I don't know where to begin. There are so many good things about this show and just a few nuansences.
Chikatilo was the most notorious, infamous serial killer in soviet Russia. He killed and tortured countless people.
This is a story about a him, the killer, but here he is portrayed as a menace one step before all who try to catch him. The short instances when we see the killer are captivating and disgusting at the same time. The antagonist is portrayed by Nagiev - a famous russian actor and celebrity. He usually plays "bad guys" in Russian media, however here he plays a smart, yet dysfunctional, damaged man, driven by urges.
The rest of the cast is solid also, consisting of known russian actors, all of whom did a fantastic job.
There are a few nuansences of this movie that can be criticized: There are a few scenes where minor characters criticize "germans" or "the western powers" for either killing, raping people and harvesting their organs (as a conspiracy theory) - I find inclusion of such minor aspects interesting, as it indicates the friction between Soviet Russia and the West and is a nice touch.
The show also portrays the friction between local (Rostov) police operatives and their Moscow counterparts, which is one of the primary plot lines in Chikatilo.
Overall, it is a hidden gem, something that deserves to be shown to international audiences. It is not for the faint of heart, but it's been a while since I have seen a show of such a high production value made in Russia, as the whole industry was focused on production of low quality flicks.
With a proper voice over, this could be and should be an international hit. Wow.
