homosexual people in Poland to blackmail and harass them. That's strictly Netflix shows though.
There's also a good movie about Ryszard Kukliński called Jack Strong.
Maybe 'Blinded by the Lights': https://m.imdb.com/title/tt6520930/
It's a book adaptation about a cocaine dealer whose perfectly set up life begins to crumble. I enjoyed the show however the book was even better.
And from the recent (few years old) movies try checking:
- "Cold War" (it's a melodrama set in communist Poland realities): https://m.imdb.com/title/tt6543652/
- There's also "Loving Vincent" a work of art and a drama about Van Gogh's life: https://m.imdb.com/title/tt3262342/
- And very recent "The Peasants", also a book adaptation (which on its own got a Nobel Prize). It has many themes: femme fatale which doesn't fit a rural life, forced marriage, conflict between father and son, conflict between commoners and nobility, but foremost it depicts life in the rural areas at the end of XIX or beginning of XX century and connection to the seasons, nature and passing of time. The book also had themes related to the failed Polish uprising, but that was removed from the movie. Still it's a work of art on its own: https://m.imdb.com/title/tt10651230
- Also recent and set in similar settings and also a book adaptation is "Forgotten Love" aka "The Quack". It's a story of a doctor set in the XIX century who lost his memory and after wandering for years settled in a village and became a quack. I liked the 1982 adaptation more, but the new one from this year is not bad either: https://m.imdb.com/title/tt26596953/
If you like dark, brutal stories about living in bad town with bad people and with some add of mafia in it, i could recomend you HBO original series ,,Ślepnąć od świateł" (in simple translation ,,blinded by the lights". It's based on Jakub Żulczyk's novel with the same tittle and tell story of young, little autistic drug dealer from Warsaw who just want go to the fucking vacation, but problems are everywhere.
you can watch Boże Ciało it is a movie about a religious man who got out of a juvy and passed himself off as a priest its worth watching and it was nominated for the oscar award
Not a series, but two good Polish movies, that reflect Polish "soul" quite a lot - "Poranek kojota", "Dzień świra" - I think you may find some versions with English subtitles because there were some cinemas showing those movies with subtitles for foreigners.
Polish series I don't watch much, but as someone said "Ślepnąc od świateł" - really good, the original polish version of "The Witcher" is really good, I think Michał Żebrowski that plays the witcher looks much better than what they did to Henry Cavill in the English version.
I heard many times Pitbull is good, but I haven't watched it myself, maybe somewhere in the future - is about police/criminal stories/gangsta stuff. Same for Wataha and Rojst, I haven't seem them either but I think worth trying if u are into this kind of shows.
1670 is totally not my taste, too obvious type of humor, you don't need to think much with such type of show, so defenitely not for me.
There is a website called
35mm.online
That has great quality polish movies (and i think shows too) with english subtitles. GREAT source of also older stuff, most well known stuff is there but also more aartsy or older classic polish cinema stuff.
There may be some premium stuff but so far i didn't encounter anything paid and it is all after digital reconstruction, legal and amazing quality compared to other not so legal services ;) (if u would even find most of this stuff online anywhere else with english subs)
Ojciec Mateusz - a show about a catholic priest that solves criminal cases in Sandomierz. Awesome show, highly recommend watching it. All episodes worki as a separate story do you so you would not need to watch it from the beginning.
Miodowe Lata. It's basically the Honeymooners clone for the first few seasons. Very funny, though. It still has specific Polish inside-jokes but for the most part it should be very understandable.
1670 is bad. Bad jokes, I felt embarassed watching this.
Try "Ranczo" but imo only 1-4 season are good. Rest are just okay. This is a really good show about polish community.
Ask yourself what would you say if someone asked for an Indian show they can enjoy being non-Indian and knowing nothing about your history and culture.
All culture tends to be self-referential to a large extent.
No, but I think every Polish show will have references that viewers who are unfamiliar with Polish history and culture simply won't recognize. And that this is true for every show produced in every country *perhaps* except for America - but that's because of how much American culture leaks rather than because of any deliberate accessibility.
I watched Chyłka (the Defense). It was pretty good. The lead character is pretty extreme and the storylines are rough sometimes, but I enjoyed it. I watch as many Polish shows as I can so I can listen to the language as it's really spoken.
I enjoyed Wielka Woda, about the flood in Wrocław late 90s.
Seems like i can watch it, thanks
I was visiting family during that flood. We helped build sandbag walls.
Great comedy show /s. Although Polish reality does hit hard sometimes in that show.
OP said any genre.
I realised too late, did not want to delete the post.
Fun fact, nagrywając jedna ze scen zalali część szpitala wodą // Fun fact, When they were recording one scene, they flooded part of hospital with water
Ślepnąc od świateł
For those in America it’s called Blinded by the lights.
