Interns (sitcom)

This article is about the Russian situation comedy. For other uses, see Intern (disambiguation).

Interny Интерны
Genre	Sitcom
Written by	Vyacheslav Dusmukhametov
Directed by	Maksim Pezhemsky Zaur Bolotayev
Starring	Ivan Okhlobystin Aleksandr Ilyin Jr. Dmitriy Sharakois Ilya Glinnikov Kristina Asmus Vadim Demchog Svetlana Permyakova Svetlana Kamynina Odin Lund Biron
Country of origin	Russia
Original language(s)	Russian
No. of seasons	10
No. of episodes	180
Production
Running time	25 minutes
Release
Original network	TNT
Original release	March 29, 2010
External links
Website

Interny (Interns, Russian: Интерны) is a 2010–2014 Russian medical sitcom produced by NTV-Kino, airing in Russia on the TNT Russia channel since March 29, 2010.

The sitcom follows a group of people working at a hospital. The group includes four young inexperienced medical interns who constantly get into troublesome situations, their mentor Andrey Bykov, and the hospital's staff.

Since December 9, 2014, after public protests, the serial has been forbidden for display and distribution in Ukraine because of illegal actions and anti-Ukrainian chauvinist statements of actor Ivan Okhlobystin.

	Seasons count
Season 1	September 2011 - November 2011
Season 2	November 2011 - April 2012
Season 3	April 2012 - September 2013
Season 4	February 2014

Regular characters

• Andrey Yevgenyevich Bykov (Ivan Okhlobystin), the sarcastic and cynic head of the therapy department who combines some features of Perry Cox and Dr House. He was assigned four interns in the first episode, and has since subjected them to many degrading tasks, as well as leaving them on call at night. He is best-friends with Kupitman, whom he also frequently insults and humiliates; and has a sexual relationship (and later a son) with the chief of medicine Kisegach Anastasya. Bykov is very intelligent, and always comes up with the diagnosis prior to the interns – sometimes, without even examining the patient. He has a dry sense of humour, and often pranks Kupitman, the interns and Kisegach. Even though he often says that he hates being in charge of the interns, when asked to fire one he could not pick one, claiming that they are all "equally bad". At the beginning of the first season, it was mentioned multiple times that he is a recovering alcoholic, but he has since been seen drinking, suggesting that this storyline has been dropped. His relationship with Kisegach has caused problems between him and Romanenko. Bykov is very fond of video games, which is often used for comic effect. Bykov has a 20-year-old daughter Alisa from the previous marriage and in the 180th episode, Bykov's son Ilya was born. Bykov is a former biker and is still known in this environment as "Lizard" (Ящер рус.); in several episodes we can see his biker-pals like "Boar". His fetish love for his bike Izolda and a plant Igor given to him by a grateful patient also make funny storylines in several episodes.
• Semyon Semyonovich Lobanov (Aleksandr Ilyin Jr.), one of the interns, Lobanov has plenty of practical experience (having worked in an ambulance and serving in the army) but lacks vital theoretical knowledge, often finding medical jargon confusing and being unable to diagnose even simple diseases. However, he is very useful in emergencies. He is physically big, and often intimidates people (most often his fellow intern Levin). He is often violent, having no qualms about hurting people, particularly those who annoy him. He is a former boxer (master of sports) and in one of the episodes he engages into a boxing match with his patient while the staff of the hospital makes bets. Lobanov often tries to make some money on the side, indulging in somewhat illegal or morally ambiguous activities and always fails due to his irresponsibility and laziness. At the start of the show, he was the only married intern, and his wife, Olga, was a lawyer (in one episode, it was mentioned that she graduated cum laude). The two of them had trouble conceiving a child, and it was revealed that Lobanov's slow-moving sperm was to blame for this. Lobanov's reluctance to quit smoking or drinking led to a rift between him and his wife, and the two filed for divorce in Season 3. In the 180th episode, Lobanov's daughter has been born. In the latest episodes he works in the receiving department and rarely appears in the series.

