Netflix to show Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s comedy series

The satirical political comedy series in which Volodymyr Zelenskyy unexpectedly becomes the President of Ukraine will be aired once again on Netflix in the US.

Servant of the People

The TV series Servant of the People is back amid global adoration for the ex-actor and comedian who is now standing up to Russian aggression. Netflix announced on Wednesday on Twitter:

You asked and it’s back. ‘Servant of the People’ is once again available on Netflix in the U.S.

Zelenskyy, 44, is a former actor and comedian who obtained a law degree from Kyiv Economic University before turning to entertainment. Zelenskyy wrote and produced standup comedy shows, TV series, and films before entering the world of politics. He was elected the President of Ukraine in 2019 in a landslide victory.

Servant of the People tells the story of Vasyl Petrovych Goloborodko, a 30-year-old high school history teacher who is elected the President of Ukraine after a video of him complaining about the corrupt government goes viral.

The first two seasons released in 2015 and 2017 were a hit, resonating with Ukrainians and audiences in other former Soviet countries. The series ran for three seasons.

Life imitates art

Before the series ended, Zelenskyy formed a political party of the same name and announced his candidacy for the presidency at the end of 2018. The series played a vital part of his successful campaign.

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Not only did Zelenskyy name his new political party after the series, but some of his friends and business partners from his film production business, Kvartal 95, also joined his administration.

The series was first on Netflix in the US from 2017 to 2021. It was then dropped, but was still available on YouTube. Interest in the show has piqued after Russia invaded Ukraine last month and Zelenskyy became a symbol for the Ukrainian resistance.

The French-German TV channel Arte has been showing Servant of the People online since 19 November, due to huge interest in the series. Since the beginning of the invasion, channels that have obtained the rights to air the series include Channel 4 in Britain, ANT 1 in Greece and PRO TV in Romania.