New Release Alert: 'Catch Kaidash' Offers a Bold Twist on a Ukrainian Literary Classic

The series Catching Kaidash came out in 2020 on the STB TV channel. It is an adaptation of the classic, Ivan Nechuy-Levytskyi's short story The Kaidashev Family, from director Oleksandr Tymenko and screenwriter Natalia Vorozhbit.

The total budget of the series is UAH 26.7 million, half of which was funded by the Ministry of Culture.

The series immediately became a hit among Ukrainian viewers. In the first month of shows it was seen by 10.5 million people.

The plot of the series takes place in 2004-2014. The main characters are an interpretation of the story by Ivan Nechuy-Levitsky. But there are also many new storylines added to the series.

The series captivated not only domestic viewers but also critics. Many noted the particularly realistic atmosphere of the Ukrainian countryside. Oleksandra Rynyk from Vertigo writes:

"To Catch Kaidash strikes with its authenticity and attention to detail - there are recognisable interior details (from furniture to carpets on the walls), and the characteristic Kyiv-Cherkassian surzhik, and a sometimes too realistic reproduction of the rural atmosphere of the last 15 years.
The latter is particularly striking, because it is not only about rural discos with "Menthol cigarette smoke" or counter talk in a village shop, but also about the political and social changes that have affected people's daily lives.

The realism of everything that is going on is generally the show's "trademark". Critics point out that, although the series contains elements from Levitsky's book, it is essentially a stand-alone work. Sergei Zakharchenko of Hromadske.culture notes:

"The authors of To Catch Kaidash have managed to find in Nechuy-Levitsky's comedy novel the real drama of family relationships and place it in the conditions of a modern Ukrainian village. The result is not a costumed reproduction of the nineteenth century, but an actual story. The authors use small details to capture the spirit of the "zero years" (music in the club, news from the TV, games on Nokia 2600) and provincial life. But there's room for famous scenes from the original, too.

Three years have passed since it premiered, but Ukrainians still call it one of their favourite series to watch.

It's worth noting that since March 2023, Catching Kaidash is available to watch on the Netflix platform.