The "Evil Russian" stereotype has persisted on shows like Devs, despite "humanizing" Russian portrayals on The Americans and Chernobyl

Los Angeles Times

"Of course, we are supposed to be a bit more sophisticated about ethnic representation these days," says Michael Idov of the Russian stereotype that has re-emerged in the aftermath of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. "We know, in theory, that everyday Russians aren’t all Putin’s mindless minions. We’ve seen the mass protest rallies. We know about Alexei Navalny. We’ve seen great, humanizing works like The Americans and Chernobyl. A problem with Putin’s unending hold on power, however, is that it makes 'Russian' easy to overlook as an ethnic or cultural identity in favor of a purely political one. A good example: Alex Garland’s Devs, which takes place in the Silicon Valley tech sector teeming with immigrants from Asia and Eastern Europe. But while its Chinese and Indian characters are allowed to be themselves in a way that doesn’t predetermine the plot, the Russian is revealed as a government spy by Episode 2. In fact, the only casually Russian character I can recall in the entirety of today’s TV landscape is Anna Volovodov on The Expanse, a sci-fi series in which Russia as a country doesn’t even exist."