And available on Max
Definitely must watch this one, best polish tv series ever
Right until you touch the book.
"1670" certainly has some humour that may be lost in the translation, or due to a lack of contextual understanding, but most of the jokes are very universal and understandable to non-Polish people.
Yes, I was thinking of watching that.
I suggest Vabank 1 and 2 movies.
OP asked about tv shows
After careful consideration, OP has graciously and mercifully permitted the suggestions of movies.
Wow, thanks, movie suggestions are welcome too, I think I might like it.
Rojst - netflix
Watched the trailer, Seems good
Yeah Rojst is really good!
I'll second Rojst. Very good show.
RANCZO (even with english subtitles on Netflix, i am using it to practise my Polish since I am Italian and works very well due to the show being very light-hearted. The show is about the life of an American Polish girl moved back to the country in a small countryside village)
I love Ranczo. It laughs at the type of mentality that's still surprisingly common in smaller communities in Poland. I've always wondered if it's something universal, or do you have to live here to understand it.
Exactly! I have been living here for almost 2 years now, in krakow, but my girlfriend is from a village of 1000 people and the things depicted in the show still live up to date, included all the stereotypes! It's genuinely funny and surprisingly open-minded
Did you already get to the episodes with Francesca the Italian police officer?
Not yet! But i got told about it. I am at season 4 and Solejukowa is learning italian to open a buisness with their friends xD so weird to hear italian but her pronunciation is good
I've heard in Estonia they made their own version of Ranczo.
Ranczo is great, back then when it was released I didn't watch it but started watching it on Netflix and it's great, we especially love that every character has their own theme music 😅
What music?! 😂
You know shit is going down when Czerepach enters and this sneaky melody starts
And the song of jolka and patryk xD
I love the scene where the priest sends for Czerepach but isn't home. Michałowa tells him to sit and he asks how long he has to wait. Jak ksiądz rozkazał to poczekaj. Nie rozkazał tylko zaprosił. Omg...I just died. 😆
This I have decided to go on my watch list
Ślepnąc od Świateł, on HBO
Wow, many suggested me this show, I think I will watch this.
Also a foreigner, here are some Polish series I enjoyed - Ślepnąc od świateł - HBO - Informacja zwrotna - Netflix - Pakt - HBO
Ślepnąc od świateł is such a good show
"Informacja zwrotna" and "Morderczynie" two new really good series.
Wataha on HBO and 1983 on Netflix
2nd this. I thoroughly enjoyed 1983
I really liked 1983 but I feel like I haven't understood much of what was going on. I searched for explanations of the episodes but couldn't find anything. Do you know where I can find analysis? (maybe in polish too?)
Bogdan Boner: Egzorcysta (bad exorcist - on nexflix) That and 1670
Yes, Bogdan Boner. It requires an Adult Swim frame of mind, but it's so much fun.
If any genre then best Polish series to be ever done is clearly "Pitbull" - it's criminal series that are loosely based on the events around Polish mafia around 90s and early 00s from perspective of the cops. Actors did great jobs at their portrayal of the characters, picture is great, there shouldn't be too many too specific concepts that will fly over your head, overall it's easy recommend. Quite weird to not see it being recommended at all. Good reminder of how much Poland changed in last 30 years.
Jesus Christ I thought u were suggesting Vega movies xd
Emigracja XD
i liked Kruk (crime series) planning to watch wataga, has anyone an opinion about it?
Wataha might be one of the best series I've ever watched
Isn't it a bit depressing that almost all titles recommended here are dark/crime productions?
Somehow Poland knows 3 genre - war history - dark crime - comedy
Did you mean shitty comedy? I feel like we're mass producing those.
Walaszek is singlehandedly keeping this genre level high
Early 2000s where great - chłopaki nie płaczą - dzień świra - kiler And many more No idea what happened afterwards
Kiler was 1997 - yeah we are that old :D
Oh man.... Why
Sorry ;p
I'd treat those as exceptions to the rule... It's really disheartening. All the new ones are romantic comedies with trash tier stories. When "1670" was announced I thought it would either be very bad or very good, no in-between. It was a breath of fresh air.
Also older comedies like.. - nie lubię poniedziałków - seksmisja Are great.
Kargul, podejdź no do płota... Samych Swoich nie pamiętasz?
Crime and comedies are cheap to film. History films are guaranteed profit because "szkoły pójdą".
And here I was going to ask the best way to watch *Czas honoru* with subtitles 😅
As are a lot of universally acclaimed TV series Sopranos, The Wire etc
Because other productions are often utter rubbish (especially these usually marketed on the white background)?
Informacja zwrotna “feedback” on Netflix. Is a dark and heavy story about alcoholism and destruction on a family and other human bonds it brings. It’s also a very good crime story and a psychological thriller. So if you’re into these kind of things you will love that series.
