Uspjeh

Hvala HBO na napokon gledljivoj produkciji. Odlicna serija

Found it accidentally but I have to admit it caught me. With its very strong pilot it could keep up my interest till the end. Great - and typical - characters, nicely photographed scenes despite of the darkness, perfect music and quite good story. Some of the reviewers compared it to the scandinavian thrillers, there are similarities without doubts. But still different. It has real and pure central/eastern european feeling which can be understood the best who live in the region. Definitely worth to watch, great show. Beside that let me suggest another very strong content from Hungary: also an HBO produced TV-series, Aranyélet (Golden Life) which has 3 seasons and reflects all the main characteristics of the region with powerful acting and story (maybe more intense than Uspjeh has).

Finally a Croatian TV series worth watching. True level of corruption is portrayed. Love the cast and particularly choice of music. Pretty certain season two will follow ...

"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!