Četnické humoresky is a Czech crime television series about a gendarmerie investigative unit, stationed in the city of Brno. The story is set in the period of interbellic First Czechoslovak Republic and combines elements of crime drama and comedy. The stories are based on real case files from that era.
The series was directed by Antonín Moskalyk and later by his daughter Pavlína Moskalyková Solo. One of the goals of the series producers and showrunners was to show the life of Czechoslovak gendarmes. The series is not entirely focused on law enforcement and criminal investigations; it also shows private lives of the gendarmerie officers. The series ran for 3 seasons, totaling 39 episodes.
Contents
Plot
The series deals with fates of gendarmes of Brno gendarmerie station in 1930s as they solve serious and comical cases. The series follows Senior Sergeant and later Chief constable Karel Arazím who gets a newbie Jarý under his wing who becomes his right hand man and eventually marries his daughter Klaudie.
The plot of the series ends before the start of World War II, when Arazím's wife Ludmila with her children, Arazím's daughter Klaudie with her baby, Kamila Kliková, Elly Vienna and McGregor fly to England. Originally, Jarý was also supposed to fly, but he decided not to leave the members of the search party alone and jumped out of the plane before it even left the ground. All gendarmes, including Arazim, remain on duty in Brno despite incoming occupation and war.
Cast
Tomáš Töpfer as Karel Arazím, the Senior Sergeant of the station, later Chief constable
Ivan Trojan as Bedřich Jarý, Arazím's loyal right-hand man
Zdeněk Junák as Josef Ambrož, Chief Warrant Officer
Jan Apolenář as Václav Ryba, K-9 handler
Oldřich Mikulášek as František Řepa, sergeant, porter
Erik Pardus as František Zahálka, sergeant
František Švihlík as Čeněk Němec, staff Sergeant later Warrant
Aleš Jarý as Sláva Jiroušek, staff Sergeant, driver, later shot dead
Stanislav Zindulka as Jan Turko, Warrant, later in retirement
Viktor Preiss as Leopold Skrčílek, Warrant
Petr Kostka as Jaroslav Šiktanc, Chief constable, later in retirement
Zdena Herfortová as Vladěnka Šiktancová, wife of Chief constable Šiktanc
Alena Antalová as Ludmila Horká, Arazím's girlfriend, later his wife
Libuše Šafránková as Karlička Formánková, Nurse, Arazím's girlfriend
Olga Krasko as Klaudie, Arazím's daughter, Bedřich Jarý's wife
Tatiana Vilhelmová as Kamila Kliková, pushy and ambitious journalist
Production
Filming of season 1 began on 17 August 1998. Three seasons followed. Season 4 wasn't planned, as the series barracks was demolished.