Until 2004, there was really no such thing as a Russian sitcom, or at least, not a successful one. While the country has a proud tradition of comedy on stage and on film, Russian comedy on TV is quite a different story. "During the Soviet Union, the only comedy on television was sketch comedy and improv competitions," explains sociology professor Jeffrey Brassard. Then, after the Soviet Union fell in 1991, Russia couldn't afford to make much of anything, so all they had was dubbed versions of American shows and a few failed attempts to make their own situation comedies.

All of that changed in 2004 with Moya Prekrasnaya Nyanya — or My Fair Nanny — a Russian remake of The Nanny. Licensed by Sony, Moya Prekrasnaya Nyanya used the scripts from the original series, translated them, adjusted some jokes for Russian sensibilities and then taped them using their own actors. It was a smash hit, but its mantle as Russia's number one comedy would soon be overtaken by something even bigger.