The Informer
A Hungarian period series that authentically portrays the moral traps of the 1980s informer system.
Date: May 19, 2022
Series: The Informer (A besúgó, 2022)
A Hungarian series with a Hungarian story—and this is exactly what we should be making. Set in the 1980s and told through the eyes of an informer, it nails the era: sets, costumes, music, smoky dorm life, the web of informers—everything feels right. You can tell the team obsessed over the details.
The cast is excellent, the casting spot-on. The story has momentum; it never feels like a small, constrained “Hungarian production.” You absolutely believe it is part of a larger narrative. We rarely get domestic shows at this level, so I can only recommend it.
While watching I kept thinking, “I would not want to live in that era.” Anger and disbelief bubble up—why did people have to be cornered like this, why were they forced to choose between friendship and survival? You often cannot identify with the protagonist, yet you understand the system: once you are in it, every option is a bad one. Still, a part of you keeps hoping there could have been a more normal life.
I liked the grounded, everyday scenes—moments that seem insignificant at first but make the world feel real. Not everything is dramatic; sometimes they simply live, party, fall in love. And the echoes… it is impossible not to notice how familiar some of it sounds even today.
Easy 8.5/10 for me. No question it belongs among the best Hungarian series.