• Boris "Borya" Arkadyevich Levin (Lithuanian: Dmitrijus Šarakojis), another intern. Levin graduated from university cum laude and believes that he is by far the most intelligent and medically gifted of the interns. He also considers himself Bykov's favourite. He is socially inept (he always gets himself beaten and tricked by patients and his colleagues), and has trouble making his opinion heard. He is bullied by both Romanenko and Lobanov. He lost his virginity to, and entered a long-term relationship with the Head Nurse, Lyubov Scriabina. She is older (and more sexually experienced) than him, and it was once mentioned that his mother is older than his father, suggesting he is drawn to women similar to his mother. Levin is physically scrawny and wears thick glasses. He would like to one day win the Nobel Prize. He left the show during the third season to pursue an internship at the Princeton-Plainsboro Clinic in America (this is an homage to the television series House M.D.).

• Gleb Victorovich Romanenko (Ilya Glinnikov), Kisegach's son from a previous marriage. He has no desire to be a doctor, but succumbed to pressure from his mother, who financially supports him and with whom he lives. He partied a lot in med school and thus has a lot of knowledge regarding clubs and drugs. He had many one night stands, and had a reputation as a womanizer. He is by far the worst doctor of the four interns. He is crafty and witty, but mostly uses his connections to get by. Since the beginning of the show, Romanenko showed interest in Chernous, and the two finally embarked on a relationship. However, they have since broken up. In Season 2, Romanenko starts dating Bykov's daughter Alisa Bykova, initially to get back at Bykov for sleeping with Kisegach, but it is implied that the two have genuine affection for each other. Romanenko has this most antagonistic relationship with Bykov, mostly because of the older man's sexual relations with his mother. He is friends with Lobanov and Phil and they even live together in season 2 and 3. In the latest episodes Romanenko is engaged in a relationship with Sophia, new intern niece of Kupitman.

• Varvara "Varya" Nikolayevna Chernous (Kristina Asmus), the only female intern, is frequently subjected to derogatory statements about her gender. She is very honest and emotionally open, and has very high ethical ideals, often objecting to the boys' pranks or morally ambiguous behaviour. She is uncomfortable being sexualised, and at the start of the show, she had very limited sexual experience (her relationship with Romanenko changed this, to a degree, and she became a lot more open to sexual experiences). It was revealed that in med school she tried to commit suicide after the guy she had lost her virginity to dumped her. Chernous was raised by a single mother and told that a woman does not need a man to get by. Although she initially rejected Romanenko's advances due to his reputation, the two eventually embarked on a relationship, which has since ended, in part due to Chernous developing a crush on Bykov. Chernous is smart and compassionate, and thus is a fairly good doctor, but her overemotional reactions sometimes get her into trouble. In Season 3, she transfers to surgery, mostly because of the much nicer staff. While initially dismayed that Bykov took the news so well (he immediately snapped out of his depression), she learned that he's glad that one of his charges has finally spread her wings to leave the nest.

• Phil Richards (Odin Lund Biron), an intern from the United States who came to Russia in exchange for Boris Levin. Fluent in Russian because of his Russian mother. Since he is from America, he finds it incredibly difficult to understand the local Russian traditions. Oftentimes too trusting, Phil falls victim to pranks by Romanenko and Lobanov. Phil is shown as a perfect example of intercultural differences between Russians and Americans: because of the Western life model he always gets into funny situations. His parents are gay; that, once found out, makes him the target of bullying, but as he says "I have already heard it all in America". Having substituted for Borya Levin, Phil becomes a vital character of the sitcom. After having worked in Russia for several years he goes through Russification, the process of becoming too Russian; he is afraid that he started drinking too much and his dads accuse him of homophobia. For several episodes he had a relationship with Lobanov's wife Olga. In the latest seasons Phil works in the venereology department under the head of Kupitman Ivan Natovich.