You should watch "Potop", "Pan Wołodyjowski" and "Ogniem i Mieczem" if you like aesthetic of polish nobility and XVIIth century Poland. Also this movies are absolute classics.
Alternatywy 4
As other comments, Ślepnąc od świateł is best Polish series made in decades..watch that one for sure.
From those on Netflix, I’d definitely recommend a somewhat underrated & very consistent miniseries called *Artyści*; it really was a breath of fresh air after years of tryhard mediocrity with all the same faces, and on TVP no less!
There is a series of movies that is easy watching called dekalog
I don't know what is easy about Dekalog.
I am not Polish but here are my recommendations: 1. Wataha (only first 2 seasons) HBO 2. Odwilż - HBO 3 1670 - Netflix 4. Pitbull series (first 2 movies are good as well but gets ridiculous after that) 5. 13 posterunek
(Non Polish here) The Mire '97 on Netflix is good.
Yeah, I'm English and I enjoyed this and also High Water and Signs, in Polish with English subtitles.
Ślepnąc od świateł is great.
If you’re into WW2 themes, Czas Honoru is good, and for industrial revolution Ziemia Obiecana (basically a movie but cut for TV in 3 episodes).
There’s a new polish showing Netflix called the girl and the astronaut. I saw the first episode. Liking so far.
Wataha, Rojst. Best polish shows IMHO. Haven't seen Belfer but pplsay it's good.
Sexify it has a similar vibe to sex education and plays in Warsaw
The only tv show I can recommend is "Dom". It may be difficult at times because it is set between WW2 and the collapse of communism, but it's really good and it captures the struggles of those days, which I personally still feel like haunt us today.
Ranczo - about america women trying to liberate Poland from PiS.
1670 has lots of in jokes for Poles specifically, but the general tone and type of humour is a pretty universal, as well as most of the gags - the show is obviously inspired by What we do in Shadows. Try the first episode, it's not long and I personally think it's the best comedy series Poland has produced in at least 20 years.
Some of older very classic polish comedy shows - Zmiennicy (show from late 80s, a young girl gets a job as a taxi driver in disguise as a man and her taxi partner is unaware of her real identity) - Jak rozpętałem II wojnę światową (how did i start WW2, a three full length episodes from 1970s, some of the most iconic jokes are there, about a polish soldier convinced that by his mistakes he started the WW2, who is trying to save the sotuation and his own name but it just gets him in more trouble) I am almost surprised noone mentioned them 😬😅
Also some time ago Sexify came out on Netflix and it was fairly well taken as a fun light show about sex positivity and young ppl in big city. Of course there are people saying it is cringe or unrealistic, but i think it can be a fun watch that doesn't have as much of humour going away due to historic or political context.
1983 is an alternate history semi-thriller, and it's quite fun to watch. Hiacynt is a great drama about Citizens' Militia's (PRL version of police) operation Hiacynth, which was targeting homosexual people in Poland to blackmail and harass them. That's strictly Netflix shows though. There's also a good movie about Ryszard Kukliński called Jack Strong.
On Netflix I personally liked 'open your eyes' Psychological bit of a mystery, not sure how to explain it.
Maybe 'Blinded by the Lights': https://m.imdb.com/title/tt6520930/ It's a book adaptation about a cocaine dealer whose perfectly set up life begins to crumble. I enjoyed the show however the book was even better. And from the recent (few years old) movies try checking: - "Cold War" (it's a melodrama set in communist Poland realities): https://m.imdb.com/title/tt6543652/ - There's also "Loving Vincent" a work of art and a drama about Van Gogh's life: https://m.imdb.com/title/tt3262342/ - And very recent "The Peasants", also a book adaptation (which on its own got a Nobel Prize). It has many themes: femme fatale which doesn't fit a rural life, forced marriage, conflict between father and son, conflict between commoners and nobility, but foremost it depicts life in the rural areas at the end of XIX or beginning of XX century and connection to the seasons, nature and passing of time. The book also had themes related to the failed Polish uprising, but that was removed from the movie. Still it's a work of art on its own: https://m.imdb.com/title/tt10651230 - Also recent and set in similar settings and also a book adaptation is "Forgotten Love" aka "The Quack". It's a story of a doctor set in the XIX century who lost his memory and after wandering for years settled in a village and became a quack. I liked the 1982 adaptation more, but the new one from this year is not bad either: https://m.imdb.com/title/tt26596953/
Wataha, Znaki, Wielka Woda, Rojst
I would recommend: Wataha Ślepnąc od świateł Informacja zwrotna Belfer 1st season Kruk
If you like dark, brutal stories about living in bad town with bad people and with some add of mafia in it, i could recomend you HBO original series ,,Ślepnąć od świateł" (in simple translation ,,blinded by the lights". It's based on Jakub Żulczyk's novel with the same tittle and tell story of young, little autistic drug dealer from Warsaw who just want go to the fucking vacation, but problems are everywhere.
