Series / Dog

Dog (or Shepherd, according to international distributor's catalogue) (Russian: Пёс) is a Russian-language Ukrainian Cop Show with strong emphasis on comedy. It ran for six (actually seven, see more in Trivia) seasons on Ukrainian ICTV and, more notably, on Russian NTV channel.

Maxim Maximov hit the bottom. He was fired from the police, his wife left him for his best friend, and all he was doing was drinking-to-forget. However, things change suddenly after he received SMS from his mentor and former father-in-law Nikolay Zharov. There was only one word: 'Rose'. He goes at Zharov's home and finds his body. There was a wounded German shepherd near the body. It was the turning point in Maximov's life. Now he is investigating Zharov's death and trying to find way back since life clashes him with his past.

Not related to the 2022 film Dog.

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This series contains examples of:

• Abhorrent Admirer: Pugachev and Yevlanov for Lena.
• Actor Allusion: Sometimes. For example, Max "invites" Lyosha to visit bar on Saminin Street (to interrogate the witness). Saminin is the surname of actor who plays Lyosha.
• A Dog Named "Dog": Literally.
• Badass in Distress:
  • Maximov frequently fell in traps in first two seasons.
  • This also sometimes happens to Leonidov.
• By-the-Book Cop: Alexey Leonidov, in contrast with Cowboy Cop Maximov.
• Canine Companion: Dog for Maximov.
• Caught Up in a Robbery: "Crazy Shot@ starts with Leonidov visiting a bank branch during the robbery. He is wrongfully accused of accidentally the teller during the shoot-out, so Lena and Max take the case to clear Leonidov's name.
• Clingy Jealous Girl:
  • Lena is an interesting example. Her object of jealousy in not Lyosha, her husband (he gives no serious reasons), but Max, her ex. The ending of season six finale shows, however, that she finally let him go.
  • The most jarring example is "The Lawyer", where Lena sends Lyosha to Max's house since she knows about the female lawyer Kseniya living with him (for the purpose of safety since she was the target of murder attempt).
• Cloudcuckoolander:
  • Gnezdilov. His mind is an enigma for everyone (and, maybe, himself).
  • Screenwriter Monica from "Watch out, Monica!" can give Gnezdilov run for his money. It was even lampshaded by Maximov:
  Lyosha: Maybe we should tell Lena?
  Max: Why do you want to spoil such a surprise? It's Gnezdilov in the skirt!
  • However, it doesn't bar her from perfectly predicting place of warehouse robbery.
• Cool Car: Maximov's Chevrolet Silverado and Leonidov's black Dodge Durango certainly qualify. Gnezdilov's Mercedes W140 drifts between this and The Alleged Car.
• Cool Shades: Maximov and Dog had to wear them in "Competitor" because of dropped pepper can. They looked very funny (especially Dog) yet cool.
• Cowboy Cop: Maxim Maximov. He fights more frequently than a hockey enforcer.
• Crazy Jealous Guy: Leonidov. And by "crazy", we mean he can really turn crazy. Most notable example is "Electroshock", when he changes card in bouquet, goes in the restaurant thinking that Lena is on the date with her classmate and finally is ready to beat him to death with bare hands after finding out that all he wanted from Lena was information about the case, since he was one of the thugs.
• Cruel and Unusual Death: There are some examples. Most notable is "Silent", where Victims Of The Week had their inner ears drilled. It was revenge for school prank with squib that left killer deaf.
• Damsel in Distress: Lena sometimes gets in trouble (like being kidnapped or held hostage at Max's flat). The trope is not overused here, though.
• Depraved Bisexual: Wife and mistress of Nikita Aksyonov in "Movie Star", who planned to kill him in order to get his money and start new life together.
• Dirty Cop: Gnezdilov. He isn't outright corrupt, but isn't shy of small bribes. He is also shown as a gambler in illegal casino (in "Bets placed").