• Ivan Natanovich Kupitman (Estonian: Vadim Demčog). In charge of the Department of Venereology, Kupitman is highly intelligent and a valued friend of Bykov. Jew. He is crafty and manipulative, and like Bykov, indulges in pranks. He has been married three times, but is currently single. Kupitman is an alcoholic, and he has a cupboard full of expensive cognac in his office (from grateful patients and fellow staff members). In one episode, it is revealed that Kupitman cannot drink vodka, since it causes him to become dysfunctional. He is considered an expert on male/female relationships by the other staff, who often go to him for help with their relationship. The fact that he is Jewish, alcoholic and "has to scrutinize wieners all day long" makes him an object for Bykov's bullying. When his niece Sophia comes to Moscow and stays with him he has to quit drinking not to show his real face in front of the whole family. But later he finds out that Sophia doesn't mind his drinking and that "it's his life" and Kupitman comes back to normal. In the latest episodes he is involved in an affair with Lyubov Mikhailovna.

• Lyubov Mikhaylovna Scryabina (Svetlana Permyakova), the Head Nurse. She is practical and usually level-headed (although she is very superstitious). She has many features of Laverne Roberts. She is very self-conscious of her age and the fact that she is overweight. She and Kupitman are "frenemies". Although they are usually friends, they often hate each other during the course of the episode but resolve it before the next episode. It has been implied that there is sexual tension between them. Lyuba is good friends with Chernous, and has a mutual respect with Lobanov. The two of them periodically indulge in get-rich schemes, and a fortuneteller once foretold that he is the man she is destined to marry, although this was later revealed to be a lie which the woman had concocted to get rid of Lyubov's constant chatter. Everyone in the hospital respects, and even somewhat fears her. During the first season, she claimed Levin's virginity whilst he got drunk for the first time. The two then began a long-term relationship, which ended when Levin left to go to an internship in America. Lyuba is very gossipy and talkative, and is considered the channel for all the hospital's dirty secrets. It was revealed that when she was younger, she was in love with Bykov, but he publicly humiliated her by reading out her anonymous love letter to the entire hospital staff.

• Anastasiya Konstantinovna Bykova (née Kisegach) (Svetlana Kamynina), the attractive, divorced hospital administrator. She is exceptionally smart and manipulative, and is one of the only women who has Bykov's respect. She is the mother of Gleb Romanenko, but is divorced from his father. She and Bykov have indulged in a somewhat sexual relationship since med school, and whenever the two drink together they end up having sex, after which she normally exclaims, "Bykov, this was the last time!" The two pursued a relationship after Kisegach accepted that she felt jealous when Bykov flirted with other women. Their relationship briefly ended after Romanenko discovered about it, but has since secretly resumed. It has been implied that Romanenko suspects their reconciliation, especially after he discovered Bykov's watch in the apartment he shares with his mother, but his relationship with Bykov's daughter has led him to accept the relationship, to a degree. In the 180th episode, Bykov's son born. His name is Ilya.

• Polina Ulyanova (Yana Guryanova), Bykov's newest intern introduced shortly after Chernous's transfer to surgery. Initially reluctant to hire her, she spends a long time trying to get all the major characters to vouch for her. She only ends up earning their ire. Naturally, when all of them unanimously vote against her, Bykov gladly hires her just to annoy everyone else. Tends to get very familiar with people, often switching to diminutives of their first names within minutes of meeting them. Refuses to take "no" for an answer. She is very noisy, aggressive and annoying, and she finally leaves the internship with a big scandal. She comes back in season 5 after her marriage came to an end. After divorce she understood that all she wanted was her old job in Bykov's department. Bykov takes her back, but in the latest episodes a new doctor appears who happens to be her ex-husband...

• Margarita Pavlovna Korolyova (Yulia Nazarenko), new head nurse hired after Scryabina left for America. Bykov's ex-girlfriend. By her own admission, a huge bitch. In her character she has many features of Carla Espinosa. She is a huge gossip (just like Lyubov Mikhailovna); she is manipulative and she is in good relations with her boss. In season 5 Liubov Mikhailovna returns from America and two of them share the chief nurse responsibilities.

Recurring characters

• Olga Lobanova (Tatyana Lyannik), Semyon Lobanov's ex-wife. The show frequently contrasted her intelligence and beauty with Lobanov's oafishness, although the two seemed to be happy together. They divorced in Season 3, after Lobanov refused to quit drinking and smoking, in order to conceive a child. Although there was initially hope for reconciliation, once Olga discovered Lobanov had lied to her about getting amnesia and being unable to recall their separation (in actuality, he had broken his leg), she demanded that he never attempt to contact her again. They do manage to reconcile in the same season, though, and even exchange gifts for their anniversary.

