Online cinema Premier presents a coming-of-age drama set in the turbulent and colorful decade of the 1990s, titled “World! Friendship! Gum!” It follows a group of young people navigating the last summer of their childhood, a time when every moment feels larger than life and the future arrives with a mix of excitement and anxiety. The story centers on the moment when school bells finally stop ringing for the season and adulthood seems to loom just beyond the horizon, demanding questions that no one has yet learned to answer.
In the summer of 1996, a cohort of friends graduates from school and steps into a horizon filled with possibility and risk. Their names appear on screen as Yegor Gubarev, Valentina Lyapina, Yegor Abramov, and Fyodor Roshchin, portraying the core quartet whose bond holds the narrative together. The ensemble gradually fills out with other recognizable faces, including Yura Borisov, Nikita Pavlenko, Polina Gukhman, Ksenia Katalymova, Stepan Devonin, Larisa Udovichenko, Artur Beschastny, Dmitry Kulichkov, and more. These actors revisit roles previously inhabited by Evgeny Tkachuk, Alexandra Khromova, Fedor Fedotov, Yuri Kuznetsov, and a celebrated retro presence known to audiences as “Karkhoru” from the 90s, enriching the film with a blend of nostalgia and fresh perspective about a generation that grew up fast under extraordinary social changes.
According to the producers and writers involved in the project, the third season of the series centers on fear—the fear of what lies ahead, the fear of losing everything once and for all, and the chilling fear of uncertainty. The creators recall their own youth in the 90s while shaping the narrative, emphasizing a perspective that keeps the action anchored in vivid, almost tactile memory. The team describes their approach as looking through a unique lens, a combination of childlike brightness and adult awareness, which allows the characters to experience the world with both wonder and realism. The show’s producers suggest that the texture of the story is drawn from real life: moments as ordinary as a family meal, as dramatic as a shattered car, or as stubborn as a grandfather’s resilience all contribute to a believable, lived-in universe. There is an openness about endings and a sense that the story may move in unforeseen directions, yet there is a shared belief that darkness will pass and clarity will emerge by the narrative’s close.
The series is scheduled for an online premiere on Premier, launching on May 4. In the weeks leading up to the release of the new season, promotional imagery—designed with a distinctive visual thread—offers audiences a hint of the mood and texture to expect. The project’s marketing materials hint at a continuation of the beloved 90s atmosphere, inviting viewers to reconnect with a period that remains a touchstone for many in the region while also inviting a new generation to discover its themes and emotional undercurrents. This approach underscores Premier’s commitment to presenting intimate, character-driven storytelling that resonates across generations and borders, drawing connections between the specific memories of the past and the universal experiences of growing up. The show’s anticipation is reflected in the careful curation of visuals that accompany the release, suggesting a thoughtful blend of nostalgia and contemporary storytelling aimed at inviting discussion and reflection among audiences who remember the era and those newly curious about it.
In exploring the era’s aesthetics, the narrative relies on a balance of personal, authentic details and broader social textures. The characters’ everyday choices—whether they’re navigating friendships, family expectations, or the lure of new opportunities—become a lens through which the audience can examine the resilience and vulnerability that define adolescence. The creators emphasize that the storytelling process is collaborative, drawing on the experiences of the cast and crew to create a textured world that feels both specific to the 1990s and universally relatable to viewers facing their own transitions. The result is a drama that aims to capture the cadence of youth—the rush of first freedoms, the sting of first disappointments, and the quiet, almost sacred moments of belonging that shape a lifetime. For fans of the original material and new viewers alike, the upcoming season promises a thoughtful exploration of what it means to grow up when the ground beneath changes with every passing day.
Readers should expect a richly layered portrayal of a pivotal moment in time, crafted with attention to character arcs, historical context, and the emotional honesty that accompanies adolescence. The project’s creative team hopes to evoke a sense of shared memory while offering fresh insights into how a generation survived, thrived, and found its voice amid the upheavals of the era. The upcoming release on Premier is positioned as more than just a continuation; it is an invitation to revisit childhood with grown-up eyes, to reconsider what those years really meant, and to celebrate the friendships that carried the characters through the most uncertain summers of their lives. The premiere marks not only a new chapter in the series but also a communal moment for audiences to reflect on their own pasts and the ways those memories inform who they are today.