Święta wojna

Święta wojna (eng. Holy War) is a popular Polish comedy series broadcast on TVP2 from January 23, 2000 to May 9, 2009. The series runs in Katowice. In this series characters communicate using a mix of Silesian and Polish language to show culture whilst remaining intelligible for the Polish speaking audience.

A 11th season was premiered in autumn 2020.

Plot
The plot centers around Hubert Dworniok (a Silesian twist on the Polish surname Dworniak) and his wife Andzia. Hubert, more commonly known as Bercik, is a retired miner. His wife Andzia often refers to him as her silesian Tamagotchi, a play on the idea that Bercik exhibits small-man syndrome.

In retirement, the plot follows Bercik's inept and optimistic attempts to come up with ridiculous get-rich-quick schemes that, due to his own faults and comic coincidences, usually fail (when they succeed they are usually a part of a spin-off episode, which is never referenced again). Bercik often is accompanied by his Warsaw friend, Zbyszek, who always enlists to help Bercik and attempts to keep Bercik out of trouble. Zbyszek often stays over when he comes to Katowice to do business. Zbyszek, a rookie salesman and a womanizer, despite appearing refined, ironically falls to scams himself much to Bercik's amusement and delight.

In a large number of episodes, Alojz (Silesian slang and short for Alojzy), the local barman often finds himself being their mediator, as they often visit szynk (the boozer; the pub) to discuss their next business ideas. Gerard and Kipuś are the two local unemployed alcoholics who join Bercik on his schemes, and they both have more common sense than Bercik. There is a running gag throughout the show with Gerard who often comes to Bercik to borrow five zlotys for a pint of lager, with Bercik never seeing the money return to him.

Various other characters appear throughout the series. Anna's successful brother Ernest has his businesses frequently ruined by Bercik whom Bercik has a great dislike towards, for being a gorol (referring to Poles with no Silesian culture) and a hapol (miser; penny-pincher). Johnny, the local postman, is afraid of Bercik whom he calles a Silesian Psychopath, and Karlikowa, an old woman and Bercik's upstairs neighbour, who often pries and meddles.