Television Series "Bratva"

[Spotnik]

All,

I'm not sure if this is a "Movies" or "Literature" posting, but I've recently gotten my hands on a DVD release of a Russian TV series entitled "Bratva," based on a series of humorous (? I guess) crime novels by Dmitrii Cherkasov. I bought it on a whim because I have never seen any Russian television before and wanted to get some idea of what a Russian series is like. Since my ear is not yet attuned to native Russian "skorogovorka" I'm only sort of picking up on the plot lines (but it's getting clearer fast!), and I am intrigued by what I see so far.

Anyone else out there have any insights on the background of this series (broacast dates, etc.) and/or what Russian viewers think about these guys? The whole notion of obtaianing Russian language television series on DVD is kind of novel, and I'd certainly be interested in hearing any other recommendations of "must-haves" or favorites that might be available.

Thanks in advance!