To the Lake

A grim drama that unfolds against the backdrop of a global catastrophe. An unknown new virus turns Moscow into a city of the dead. Money loses its value and those not yet infected struggle desperately for food and survival.

To the Lake (2019-2022) is a Russian post-apocalyptic survival series created by Yana Vagner for Premier. Kirill Käro plays Sergey, a man navigating a Moscow turned into a city of the dead by an unknown new virus, while Viktoriya Isakova plays Anna and Maryana Spivak plays Irina, two women whose choices shape the group's chances. The engine of the series is simple and brutal: the uninfected must find food, shelter and safe routes out of the city while money has lost all value and every day makes survival harder. Each episode is built from scavenging runs, uneasy alliances, and tense confrontations with neighbors who may already be turning. Across two seasons totaling sixteen episodes, the story stays serialized and follows the same characters through escalating scarcity. The setting is contemporary Moscow, rendered as an emptied city where ordinary life has collapsed. Tone is grim, claustrophobic and intense, with a sober emotional register that leans on human behavior rather than spectacle. Fans of The Walking Dead, Contagion and Chernobyl will find resonance in its bleak atmosphere, moral strain and gritty realism.

Reviewers find the Russian take on the outbreak apocalypse novel and well acted, with credible character behavior and a rationally evolving story, though some find the characterisation of the propaganda-style figures weak.

• The Walking Deadshared post-apocalyptic survival tension and grim outbreak premise
• Contagionshared outbreak-driven dread and collapse of social order in a major city
• Chernobylshared Russian-language grim survival atmosphere and disaster-driven moral strain
• Pandemicshared pandemic-era scarcity and society breaking down under contagion

Created by

Yana Vagner

Release Date

2019-11-14

Episode runtime

48 min

Rating

7.2 / 10 (300)

What is To the Lake about?

A Russian outbreak drama in which a contagion turns Moscow into a city of the dead and survivors fight for food and survival.

What is To the Lake like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of To the Lake as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.

Is To the Lake violent?

Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in To the Lake as moderate.

What did critics think of To the Lake?

Reviewers find the Russian take on the outbreak apocalypse novel and well acted, with credible character behavior and a rationally evolving story, though some find the characterisation of the propaganda-style figures weak.

Which shows are like To the Lake?

Shows with a similar feel include The Walking Dead, Contagion, Chernobyl, and Pandemic.

How long is To the Lake?

To the Lake: 2 seasons, 16 episodes.

Is To the Lake still running?

No, To the Lake has ended.