The Kitchen

Maksim "Max" Lavrov wants to become a great chef. But he finds out that the kitchen isn't the place for an easy career. And at restaurant "Claude Monet," this job looks to be harder and much more complicated than just cooking.

The Kitchen (2012-2016) is a Russian television workplace sitcom created by Vasily Kutsenko, Igor Tudvasev, Dimitry Jan, Pavel Danilov and Vitaly Shlyappo for STS. Aspiring chef Maksim Lavrov (Mark Bogatyrev) wants to build a career as a great cook, but he discovers that the kitchen of the Parisian-themed restaurant Claude Monet is a far harder and more complicated world than he imagined. Around him, head chef Viktor Barinov (Dmitri Nazarov) and waitress Viktoria Goncharova (Elena Podkaminskaya) anchor a tight-knit staff whose shifts, rivalries and romances spill out from the service line into their private lives. Each episode of this twenty-five-minute comedy is built from concrete pressures: a crowded dinner rush, a demanding owner, a broken bond between colleagues, and the constant tangle of infidelity and friendship. Running six seasons and 120 episodes, the show moves as one continuing story with recurring characters and evolving relationships. Its tone is wry, warm and sometimes bruising, with a grounded contemporary Moscow setting. Fans of The Bear, Cheers and Kitchen Confidential will find resonance in its blend of kitchen chaos and character-driven comedy.

Audiences rate the series as acclaimed, with a strong overall score and a notably uneven run across its six seasons.

• The Bearshared workplace comedy set in a restaurant kitchen with ensemble staff and romantic entanglements
• Kitchen Confidentialshared sitcom format of ensemble workplace comedy with personal relationship drama
• Cheersshared situational comedy about service-industry staff and friendship under pressure

Created by

Vasily Kutsenko, Igor Tudvasev, Dimitry Jan, Pavel Danilov, Vitaly Shlyappo

Release Date

2012-10-22

Episode runtime

25 min

Rating

8.4 / 10 (113)

What is The Kitchen about?

A young aspiring chef, Max Lavrov, learns that the restaurant kitchen at Claude Monet is far harder and messier than cooking alone.

What is The Kitchen like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Kitchen as brisk, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as easy to follow.

Is The Kitchen violent?

No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in The Kitchen.

What did critics think of The Kitchen?

Audiences rate the series as acclaimed, with a strong overall score and a notably uneven run across its six seasons.

Which shows are like The Kitchen?

Shows with a similar feel include The Bear, Kitchen Confidential, and Cheers.

How long is The Kitchen?

The Kitchen: 6 seasons, 120 episodes.

Is The Kitchen still running?

No, The Kitchen has ended.