There is no doubt telenovelas – or long series, as they are called in Ukraine and other countries – are some of the most popular products of the TV content market, especially if they show what the viewers lack and miss: romance, adventures, beautiful love stories, and unobtrusive happy ends.

Melodrama long series Love Cure produced by the production company Film UA is the first significant TV project with a duration of 190 episodes of 46 minutes each and a budget of about 3 million dollars. This long series was successful on Inter TV Channel and TV Channel Russia, reaching top-rating positions in both Ukraine and Russia, where TV screens are highly saturated with various TV products. And just as in the rest of the world, this long series' audience is mainly made up of housewives and retired people. Ratings in both Ukraine and Russia prove that right from the first episode the telenovela Love Cure has reached the first place on its slot (Wednesdays, 7 p.m.), increasingly expanding its audience each day and attracting audiences of over eighteen years old; reaching an average 16.5-point rating and 37.6% share. It is essential to point out that starting from the 25th episode, audience share did not fall bellow 40%.

This long series has remained stable in the first place on TV Channel Russia 6.30 p.m. slot getting no less than 35% audience share of over-eighteen-year-old viewers during the runs. However, its success can be explained by objective factors. Even if in Western and Latin American long series there often are no stars in the cast, in Love Cure there are well-known Russian actors. These long-series shootings were made on location and in film studios. Some episodes, like scenes at the hospital, were made at real places; and one of the keys for success was that they were shot on location, at the seaside town of Illichevsk, in summer time. Lacking vacations, warm weather and sea, viewers are very much into looking at sunlit streets and beaches, even if it is on screen.

Dramatic composition

This telenovela has great dramatic composition of the plot, incredible personification and story base, where people live, love, suffer, win and lose. The story of Love Cure is characterized by surprising the viewer with unexpected plot twists and a bright and dynamic narration. Regarding the plot, a solid team of scriptwriters worked at its incredible turning collisions, guaranteeing not just ultimate but increasing interest to the film, following the audience’s response.

Interaction among cultures

At the moment Ukrainians continue working in the production of another major project:, a 50-episode historical melodrama: Devil from Orly. Angel from Orly, co-produced by IntWest Distribution and Studio Bayrak. The events take place in France and the Soviet Union at the beginning of the last century, and the story consists of two parts of 21 and 29 episodes each. And as regards genre, it is an adventure, love and detective story at the same time. Devil from Orly. Angel from Orly is a series about Russian emigrants who appeared far away from their homeland against their will. The authors of the film want to show the interaction of Russian and French cultures. This is a story of hope, disappointment, friendship, betrayal and, of course, love. In this way, telenovelas or long series – as they are called – are topping ratings in Ukraine.