# The Sniffer (2013)

> A crime investigator with an extraordinary sense of smell solves mysteries while his gift quietly erodes his personal life.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/58106

## Facts

- Seasons: 4
- Episodes: 32
- Episode runtime: 52 min
- Status: Canceled
- Genres: crime, drama, mystery
- Created by: Artem Lytvynenko
- Network: Channel One, ICTV
- Cast: Ivan Oganesyan, Kirill Käro, Nina Gogaeva, Nikolay Chindyaykin, Yevhen Chernykov, Mariya Anikanova, Agnė Grudytė, Serhiy Frolov
- TMDB rating: 7.2/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3326054/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: gritty, tense, melancholic, moody

## What critics say

Critics and viewers generally find the series a competent, atmospheric procedural whose appeal rests on its lead's unusual gift and its grounded post-Soviet crime tone.

## Synopsis

The Sniffer is a Russian-language crime drama produced in Ukraine, following a police investigator whose extraordinary sense of smell lets him read crime scenes and trace suspects where conventional methods stall. Across its seasons, each episode builds around a fresh case with its own victim, suspect, and buried clue, and the investigator's uncanny gift becomes both his greatest professional asset and a steady source of strain on his relationships and sense of self. His partnership with a consultant detective and the pressure of a demanding superior give the cases a working team rhythm, while the personal lives of people drawn into the investigations add weight to each story. The mood is gritty and grounded, with a moody, tense atmosphere and a recurring melancholy beneath the procedural surface. Urban streets, rain, and cramped interiors reinforce a sense of isolation. Viewers who enjoy eccentric detectives in the mold of Monk or Sherlock, or who appreciate grounded post-Soviet police dramas, will find the series absorbing. Its appeal lies in watching a sharp mind wrestle with a sense that is both a weapon and a wound, with each case testing what it costs him to keep solving them. The series ended after four seasons, leaving its story open.

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