The essay represents the first effort to explore the artistic methodsemployed in the TV series about World War II (the Great Patriotic War) andanalyzes four multi-episode TV shows released in 2004. In its own way, each ofthese series responded to the new public interest in the less known aspects ofthe war. Simultaneously, each of them established a dialogue with the previouscinematic and TV productions, comprising direct reminiscences to earlierfilms, objectivizing the audience expectations formed by earlier productions, oreven arguing with them. This dialogic trend should be considered as part of thepostmodernist framework of contemporary television: reminiscences of popularpost-war films or literal or visual citations from these films become an integralpart of contemporary cinema and television and also act as documentary-likereference points.In all reviewed cases, the authors emphasize adventure narratives well suitedfor TV presentation and rendered even more spectacular by modern visualizationtechnologies. The producers are confronted with a contradiction between thechosen historical context and imaginary plotlines: it is quite difficult to put theseries’ characters within the imaginary space, depriving them of the well-knownfacts, especially those propagated in earlier film and TV productions. Inevitably,each plot is aggressively influenced by the tragedy of the “little man”, in whichthe place of the enemy occupied in the Soviet tradition by the Gestapo and theAbwehr is replaced by the repressive Soviet state security services. Even a decadeafter its release, Shtrafbat (The Penal Battalion) plays a major role in the publicand professional discussion on the ethics of war-related films and televisionseries. Meanwhile, At a Nameless Height, a series which contains even morereminiscences to Soviet film and television productions, should be regarded asone of the earliest works in which the sense of authenticity was sacrificed tothe imaginary expectations of the viewers – expectations formed by the Soviethistorical and cultural framing.