Learn Hardcore Ukrainian: Цей серіал про улюбленого героя.

If you wanted to include “is” explicitly, you would use є, but in this kind of neutral statement it normally sounds unnecessary or too formal/emphatic:

Цей серіал є про улюбленого героя. – grammatically possible, but unusual in everyday speech.

What exactly does цей mean here, and how is it different from це?

Цей means “this” and is an adjective that agrees with a masculine singular noun in the nominative case.

цей серіал – this (masculine) series
ця книжка – this (feminine) book
це місто – this (neuter) city
ці фільми – these (plural) films

Цей is used before a noun.
Це is usually a stand‑alone pronoun, often translated as “this is / it is”:

Це серіал про улюбленого героя. – This is a series about a favorite hero.
Цей серіал про улюбленого героя. – This series is about a favorite hero.

So here, цей is attached to серіал, naming which series.

Does серіал mean specifically a TV series, or could it be any kind of series?

Серіал usually means a TV series (or a streaming series, web series, etc.) – a multi‑episode show with a story that continues from episode to episode.

Some nuances:

серіал – series/TV show
телесеріал – explicitly TV series (a bit more formal)
мультсеріал – animated series / cartoon series
серія – an episode (one part of the series), or “series/sequence” in other contexts (e.g. серія книг – a book series)

In this sentence, цей серіал most naturally suggests this TV/streaming show.

What does про mean, and which case does it require?

Про means “about” (in the sense of subject matter or topic):

серіал про героя – a series about a hero
книга про війну – a book about the war
фільм про кохання – a film about love

Про always takes the accusative case in modern standard Ukrainian.
In your sentence, the object of про is улюбленого героя in the accusative.

Why is it улюбленого and not улюблений?

Улюбленого is the accusative masculine singular form of the adjective улюблений (favorite, beloved).

Adjectives in Ukrainian must agree with the noun in:

gender
number
case

Here, героя is:

masculine
singular
accusative (because of про
- accusative, and герой is animate)

So улюблений must also be:

masculine, singular, accusative → улюбленого

Compare:

Улюблений герой – favorite hero (nominative: subject)
Я бачу улюбленого героя. – I see (my) favorite hero. (accusative)
Серіал про улюбленого героя. – A series about a favorite hero. (accusative after про)

Why is it героя instead of герой?

Герой (hero) is a masculine animate noun. In Ukrainian, for animate masculine nouns, the accusative singular form is the same as the genitive singular.

Nominative: герой – hero (as subject)
Genitive: героя
Accusative (animate): героя

Because про takes the accusative, we need the accusative form:

про кого? – about whom? → про героя

Compare with an inanimate noun, where the accusative matches the nominative:

стіл – table (nom.)
бачу стіл / про стіл – I see the table / about the table (acc. = nom.)

But:

герой → бачу героя / про героя (acc. = gen. for animate)

Does улюбленого героя mean “my favorite hero” or just “a favorite hero”?

Literally, улюбленого героя is just “favorite hero” without specifying whose favorite.

Ukrainian often omits possessive pronouns (my, your, his, etc.) when context is clear. Depending on context, улюбленого героя might be understood as:

(мого) улюбленого героя – my favorite hero
(твого) улюбленого героя – your favorite hero
(її) улюбленого героя – her favorite hero, etc.

If you want to be explicit:

Цей серіал про мого улюбленого героя. – This series is about my favorite hero.
Цей серіал про його улюбленого героя. – This series is about his favorite hero.

Without a possessive, English usually translates it as “a favorite hero” or sometimes just “a beloved hero / a favorite character”, depending on context.

Can I change the word order, for example: Про улюбленого героя цей серіал?

Yes. Ukrainian word order is more flexible than English. All of these are possible:

Цей серіал про улюбленого героя.
Neutral, most common: This series is about a favorite hero.
Про улюбленого героя цей серіал.
Puts emphasis on “about a favorite hero” (topic first).
Roughly: It’s about a favorite hero, this series.
Цей серіал – про улюбленого героя.
Same meaning as (1), the dash often mirrors the missing “is” and can add a slight pause/emphasis.

All are grammatical; the differences are mostly in rhythm and focus, not in basic meaning.

How do you pronounce Цей серіал про улюбленого героя?

Approximate pronunciation with stress marked by ´:

Цей – tsey (like “ts” in “cats”
- ey)
серіáл – se-ri-AL (stress on the last syllable)
про – proh (short o, not like English “pro”)
улюблéного – u-lyúb-le-no-ho
– у = “oo” in “book” (short)
– stress on -лю́-
герóя – he-RO-ya (stress on -ро́-)

Together, smoothly:

[TSEY se-ri-AL pro u-LYUB-le-no-ho he-RO-ya]

Is герой here more like “hero” or “main character / protagonist”?

Герой can mean both:

Hero in the heroic sense (brave, admirable person).
Main character / protagonist of a story (even if they’re not morally “heroic”).

In the context of a серіал, улюблений герой often means:

favorite character or favorite protagonist, not necessarily a “superhero”.

If you want to stress “main character,” you can say:

головний герой – main hero / main character
улюблений персонаж – favorite character (more neutral, explicitly “character”)

Can I say Цей серіал є про улюбленого героя, with є?

You can, and it’s grammatically correct, but:

In everyday speech and normal writing, Ukrainians almost always omit є in such simple present‑tense sentences.
Є is used:
- for contrast or emphasis:
  Вода є рідиною. – Water is a liquid.
- in more formal, scientific, or philosophical style.

So:

Natural: Цей серіал про улюбленого героя.
With emphasis or “bookish” feel: Цей серіал є про улюбленого героя.