• The Ditz: Igor Gnezdilov. He went from being book dumb to Peter Griffin's level of stupidity.
• Drowning My Sorrows: Leonidov slips into drinking after being suspended (during the investigation) in "Crazy Shot".
• Evil Doppelgänger: Aleksandr Filin, burglar who was arrested by Maximov, disguised as Max (wearing black sweatshirt with jeans) and took German shepherd with him during jewelry store robberies in "Doppelganger".
• Fatal Method Acting: In-Universe example. "Duel" revolves around the death of an actor during the reenactment of duel between Mikhail Lermontov and Nikolay Martynov for the historical film. Leonidov even compares this accident to Brandon Lee's death.
• Fiery Redhead: Klavdia, Gnezdilov's wife. She's red-haired and very frequently enraged by her husband.
• Flipping the Bird: Leonidov shows his middle finger to Gnezdilov in "Headless Rider" as a part of a "severed hand" prank.
• The Friend Nobody Likes: Gnezdilov, in spades. It was gloriously lampshaded in "Black Pawn":
  Gnezdilov's mother: I'm so happy that Igor has such a good friends!
  Leonidov: We are not his friends.
  Lena: We are... his fans.
• Funny Background Event: Most notable is in "The Cleanser", where Gnezdilov (high on drugged energy drinks) was kicking tyres while Maximov was interrogating the witness near the garage.
• Green-Eyed Monster: Serial Killer from "Miserable King". He is an ugly man, who hated pretty guys because of his ruined career in acting.
• Henpecked Husband: Lyosha, full stop.
• Impaled with Extreme Prejudice:
  • Maximov does this to Buton in ending of starting four-parter
  • Evil Cripple perp of the week in "Quasimodo" used stake to kill his parents who abandoned him.
• Insult Backfire: Was done gloriously by Leonov when Gnezdilov asked him to get to crime scene by his car:
  Leonov: Sorry, but I can't. I'm screwing myself.
• Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique: Gnezdilov in "Knights" uses Medieval torture devices (like finger trap or Spanish boot) very unorthodox way: he puts them on himself.
• Laxative Prank: Gnezdilov put laxative into Dog's sausage to make Max get rid of him in "Avenger". He forgets about this because of some horrible news for him and eats it himself at Max's home. It ended with Dog blocking road to restroom.
• Limited Social Circle: Main characters rarely communicate with anybody from outside the police precinct. And even then it's clearly stated that they haven't seen their acquaintances for years (for example, they don't even know that Lena left Max for Lyosha).
• Love Triangle: Triangle between Lena, Max and Lyosha is one of the main series' staples. While both men sincerely love Lena, she loves them both, too (but different way). And she definitely does not want to cheat on Lyosha.
• Malaproper: Gnezdilov. His malapropisms are one of the main parts of show's humour.
  Gnezdilov: Everybody can what he does!
• Megaphone Gag: Gnezdilov likes to use megaphone while in charge. Since he is dumb as a brick, saying something stupid is inevitable.
• The Mole: Krasnov in starting four-parter.
• Moral Event Horizon: Gnezdilov is ready to euthanise Dog in "Sed Lex" (because he needs to calm undercover officer whom he punched to the face). Whether he crossed it or not, YMMV.
• murder.com: Serial Killer in "Murder online" streamed all his crimes.
• Not-So-Badass Longcoat: Gnezdilov wears black longcoat and tries to be very cool and badass. He fails. Miserably.
• Noodle Incident: Maximov once drove his car without a wheel. Steering wheel.
• Obnoxious In-Laws: Tamara Alexandrovna, Lena's mother and Leonidov's mother-in-law. He feels very tired, and finally decides to hide at Max's house with Lena. And she FLAWLESSLY TRACKS THEM. Max's reaction says it all:
  Max: Nice to meet you, comrade Stalin!
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Most notable example is "Crazy Shot" climax, where Leonidov has no hesitations about driving drunk in order to rescue Max.
