President Zelensky's comedy series 'Servant of the People' returns to Netflix

vt-author-image

By Carina Murphy

Article saved!Article saved!

A sitcom starring Volodymyr Zelenzkyy as the president of Ukraine - before he was elected as the president of Ukraine - has hit Netflix.

The Ukrainian leader has become instantly recognizable over the last month, winning international recognition for his defiant resistance against Russia's invasion.

But Zelensky wasn't always such a noble political figure. Before winning the presidential election in 2019, he was well-known in the country as an actor and stand-up comedian.

That said, he did get some presidential work experience on-screen when - in 2015 - he became the star of the television series Servant of the People, in which he played - you guessed it - the president of Ukraine.

For anyone who's struggling to believe that Zelensky - who says he has survived multiple assassination attempts and refused to be evacuated from his war-torn capital Kyiv - was once a comedy actor, Netflix has come to the rescue. The streaming giants announced yesterday that the satirical comedy would once again be available to watch.

Check out the unbelievable teaser trailer for the show below:

"You asked and it’s back!" they tweeted. "Servant of the People is once again available on Netflix in The US. The 2015 satirical comedy series stars Volodymyr Zelensky playing a teacher who unexpectedly becomes President after a video of him complaining about corruption suddenly goes viral."

The show was a hit in Ukraine and only came to an end when - remarkably - Zelensky decided to try his hand at the real job by running for president in 2019 as part of a new political party called 'Servant of the People'. Even more incredibly, Zelensky's political campaign was an enormous success and he was voted into office with a landslide electoral victory.

wp-image-1263146838 size-full
Credit: Pictorial Press Ltd / Alamy

Servant of the People was previously available to watch on Netflix but got removed in 2021. But in light of Zelensky's recent fame and the crisis in Ukraine, they've made the decision to bring it back to the small screen.

Nicola Soderland - managing partner of Swedish television group Eccho Rights, which has been licensing the show - spoke about its relevance to The Hollywood Reporter, saying: "The series is a comedy but also an important document of where Zelensky comes from. His fictional president is a normal man, who grows into his role as a heroic and adored leader."

If you would like to know how you can support the Ukrainian people at this time, click HERE to find a list of organizations and groups dedicated to helping those affected by this crisis.

Featured Image Credit: Gavin Rodgers / Alamy