All the main characters in the series - the Lyutovi with Konstantin Tsekov on the left, and the Chekanovi with Plamen and Dimo Tsekovi and Father Grigoriy on the right side.
Sofia Residents in Excess (original title "Столичани в повече" [Stolichani v poveche] is a Bulgarian dramedy series that ran on BTV for 13 seasons from 2011 to 2018. The main focus of the plot are the Feuding Families Lyutovi and Chekanovi whose patriarchs are rivals for the position of mayor of the village of Izvor.
The series starts out with the Lyutovi's younger son Andrey returning home from Astralia and bumping into the Chekanovi's daughter Maria, starting a romance of Star-Crossed Lovers, and goes on to present the two families' constant fights and convoluted stories involving love, honour, riches and politics in an at times too painfully accurate commentary on the stereotypical Bulgarian image.
Thanks to the show's nation-wide popularity, its title has gone on to become a fixed expression in Bulgarian referring to the residents of villages surrounding the capital city of Sofia that were assimilated into the city as neighbourhoods.
The series includes examples of the following tropes:
- Assumed Win: Played for Laughs on both sides in the mayoral election. Both Rangel and Yordan's campaign managers call them before the results are out, each telling their candidate he is winning by at least 100 votes. Both families go to the pub to celebrate the win shortly before the results are announced on the news. Plamen Tsekov, who owns the pub has been a supporter of Rangel's (since they are to become in-laws) has the chef make a cake for the winner, but when Yordan's win is announced, he wipes off the freshly written "Congratulations, Rangel!" from it and has her write "Congratulations, mayor!" instead, promptly bringing the cake over to the Lyutovi's table.
- Babies Make Everything Better: After a friend tells this to Yovka, she tries her best to get pregnant. But when her husband, eldest Lyutov son Spas, refuses to give her any attention and is much more concerned with finding a treasure, she ends up carrying his treasure-hunting partner Radko's baby after a one-night stand.
- Badass Preacher: Grigoriy turns into one in season 3 episode 13 when his, Andrey's and Spas' lives are threatened. He knocks out the bad guy by throwing a gun at his head - which is then revealed to have been the gun merely slipping out of his hand.
- Bait-and-Switch:
- In season 3 episode 13, Rangel has gathered everyone involved in his wife's supposed affair with Plamen in his living room. Thinking it was Grigoriy who Galabina is dating, he threatens him with a rifle. Then Plamen steps forward, saying it was him who put on Grigoriy's church clothes and made out with... the waitress. It is easy to believe him because they've only been seen by Rangel's elderly mother and her equally elderly friend, whose eyesight is questionable.
- In the same episode, Grigoriy takes out a gun in self-defence, then proceeds to throw it at the other guy, knocking him out. It is revealed seconds later that the throw was not intentional.
- The Bartender: A pub owner, actually. Plamen Tsekov owns the Local Hangout pub and is close friends with the Chekanovi.
- Big Eater: In season 3 episode 13, Radko eats three full bowls of his grandmother's bean soup. It comes back to bite him when he hides under Andrey and Maria's bed and becomes the butt of Toilet Humour just as the latter two are getting it on right above him.
- Birth-Death Juxtaposition: Not a birth, but a wedding. Radul Chekanov happens to die the day before Spas Lyutov is to marry Yovka, and the church ends up being double booked, much to the priest's content as he is being paid double.
- Cain and Abel and Seth: Spas, Andrey and their much younger sister Yana may qualify. Being only a sixth-grader in the beginning of the series, Yana is much less involved with the main plotlines than her brothers, sometimes serving as a Tagalong Kid.
- Childhood Friends: Season 3, episode 4 reveals Rangel and Plamen grew up together as best friends. What Rangel doesn't know is that his wife Galabina and Plamen were High-School Sweethearts and are secretly [1] rekindling their feelings for each other.
- Company Cross References: The series is co-produced by and aired on BTV, and the characters would often watch the channel, or it will be playing whenever a TV is on in the background. Particularly the BTV newscast is often heard in the background at Plamen's pub.
