The television series “Favorsky” is a new version of “The Count of Monte Cristo,” in which the action takes place at the end of the 20th century in a recognizable Russia. Historical background is made familiar, and its relationship to the action changes. The background motivates many situations in the plot – it gives impetus to the characters and defines their personalities and actions.

The action of the television series takes place over 17 years (from 1982 to 1999), at the end of the communist era in the Soviet Union and during the wild 1990s. The series as written by Mikhail Smolyanitsky is the entertaining story of a count that is both utterly contemporary and as charming and compelling as the original.