• Off with His Head!: Victim of the Week in "Headless Rider" was not only decapitated, but crashed in the cafe in the burning car.
• Plot-Triggering Death: Murder of Nikolay Zharov in first episode starts the whole series.
• Plucky Comic Relief: Igor Gnezdilov. It goes so far, that he is maybe the most popular character of the show with the most spotlight.
• Recovered Addict: Maximov stops drinking during season 1.
• Red Herring: Most notable is in 'The Cleanser'. It seems that The Cleanser is Leonidov. There are a lot of evidences: his wristwatch, his footprints and, finally, him being late after every murder. It later turns out that the murderer was his childhood friend
• Reverse Cerebus Syndrome: The first season was more-or-less straightlaced detective drama. The second season started moving to the comedy territory, while the third one celebrated the move to the show with emphasis on Denserand Wackier comedy (based on Gnezdilov's antics). It depends on the episode, however, whether the crime storyline remains the main focus
• Scarpia Ultimatum: Pugachev offers Lena to sleep with him in order to free Leonidov from remand prison where he was placed on fabricated charge. She refuses.
• Screw the Rules, I Have Connections!: Gnezdilov often boasts about his uncle, police general. In reality, it's not his advantage; it's the only reason why he's still a policeman.
• Seven Deadly Sins: Theme of the Serial Killer in "Black Angel". It later turns out, that victims were murdered by Black Angel's sister who commits suicide after understanding that she was Pride incarnate.
• Sir Swears-a-Lot: Gnezdilov, albeit in PG-13 manner.
• Sitcom Arch-Nemesis: Gnezdilov for both Maximov and Dog.
• Small Name, Big Ego:
  • Gnezdilov. He thinks he is the best detective in the city. Others... don't think so.
  • Talking about one-time characters, there's Nikita Aksyonov from "Movie Star". He's vain, arrogant and borderline talentless.
• Smug Snake: Igor Gnezdilov. His plans of getting rid of Max and Dog are so ridiculous it's really enjoyable to watch him creating them (and failing all the time).
• Smurfette Principle: Lena is only female main character.
• Straight Man and Wise Guy: Wise-cracking Max to calm straight man Lyosha.
• Tragic Keepsake:
  • Dog himself. Max found him at Dog's owner (and Max's former mentor and father-in-law) and takes him home (Gnezdilov wanted to euthanise the dog).
  • What makes Dog even more tragic? Zharov named him "Max" (for Maximov).
• Trigger Phrase: "Black pawn moves" (repeated twice) in "Black Pawn". Serial-murder therapist programmed their patients to kill their close ones after hearing this phrase. Leonidov shot at Max after interrogating the psychologist.
• Unresolved Sexual Tension: There's very notable UST between Max and Lena.
• Urine Trouble: This is the way Dog shows his disrespect to Gnezdilov.
• Vigilante Man: Most notable is "The Cleanser". His true identity is Dmitry Bobrov, former investigative journalist and childhood friend of Leonidov, who was left mute after murder attempt.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: Maximov and Leonidov, for obvious reasons. There are also shades of this between Max and Dog.
• Vomiting Cop: Gnezdilov after seeing aftermath of the explosion in "I Feel It in My Heart".
• Wise Beyond Their Years: Sasha, nephew of Maximov's neighbour whom he took to the police precinct (Sasha had no keys). He is very well-written and even helps detectives to create the profile of the serial killer.
• Working with the Ex: Max and Lena are divorced and now work together again.
• Wrestler in All of Us:
  • Max sometimes uses wrestling moves in fights against criminals. Justified, since Nikita Panfilov was doing Greco-Roman wrestling during his school years.
  • Gnezdilov once tried to use double axe handle in brawl. And failed.
• You Talkin' to Me?: In "Movie Star", where actor Nikita Aksyonov teaches Gnezdilov basic acting, Igor ended speaking with mirror. And then Max saw it:

  Gnezdilov: Who are you taking me for?

  Maximov: Moron?