Return of the Written Off

In Summer of 1944 Prle and Tihi, young yet veteran resistance fighters, together with Joca, old and moody radio-operator, are sent by Partisans to Belgrade, the Yugoslav capital still under Nazi occupation. As victorious Partisan forces approach, Prle, Tihi and Joca must continue their underground work in order to prepare the city for liberation.

Return of the Written Off (1978) is a Yugoslav war drama series created by Dragan Marković for Radiotelevizija Beograd. Across a single season of thirteen roughly fifty-five-minute episodes, young resistance fighters Prle (Dragoslav Nikolić) and Tihi (Vojislav Brajović) join the grizzled, moody radio operator Joca (Pavle Vuisić) after the Partisans send them into Belgrade while the Yugoslav capital is still under Nazi occupation. Their engine is simple and dangerous: they must keep their underground work running, passing messages and coordinating cells, so the city is ready when victorious Partisan forces draw near. Each episode is built from the small, tense tasks of clandestine life, with danger pressing from every side and the weight of a long struggle showing on the characters. Marija (Zlata Petković) and Kriger (Stevo Žigon) add further pressure to the cat-and-mouse texture. The tone is sober and tense, grounded in the atmosphere of a city waiting for liberation, with comradeship and quiet courage at its centre. Fans of Europa Europa and Armia Krajowa will find resonance in its wartime resistance drama and occupied-city tension.

• Europa Europashared wartime resistance drama, underground espionage tension, partisan era setting
• Armia Krajowashared wwii occupation thriller tone, covert resistance cells, city under enemy control
• Octopussyshared period espionage drama with covert operatives and wartime moral stakes

Created by

Dragan Marković

Release Date

1978-01-01

Episode runtime

55 min

Rating

8.5 / 10 (14)

What is Return of the Written Off about?

Two young partisan fighters and an older radio operator run covert resistance work in Nazi-occupied Belgrade as liberation nears.

What is Return of the Written Off like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Return of the Written Off as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.

Is Return of the Written Off violent?

Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Return of the Written Off as moderate.

Which shows are like Return of the Written Off?

Shows with a similar feel include Europa Europa, Armia Krajowa, and Octopussy.

How long is Return of the Written Off?

Return of the Written Off: 1 season, 13 episodes.

Is Return of the Written Off still running?

No, Return of the Written Off has ended.