• Galina (Yelena Surkova), one of the nurses in Bykov's department. She has been seen in multiple episodes, and, following Lobanov's divorce, had a one-night stand with him. This plot line has not been developed further.

• Vera (Tatyana Mukhina), Kisegach's personal secretary. In one episode, Kisegach believed that Vera and Bykov had sexual relations, which led to Kisegach demanding an exclusive relationship with Bykov, even after it was proven false.

• Hospital attendants (Maxim Artamonov, Mikhail Pavlik) – The two have been recurring characters since the first episode, and in Season 3, one was revealed to be named Pyetka. A recurring gag in the show is their involvement when it comes to catching mentally disturbed patients – they once accidentally caught Levin instead of a mentally-ill patient who believed that he was Vladimir Putin. They seem to lack intelligence, but make up for it in brute strength.

• Alisa Bykova (Mariya Pirogova), Bykov's daughter from a failed relationship. She is first introduced in Season 3. It is revealed that she previously lived in St. Petersburg with her mother, but decided to come to Moscow in order to become a doctor and move in with her father. She shares many of Bykov's personality traits such as his sarcasm, sense of humor, stubbornness and, surprisingly, his knack for medicine. She is fond of clubbing, drinking and smoking and has had many sexual partners. In one episode, it is revealed that she favours creative men, which creates tension between her and Romanenko. She started dating Romanenko in the second episode in which she appeared, and the two seem to have a surprisingly balanced relationship. Shortly before taking her tests, she becomes disillusioned with life and leaves to become a biker, breaking off her relationship with Romanenko. It's mentioned later that Bykov erased her number from his phone in order to make room for a pizzeria.

Comparison and similar shows

Similarities have been noted between Interny and American shows, for example House M.D. and Scrubs. Although the show is officially original, the parallels are undeniable. Like Scrubs, the show is centered on the lives of interns having to put up with an unreasonable (yet talented) boss. Also, the show has used "daydream" scenarios that echoed J.D's daydreams. Bykov's derogatory comments towards Chernous also echoed Cox's nicknaming Elliot "Dr Barbie". Like Elliot, Chernous revealed that she previously tried to commit suicide. She is also good friends with Lybov Mihaylovna the Head Nurse, like Carla Espinosa was friends with Elliot. Also, Scrubs saw the Head Nurse enter a relationship with one of the interns (Turk) and similarly, Lybov starts dating Levin.

House and Bykov similarly share traits, and parallels between the Huddy relationship and Bykov's relationship with Kisegach are easy to see. Chernous echoes early Cameron, especially with her reluctance to enter relationships and her moral high-ground. Both entered relationships with the less talented sons of renowned doctors, after much pursuit on the part of the men (Cameron dated, and eventually married and divorced, Chase, whilst Chernous had a failed relationship with Romanenko). Moreover, Chernous also developed a crush on Bykov which echoed an early House plotline which involved Cameron being in love with her boss. Interny has referenced these similarities with a tongue-in-cheek attitude, which include a House spoof episode that centred on Bykov trying to get his interns to diagnose a "difficult case" in House's typical style, and many of House's favourite diagnoses were rattled off. This episode also used the House catchphrase "Everybody Lies" repeatedly, for comic effect. It involved Bykov spraining his ankle and walking around with a cane. Bykov also tells a tale about him being a model for House because some American producer was much impressed with him while getting in the hospital several years before. Interny also paid homage to House by naming Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital as the clinic where Levin intends to do an internship.

The prohibition on display and distribution in Ukraine

Main article: Boycott Russian Films

On December 9, 2014 the State Agency of Ukraine for Cinema banned showing and distributing the series Interns in Ukraine, along with another 70 films and TV shows featuring Ivan Okhlobystin. According to the department, the ban is related to anti-Ukrainian chauvinist actions of Okhlobystin, and violation of the ban on entry to Ukraine. Shortly before the activists, including members of "Boycott Russian Films", protested about the ban.

External links

• Interny at IMDb