[02/19/26 - 10:00 AM] Daring Dark Polish Comedy "The Stroke" Exclusive U.S. Debut Thursday, March 12, 2026 Only on European Streamer Viaplay U.S. In a fearless performance, Jacek Poniedzialek plays a celebrated culinary critic and TV personality, brilliant and caustic, who built a career skewering bourgeois taste while privately unraveling.
[via press release from Viaplay]
Daring Dark Polish Comedy THE STROKE Exclusive US Debut Thursday, March 12, 2026 Only on European streamer Viaplay U.S.
Hit with Polish press
"Excellent, original, devastatingly sad, and ... incredibly cheerful" - Newsweek PL
"Funny, with thick black humor, and phenomenally acted" - Serialowa
Golden Frog nominee at Camerimage (Cinematography)
Coming off rave reviews in Poland - called "Excellent, original, devastatingly sad, and... incredibly cheerful" and "Funny, with thick black humor, and phenomenally acted" - the daring dark comedy THE STROKE (Trailer) makes its exclusive U.S. premiere on Thurs., March 12 on European-specialist streamer Viaplay.
At its center is a character you rarely see on Polish television: an openly gay, middle-aged cultural tastemaker whose stroke shatters not only his body, but his ego, status, and carefully constructed persona.
In a fearless performance, Jacek Poniedziałek plays a celebrated culinary critic and TV personality, brilliant and caustic, who built a career skewering bourgeois taste while privately unraveling. After his stroke, he's forced to confront a question far more unsettling than mortality: how do you pursue new desires after your dreams have already come true? And after a life-altering crisis, are we destined to go return to who we were - or become someone entirely new?
Created by acclaimed Polish playwright Paweł Demirski, the series blends thick black humor with emotional precision. Pawel set out to create a character that defies the modern burnout culture - a wildly passionate person who, even in collapse, insists that the best is yet to come.
Additionally, its portrayal of a gay protagonist is notably matter of fact in modern Poland, where LGBTQ identity remains politically and socially contested - giving the story social weight without turning it into a message piece.
Quick binge of 8 episodes x 35 minutes. Polish with English subtitles.
First four episodes drop March 12; final four on March 19.
*Check Out Recent Viaplay Press Releases: US: Viaplay US in March 2026 - The Stroke, Double Stakes, Heroes, Paradis City, Your Favorite U.S. Shows... With a Nordic Twist and Best in International TV 2025
About Viaplay:
The Viaplay streaming service features thousands of hours of premium Nordic and European series and films from Scandinavia's largest and most recognized television/streaming platform. Viaplay's US content offering focuses on the Nordic region's high-quality and psychologically penetrating titles: from atmospheric and suspenseful crime dramas and provocative and stylish young adult series to award-winning dramas and riveting documentaries. On par with the best on television, Viaplay series feature first-rate production values, incredible scenery, award-worthy acting, and edge-of-your-seat storylines. Viaplay is available as an add-on subscription on Prime Video Channels, The Roku Channel, Comcast Xfinity, and more for only $5.99 a month. All titles are available in their original language with English subtitles. Link: http://amazon.com/video/viaplayus
