History Main / WhenHarryMetSvetlana

** ''Film/TheWorldIsNotEnough'' plays with this, a British woman is with the Russian man, both experiencing [[StockholmSyndrome Stockholm]] and LimaSyndrome respectively. They're an OutlawCouple and the BigBadDuumvirate.

The name alludes to the classic UsefulNotes/ColdWar combination of the American man and the Russian woman (or British man, if it's a ''Film/JamesBond'' film). Expect the Russian woman to be a [[SensualSlavs Sensual Slav]] who talks in PoirotSpeak with a thick Russian accent ("I come to your country for mission, da?") There's also a good, but not certain, chance that she'll become a DefectorFromCommieLand. The Soviet collapse has removed the original reason for this combination, but it [[UndeadHorseTrope still comes up from time to time]].

* Subverted in the 1985 action-comedy ''Film/{{Gotcha}}''. A virgin UCLA college student is seduced by an older Czech woman who turns out to be a spy. At the end of the movie they have an angry confrontation and [[AccentRelapse her accent slips]], causing her to admit that she's actually a CIA agent from Pittsburgh.

The name alludes to the classic UsefulNotes/ColdWar combination of the American man and the Russian woman (or British man, if it's a ''Film/JamesBond'' film). Expect the Russian woman to be a [[SensualSlavs Sensual Slav]] who talks in PoirotSpeak with a thick Russian accent ("I come to your country for mission, da?") There's also a good, but not certain, chance that she'll become a DefectorFromCommieLand. TheGreatPoliticsMessUp has removed the original reason for this combination, but it [[UndeadHorseTrope still comes up from time to time]].

** The trope lingered on after TheGreatPoliticsMessUp in ''Film/{{Goldeneye}}'' with Natalya Simonova (Russian computer programmer who works on the title satellite's guidance system).

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* When Steve hadn't appeared in ''Webcomic/QuestionableContent'' for a while, it turned out he'd briefly become a Bond-style secret agent. The Blofeld-alike's henchwoman, Tortua, later shows up as his [[AmicableExes Amicable Ex]]. Apparently, he saved her from robot sharks.

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* In ''Series/TheNewAdventuresOfBeansBaxter'', Darla was TeenageSuperspy Beans’ original girlfriend in Witches Creek. In Washington, he is pursued by Cake Lase-–“the most gorgeous girl on his high school campus.” Beans, however, has eyes for nobody but Svetlana (played by for Miss Universe Shawn Weatherly), a beautiful Soviet defector.

* ''Film/BladeII'': Blade ends up working with a team of vampires led by Princess Nyssa Damaskinos against the [[EnemyMine far greater Reaper threat]]. Blade (a {{dhampyr}} himself) grows closer to Nyssa during their time together, more than any other woman he's been acquainted with throughout the films. The fact he DidNotGetTheGirl makes this a subversion. [[spoiler:She chooses to [[DiedInYourArmsTonight die in Blade's arms]] after she's been infected]].

** The trope lingered on after TheGreatPoliticsMessUp in ''Film/{{Goldeneye}}'' with Natalya Simonova (Russian computer programmer who works on the titular satellite's guidance system).

* In ''Film/TheException'', Mieke is a widowed Jew spying on behalf of the UK and Captain Brandt is a Nazi German officer.

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* ''Film/TwoThousandTenTheYearWeMakeContact'' focuses on a joint American-Soviet space expedition. The American side is led by a man and the Soviet side is led by a woman. There's no romance, although when the expedition's ship undergoes a nerve-wracking navigational maneuver, one of the Soviet female crew-members seeks platonic comfort in the bunk of the aforementioned American male.
* On the other side of the UsefulNotes/IronCurtain, it was reversed. In the Soviet spy comedy ''Good Weather on Deribasovskaya'', it's the badass male hero who is Russian and his female partner/love interest who is American.
* The Cold War romantic comedy ''The Iron Petticoat'' featured Creator/KatharineHepburn as a defecting Russian pilot and Creator/BobHope as the U.S. major assigned to introduce her to the world of capitalism.
* Subverted in the 1985 action-comedy ''Gotcha''. A virgin UCLA college student is seduced by an older Czech woman who turns out to be a spy. At the end of the movie they have an angry confrontation and [[AccentRelapse her accent slips]], causing her to admit that she's actually a CIA agent from Pittsburgh.
* ''{{Film/Ninotchka}}'' has a romance between a male French aristocrat and a female Soviet "true believer", the latter being the title character. Being made before the Cold War, it's something of a proto-example and lacks the EnemyMine aspect.

* ''Film/BirthdayGirl'': An Englishman orders a Russian mail-order bride and falls in love with her even though she doesn't speak English, though he finds out that there's a lot more going on with her than he anticipated.

* Happens near the end of ''Film/SpiesLikeUs''. Having resigned themselves to TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt after the missile is launched, Emmett (Chevy Chase) takes Karen (Donna Dixon) aside and the two male russians hook up with each other, leaving Austin (Dan Akroyd) with the cute russian girl (Vanessa Angel). As she's sitting in his lap during the "peace negotiations" in the end, it seems to have lasted for a while, at least.

* The ''Matt Helm'' series, by Donald Hamilton, has Matt frequently crossing paths with a Soviet agent he only knows as "Vadya". They're of course trying to foil each other professionally, but there's a good deal of personal respect/liking/attraction on both sides.

* In ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959'' episode "Two", the two survivors of a future war are ([[HammerAndSickleRemovedForYourProtection apparently]]) an American man and a Russian woman.

* It's almost ''literally'' a case of "When Harry Met Svetlana" on the ''Series/NightCourt'' episode "Russkie Business." Judge Harry Stone is trying to get a visa for his friend Yakov Kurulenko, so Yakov can visit his ailing mother in the [[UsefulNotes/SovietRussiaUkraineAndSoOn Soviet Union]]. The Soviet consul assigned to Yakov's case turns out to be a gorgeous woman named Ludmila, who's as attracted to Harry as he is to her. They spend their time together alternately discussing Yakov's case, arguing, gazing into each other's eyes and making out.
* In the ''Series/Car54WhereAreYou'' episode "Toody and Muldoon Meet the Russians", Toody and Muldoon escort some Russians, including a female general whom Muldoon gets involved with.

* WesternAnimation/{{Archer}}'s fiancée, Katya, is one of the few "good" Russians in the show. [[spoiler:Until she shacks up with Barry, that is.]]

* The ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' episode "Our Man Bashir" has Julian Bashir's character in a holodeck scenario, a character based on Franchise/JamesBond, working together with a female KGB agent named Anastasia who, naturally, is head-over-heels for him. Due to an unusual set of malfunctions started when a Cardassian terrorist group sabotages a runabout containing most of the rest of Deep Space 9's senior staff, Anastasia ends up with the body of Kira Nerys.

** In ''Film/TomorrowNeverDies'', England has James Bond investigate media baron Eliot Carver and his news media operation in order to prevent war with China. China sends FemmeFatale Wai Lin. Though in this case, Britain and China are not so much on opposite sides as trying to preserve a rather cordial relationship Carver is trying to upset.

* Happens near the end of ''Film/SpiesLikeUs''. Having resigned themselves to TheEndOfTheWorld after the missile is launched, Emmett (Chevy Chase) takes Karen (Donna Dixon) aside and the two male russians hook up with each other, leaving Austin (Dan Akroyd) with the cute russian girl (Vanessa Angel). As she's sitting in his lap during the "peace negotiations" in the end, it seems to have lasted for a while, at least.

** Notably inspired by ''series/TheManFromUncle'' which has a number of references within.

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