Uspjeh

A well-made mini series, with good writing and mostly great acting. At only 6 episodes, there is little filler here, as the series moves as a brisk pace, following the intervening stories of 4 main characters. Once the story gets going it doesn't introduce any new characters or red herrings, but shows us the intrigue and interplay that follow the events of episode 1. It's definitely refreshing to see a story progresses in a logical sequence of events and characters acting as real people would, without any suspense of disbelief necessary. The atmosphere is authentic and Zagreb here is portrayed as an urban jungle, with the old town being completely left out.

The script is good, bolstered by a standout performance from Uliks Fehmiu, with unfortunately a healthy dose of camp from some side characters, which is luckily only noticeable to native croatian speakers.

Just 6 episodes where the plot sometimes lacks of consistency. Nevertheless it grasps your attention and you wanna go further until you get to a good finale. Good Croatian show.

Hvala HBO na napokon gledljivoj produkciji. Odlicna serija

"Success" (2019 release; 6 episodes running about 55 min. each) is a TV mini-series. As Episode 1 opens, we see a guy addressing a crowd, apparently a life-style speaker of some sort. "I lost everything and then I met these 3 people", he tells us. We then go back in time and we are in "Central Zagreb", as we see various people getting ready for the new day. One of them is a housewife, and on her way to work, she gets stuck in a highway traffic jam and her car is struck from behind. What happens next will shock you... At this point we are 10 min. into Episode 1, but to tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: this is a hard-hitting TV mini-series from Croatia, where the daily lives of 4 strangers (Kristijan, Blanka, Vinka and Haris) end up being intertwined in the most unexpected of ways. (Episode 1 concludes with the 4 strangers meeting each other for the first time--sorry, I can't/won't divulge any more so as not to spoil). News flash: this TV series reminds us once again that there is more than capable TV series being produced not just here in the US. Thank goodness for HBO which diversifies its line-up with such foreign TV shows (think also such other foreign TV series like "When Shall We Kiss", "My Brilliant Friend", etc.).

"Success" premiered on HBO last year. In the current coronavirus pandemic, I've been looking to catch up with TV series that I had missed when they first aired. I recently binge-watched all episodes on "Success" in short order on HBO On Demand. So glad I did. If you are in the mood for a hard-hitting TV mini-series with a foreign flavor, I'd readily suggest you check this out and draw your own conclusion.

This is a 6-part crime/thriller series set in Zagreb, the capital city of Croatia. The story begins when four individuals meet for the first time during an unfortunate incident which ends up with the death of a young man, son of a local kingpin who will do anything to avenge his offspring's untimely demise. The plot thickens when the young female police investigator enters the picture, determined to find the culprit(s) of this homicide.

The plot has enough twists and turns to keep the viewer glued on his seat while the photography of this show is simply exquisite. After finishing watching "Success" (original title: "Uspjeh") I wanted to visit Zagreb as soon as possible as the city is captured in such a wonderful way that convinces you to make this trip. The performances are exceptional, both the protagonists and the secondary characters are portrayed in a realistic and plausible manner, nothing like the cardboard good guys Vs Villains of the American productions.

Overall, "Success" is a more than successful addition to the year's best crime TV shows from Europe and it leaves you thirsty for more. I would like to check out more series from the countries of former Yugoslavia as I'm sure that I will find more diamonds like this one. Make sure not to miss it!