Netflix to Stream Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s ‘Servant of the People’

Alex Weprin
·2 min read
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Servant of the People, the satirical series that launched Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s political career, is once again available to be viewed in the U.S. on Netflix.

The streamer, which originally had the series as part of its library from 2017 to 2021, says that the show is back on the service as of today.

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Servant of the People follows a teacher (Zelensky) who unexpectedly becomes president after a rant against corruption goes viral on social media. The show ran for three seasons and ended when Zelensky decided to run for president of Ukraine in 2019 under the banner of a new political party, also called Servant of the People.

Zelensky, who is scheduled to deliver an address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, has been the focus of the world’s attention since Russia invaded Ukraine a few weeks ago. The former comedian and actor (who also voiced Paddington bear in the Ukrainian version of the family film) has been posting videos around Ukraine’s capitol of Kyiv and rallying support among the country’s citizens and the global community.

Swedish television group Eccho Rights has been licensing the show (and a film based on the series) around the world, with the U.K.’s Channel 4, MBC in the Middle East, ANT 1 in Greece and PRO TV among the buyers.

“The series is a comedy but also an important document of where Zelensky comes from,” said Eccho managing partner Nicola Söderlund in a statement announcing that the show was once again on the market. “His fictional president is a normal man, who grows into his role as a heroic and adored leader. While the real-world scenario facing Zelensky and the Ukrainian people is far more grim and appalling than the comedy of the series, there are obvious parallels with the real-world situation, and Servant of the People is a fascinating, important and historic piece of television.”

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