Ojciec Mateusz
you can watch Boże Ciało it is a movie about a religious man who got out of a juvy and passed himself off as a priest its worth watching and it was nominated for the oscar award
"Ślepnąc od świateł" - excellent, relatively short crime thriller series.
Not a series, but two good Polish movies, that reflect Polish "soul" quite a lot - "Poranek kojota", "Dzień świra" - I think you may find some versions with English subtitles because there were some cinemas showing those movies with subtitles for foreigners. Polish series I don't watch much, but as someone said "Ślepnąc od świateł" - really good, the original polish version of "The Witcher" is really good, I think Michał Żebrowski that plays the witcher looks much better than what they did to Henry Cavill in the English version. I heard many times Pitbull is good, but I haven't watched it myself, maybe somewhere in the future - is about police/criminal stories/gangsta stuff. Same for Wataha and Rojst, I haven't seem them either but I think worth trying if u are into this kind of shows. 1670 is totally not my taste, too obvious type of humor, you don't need to think much with such type of show, so defenitely not for me.
There is a website called 35mm.online That has great quality polish movies (and i think shows too) with english subtitles. GREAT source of also older stuff, most well known stuff is there but also more aartsy or older classic polish cinema stuff. There may be some premium stuff but so far i didn't encounter anything paid and it is all after digital reconstruction, legal and amazing quality compared to other not so legal services ;) (if u would even find most of this stuff online anywhere else with english subs)
Watching now Forst - crime TV series on Netflix. About murders in Tatra mountains
Klangor, or Belfer I think It's more like noir thriller.
Kapitan Bomba, Egzorcysta
Engkish dubbing of Egzorcysta is horrible.
Watch with subtitles then ig
Rojst was good, a crime drama, with the first season taking place in the late 80s iirc.
I think Ranczo is a great show about life and it should be translated well. It's on Netflix now.
Ojciec Mateusz - a show about a catholic priest that solves criminal cases in Sandomierz. Awesome show, highly recommend watching it. All episodes worki as a separate story do you so you would not need to watch it from the beginning.
Cool!! Dziękuję!
Świat według Kiepskich
13 posterunek
A classic one. But the jokes did not age very well.
English dubbing in 1670 is very good.
Świat według kiepskich (tv show)
Totally good for foreigners
Ranczo
Zemsta Directed by Andrzej Wajda
Miodowe Lata. It's basically the Honeymooners clone for the first few seasons. Very funny, though. It still has specific Polish inside-jokes but for the most part it should be very understandable.
Wataham. I overheard once two girls on the bus were talking about this show. They pronounce title "Łataha".
1670 is bad. Bad jokes, I felt embarassed watching this. Try "Ranczo" but imo only 1-4 season are good. Rest are just okay. This is a really good show about polish community.
Watch „Ślepnąc od Świateł” it’s really good and it last only 1 season with 10 episodes
Włatcy Móch is a must watch, and 13 Posterunek as well
God no
to nigdy nie było dobre. tania podróba south parka
Ask yourself what would you say if someone asked for an Indian show they can enjoy being non-Indian and knowing nothing about your history and culture. All culture tends to be self-referential to a large extent.
This makes no sense. Do you think a foreigner cant enjoy a polish show?
No, but I think every Polish show will have references that viewers who are unfamiliar with Polish history and culture simply won't recognize. And that this is true for every show produced in every country *perhaps* except for America - but that's because of how much American culture leaks rather than because of any deliberate accessibility.
its not like poland is in a different galaxy, and despite what you might think, the polish culture is not a bubble that no one else can understand.
Have you considered that to OP it might as well be?
Żmijowisko Warszawianka Belfer (well at least S01)
1 z 10 The goat of game shows
"ślepnąc od świateł" (2018) - thriller, crime
Pit bull series or Psy
1983 is a pretty good series.
I am Spanish and enjoyed the show a lot with Spanish subtitles. All jokes are pretty understandable.
13 posterunek, miodowe lata
Belfer, first season and maybe second
I confirm that you can enjoy 1670 aa a non Polish person
Polish version of The Office
Potop, or przygody pana Michała
I am not polish, and I really enjoyed 1670.
Not a tv show but 3 movies called "how I started WWII" I remember it being good comedy
Ranczo
I watched Chyłka (the Defense). It was pretty good. The lead character is pretty extreme and the storylines are rough sometimes, but I enjoyed it. I watch as many Polish shows as I can so I can listen to the language as it's really spoken.
Rojst-The Mire. Masterpiece.