- Cover Innocent Eyes and Ears: In a season 2 episode, the Luytovi come home to Andrey getting it on with Maria on the kitchen table. Slavka's immediate reaction is to cover Yana's eyes.
- Dead Guy Junior: Played with. Radoslav "Radko" Chekanov is named for his grandfather Radul, who dies in the first episode. Of course, Radko was already an adult when his grandfather died, though.
- Didn't Think This Through: In season 3 episode 12, when Radko kidnaps Yovka (It Makes Sense in Context), his car runs out of petrol and they're left in the middle of nowhere with no phones and no one knowing where they are.
- The Ditz: Although she's proven to be quite street-smart, Yovka has her fair share of ditzy moments, usually involving Open Mouth, Insert Foot.
- Dork Horse Candidate: Yordan Lyutov in the mayoral election. While he is far more fair and moral than his opponent Rangel, the latter has been mayor for 2 mandates and has the money and influence to buy people's votes. Yordan actually ends up winning thanks to a blunder involving the Romani whose votes were bought - they accidentally all vote for him and not Rangel, swaying the vote in Yordan's favour.
- Double Vision: Whenever the two Tsekovi brothers are shown in the same scene - which doesn't happen very often.
- Dumbass Teenage Son: Radko is an adult, not a teenager, but he qualifies for this trope otherwise. A particularly jarring example is election day in the first season where he accidentally instructs a group of Romani (bribed to vote for his father) to mark Yordan's name on the ballot instead, causing Rangel to lose the election. Rangel disowns his son for this.Rangel: You're not as dumb as people think you are, son. You're much dumber.Father Grigoriy: You're either mad or stupid if you do this.Radko: Do I seem mad to you?
- Exact Words: In season 3 episode 13, after Plamen manages to convince Rangel he didn't kiss his wife, and neither did Grigoriy the priest, Rangel makes Galabina swear she didn't kiss, hug or make out with anybody. She swears, adding '... with the priest' to every sentence. Technically, she is not lying.
- Family Theme Naming:
- The Chekanovi men - Radul, Rangel and Radoslav "Radko". Justified with Radul and Radko, since the latter is named after the former in a common Bulgarian practice of naming children after a grandparent.
- Maria is also named after her grandmother, meaning both of the Chekanovi children follow this trend, forming a theme of their own.
- Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Andrey is the responsible sibling to foolish sibling Spas. as Maria is to Radko.
- The "Fun" in "Funeral": Early on in the series, a wedding (Spas and Yovka's) and a funeral (Radul Chekanov's) take place at the same time at the only church in the village, and Hilarity Ensues. This is taken up to eleven when the bride's bouquet lands on top of Radul's body in the coffin, prompting little Yana to exclaim "Look mum, Grandpa Radul hugged the bouquet!" note Needless to say, only the Lyutovi are having fun.
- Gambler's Fallacy: In season 3 episode 12, Spas needs to get a large sum of money fast because the guy he owes it to has threatened to kill him. On his way to meet said guy, he sees a casino and stops in to gamble, hoping he'd get the needed sum. He proceeds to win several times in a row and get the money he needs, but because he and his wife get greedy, they lose everything again. Their frustration at the loss turns the game into a Gambling Brawl.
- Henpecked Husband: Yordan Lyutov is often bossed around by his wife Slaveya and characters lampshading this is something of a running gag throughout the series - notably when he wins the election in the first season and Slaveya reacts to the news with the words "We are mayor!"
- Housewife: Galabina, especially due to her husband's Stay in the Kitchen views.
- Ironic Echo: In 3x8, Dimo has a conversation with his uncle over the phone, where his uncle tells him he shouldn't be taking his hat off to people who should be bowing down before him, among other things in the same tone. Minutes later, Dimo calls Rangel and repeats the same exact words, this time directed at him.
- Gold Fever: In the first season, Radko and Spas both go after a treasure Radul (who was a well-known treasure-hunter) is said to have found. Discovering each other, they turn on each other before eventually teaming up, but even then they don't really trust each other. What they don't know is that there is a third party in the treasure hunt - the priest Father Grigoriy, who beats them to the treasure.
- Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: Rangel and Galabina Chekanovi. While Rangel isn't especially taller than the average male character, he is much bigger, and that especially contrasts with his short, skinny wife. This is a good visual representation of their relationship, Rangel being the imposing, abusive one and Galabina being the meek, submissive one. Note that the Lyutovi don't have this type of notable physical contrast. Guess which of the two couples has a more peaceful marriage?
- I Have No Son!: After a stupid mistake of Radko's causes his father to lose the election in the first season, Rangel says this trope verbatim and it takes a while for him to allow Radko back into the house and the family.
- Jerkass: Rangel Chekanov. He is a Corrupt Politician, an abusive husband and father, and seeks out any opportunity to be nasty to Yordan.
- Like a Son to Me: Rangel treats Dimo as a son in the first two seasons during the latter's engagement with Rangel's daughter Maria. It becomes hurtful when he disowns his actual son Radko and seemingly replaces him with Dimo.
- Love Triangle: Andrey, Maria and Dimo. Explicitly depicted in the show's opening sequence with the two men each holding one of Maria's hands.
- Mistaken for Gay: Spas, by his wife Yovka, after he and Radko finally find the coveted treasure (an ancient statue of someone named Palikouros with golden private parts) - one night, she hears him talking in his sleep about the statue like it's his gay lover after they haven't consummated their marriage for months because he's only been concerned with finding the treasure ever since their wedding day.
- New Old Flame: Plamen Tsekov and Galabina Chekanova were High-School Sweethearts and, although she married Rangel, Plamen never stopped loving Galabina. They rekindle their romance into a Secret Relationship when Rangel's rudeness and outright abuse becomes too much for his wife.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: Most celebrities who appear on the series play themselves with a slightly different name to separate the character from the portrayer.
- One-Steve Limit: Averted with Radko and his grandfather Radul, and Maria and her grandmother. Season 8 adds singer Maria Ilieva as
The Danza Maria Scala to the mix. - Opinion Flip Flop: In season 3, Galabina and Plamen see a stray dog during a walk and Galabina says Rangel never let her have a dog despite how much she wanted one. Hearing that, Plamen, who is not exactly a dog person, immediately does everything he can to get the obstinate dog for her despite his dislike of it.
- The Prima Donna: Singer Vyara Toneva is established as this before she even appears. She sends the Lyutovi, who invited her into their hotel for publicity, an email full of crazy demands which they don't exactly have the means to fulfil.
- Replaced with Replica: What Radko and Spas do when they attempt to steal the statue back.
- Sexless Marriage: Spas and Yovka's is this, since Spas is too preoccupied with the treasure to even notice his wife.
- Stay in the Kitchen:
- Rangel's attitude towards his wife Galabina. As soon as he gets home from work, he expects her to have laid out the table for dinner with lots of food according to his preferences. When she suggests she might find a job, he is annoyed and dismissive, and he throws a violent fit whenever she hasn't finished cooking or the food is not quite to his liking.
- He also wants to marry his only daughter off to a guy she doesn't love just because his uncle is a rich businessman and his father is an old friend. Never once does he ask about Maria's opinion on the matter.
- Star-Crossed Lovers: Maria and Andrey, by virtue of being members of Feuding Families. Especially so in the first season, when Maria is engaged to Plamen Tsekov's son Dimo, who actually loves her very much.
- Talk Show: Of the spoof kind. After it is publicly announced that Spas has found an ancient Roman statue and is returning it to the government, he appears on a talk show which is an Affectionate Parody of a show broadcast on another network.
- Truth Serums: In Season 3 episode 13, Konstantin uses one to force Rangel and Yordan to say what they truly think of him, his nephew Dimo, and each other.
- Typecasting: Lubomir Neikov (Rangel Chekanov) is known to play the Corrupt Politician misogynist type, usually a play on the Bai Ganyo type, more than any other type, both on TV, on stage, and on the popular skit comedy show The Comedians BG.
- With a Foot on the Bus: In-story, Andrey was only supposed to come home for his brother's wedding and then go back to Australia where he lived and worked before the show's start, but he ends up falling in love with Maria and decides to stay.
