The Last Minister (Russian: Последний Министр, translit. Posledniy Ministr) is a Russian dark comedy television series made by Sreda for KinoPoisk streaming service. As of now two seasons have been produced, plus a 40-minute Christmas special. Season 2 premiere episode was screened at the Kinotavr Film Festival on September 25, 2021 with the rest of the season starting to air on December 2 same year. In February 2022 the show permanently went off the air at the request of its show-runner Roman Volobuev in protest against Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Premise
Tikhomirov, a well-meaning but hapless apparatchik in grips of mid-life crisis is appointed to run Russia's Ministry of Long-term planning - a small, underfunded, understaffed and generally ignored state agency. With a team consisting of sycophants and corrupt cynics he embarks on an idiotic quest to make Russia great again.
Cast and characters
Main
Yan Tsapnik as Tikhomirov, Minister of Long-term planning
Olga Sutulova as Nechaeva, a corrupt 1st Deputy Minister
Sergey Epishev as Vikentyev, an insane 2nd Deputy Minister
Sofia Lebedeva as Sonya, a naive intern who's rapidly rising through the Ministry's ranks Anna Shepeleva as Ingeborge, a permanently pregnant Minister's personal assistant Darya and Ekaterina Nosik as Lutch and Skotch, diabolical twins who run Ministry's Analytical Department Alexandra Drozdova as Lera, Sonya's assistant (Season 2)
Recurring
Nelli Uvarova as Raisa, Minister's ex-wife and concrete tycoon
Olga Dibtseva as Larisa, a biathlete and Minister's mistress
Polina Fedina as Kira, Minister's teenage daughter
Fyodor Lavrov as Plotnikov, a functionary from the Prime Minister's Office
Alisa Khazanova as Antonova, a detective with the Investigative Committee of Russia (season 2; guest season 1) Grigoriy Kaninin as Smirnov, a federal investigator and Antonova's partner (season 2; guest season 1) Alexander Iliyn as X, prime minister's chief of staff Roman Volobuev as Y, head of the Department of External Policy Ekaterina Vilkova as Z, head of the Department of Internal Policy (season 2) Konstantin Murzenko as Father Vitaliy, a liaison with the Russian Orthodox Church Ekaterina Gorina as Gerasimenko, an investigative reporter for Telegraph, Russia's only surviving newspaper (season 1) Ekaterina Steblina as Nemirovskaya, a Moscow correspondent for The Guardian (season 2; guest season 1),
Guests
Konstantin Bogomolov as Fyodor, a Russia's only Oscar-winning filmmaker
Anna Chipovskaya as Redkina, a vice president of Pornhub
Andrey Merzlikin as Vasya, Minister's childhood friend and a former gangster
Yuri Tsurilo as Ranevskiy, the Governor of Saratov Oblast
Odin Biron as Edward Snowden (season 2) Alexander Gorchilin as Andrey Zvyaginsev (season 2) Sergey Gilev as Igor F. Baranoff, Alaskan separatist (season 2) Timofey Tribuntsev as the voice of Prime Minister (seаson 1) Aleksandr Bashirov as Prime Minister (seаson 2)
Episodes
Season 1 (2020)
Season 2 (2021)
Production
Background
Producer Aleksandr Tsekalo started developing a comedy about corrupt bureaucrats originally known as The Ministry in 2015. The pilot was written by Pavel Bardin with Maksim Pezhemsky slated to direct. Due to high level of political censorship on Russian broadcast TV Tsekalo was unable to find a network willing to commission the show, but the emergence of streaming services eventually allowed him to sidestep the obstacle. In 2018 Roman Volobuev and Lena Vaninа were signed to write a 15-episode first season with Volobuev directing.
Writing
Volobuev described The Last Minister as "an Aaron Sorkin show were everyone has irrevocably lost their conscience". Some of the show's characters and ideas were borrowed from Volobuev and Vanina's aborted series Zavtra about Russia’s liberal opposition unexpectedly winning presidential elections in 2018.
Filming
The show's first season was filmed in 2019 over period of 3 months mostly on soundstage in Moscow. Principal photography on the second season started in October 2020.