Ukrainian channel 1+1 aired 13 episodes of The Lviv Girls, a production of ATM Grupa S.A.’s subsidiary Studio A for TVP1. The series, which was a hit in the fall, became hugely successful in Ukraine with a 12.51% share in the 18–54 age group (more than the channel’s average daily share of 12.4%), with the second episode scoring the highest ratings (16.33%). The Ukrainian version of the series, Наші пані у Варшаві (Our Ladies in Warsaw), aired in the best evening time slot on June 13–21, 2016, two episodes at a time.
The Ukrainian version of the series was voiced by a cast of local stars: Ludmiła Barbir, Olga Sumska, Liliana Rebrik and Olga Freimut. Freimut says that her character, Polina, is very much like her own younger self – as stubborn as she once was. Another member of the team, Olga Sumska, is a Lviv native who is familiar to Polish viewers. Here’s what she has to say about her character: ‘In the series The Lviv Girls (known in Ukraine as Our Ladies in Warsaw) I voice Svyeta. My character is very vivid and plucky, which is what actors like best, because characters like that offer great material. I like the way she is so emotional, determined and cheeky. It was a great pleasure to voice the character played by Anna Buczek, whom I previously met in Poland on the set of a TVP series. I’m impressed by the high quality acting of the Polish actresses. The series The Lviv Girls aired in Ukraine in the best time slot attracting superb ratings and popularity. Of course, many viewers asked the question why the Ukrainian characters are played by Polish actresses and why they are only portrayed as girls who go to Poland to clean the apartments of Polish people… But this is how the things are right now. The Polish actresses created vivid and engaging characters, that’s why our viewers took to them at once. I was interested how the series was received in Ukraine so I read a lot of comments on different forums. They clearly show that our viewers are already waiting for new episodes of the series. I hope that the expat lives of the Ukrainian girls will now be followed not only by Polish viewers but also by Ukrainian ones.
What is it that made The Lviv Girls such a huge success in Ukraine?
Writer Robert Brutter: ‘It is very nice to hear The Lviv Girls is popular in Ukraine. The series is as much about the four Ukrainian girls who have come here as it is about Poles. We look at ourselves reflected in each other’s eyes, which, I hope, will help us learn more about ourselves and one another. The series, which is of course a fictional story, is based on solid research, and the final script was first evaluated by several Ukrainian ladies employed in Poland before it was seen by anyone else. So we can say it has been a Polish-Ukrainian collaboration from the very start.’
Director Wojciech Adamczyk: ‘At the beginning the series presents a certain social stereotype, which is then dismantled and reveled as showing people forced to behave in a given way in certain circumstances. The Lviv Girls portrays four sensitive, emotional women and their life situations. It is a bit of a fairy-tale story as the convention requires – we start with a problem so that the ugly duckling can later turn into a beautiful swan. Each of the girls is different – they have different personalities, dilemmas, dreams. I think, which is just my guess, that the success of the series can be attributed to its well-told, universal story. Besides, viewers are always interested in the personal lives of characters, especially if they are their compatriots living abroad. Each nation has good and less good characteristics, and the Ukrainians, who have a troubled history and present, are a brave nation. We, the creators of the series, have come to like the Lviv girls a lot and we’re happy Ukrainian viewers have taken a shine to them too!’
The Lviv Girls was a hit last fall on TV1. It its time slot, the channel outperformed the competition by a wide margin, with an average share of 21.41% in the 0–4 demographic and of 13.45% among viewers aged 16–49. Episode 11 attracted the largest audience with the highest shares: 24.59% in the 0–4 age group and 17.6% with viewers aged 16–49. The Lviv Girls was the only new series in the fall of 2015 that saw its ratings rise over that period.
The Lviv Girls is a drama-comedy show that follows four young girls: Ulyana (Anna Gorajska), Polina (Magdalena Wróbel), Olya (Katarzyna Ucherska) and Svyetlana (Anna Maria Buczek). Having lost their jobs in Lviv, the girls arrive in Warsaw in search of new jobs and better lives for themselves and their loved ones in Ukraine. The series is a Studio A production for TVP1.
Photo. K. Wellman
