A sitcom starring Volodymyr Zelenskyy as Ukraine's president before he was elected has returned to Netflix.
It's the 22nd day of Russian President Vladimir Putin's 'special military operation', with millions fleeing Ukraine amid calamitous conflict taking the lives of thousands of civilians and troops.
Zelenskyy has drawn continual praise for his resilience in the face of wartime adversity, delivering rousing addresses to the EU, House of Commons and most recently, the US Congress, even invoking Martin Luther King's 'I have a dream' speech. Then again, he did have some practice – albeit, it was on TV.
Before Zelenskyy became the country's leader, he actually played Ukraine's president in Servant of the People, a satirical series that first aired back in 2015, later making its way to Netflix.
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Zelenskyy portrayed Vasyl Petrovych, is a high-school history teacher in Ukraine who unexpectedly becomes president after a video of him ranting about government corruption goes viral.
The show came to an end when, incredibly, Zelenskyy decided to run for president in 2019 under the banner of a new political party, also called Servant of the People. He pulled off a landslide victory, winning 70% of the vote in the second round.
In light of the conflict in Ukraine, Zelenskyy's past role has naturally generated a fair bit of interest. Netflix once hosted the show, but after its removal in 2021, it's not been widely available – until now.
"Servant of the People is once again available on Netflix in The US," the streaming platform announced in a tweet.
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"The 2015 satirical comedy series stars Volodymyr Zelenskyy playing a teacher who unexpectedly becomes president after a video of him complaining about corruption suddenly goes viral.
"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," Nicola Soderland, managing partner of Swedish television group Eccho Rights, which has been licensing the show, told The Hollywood Reporter.
"While the real-world scenario facing Zelenskyy 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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UK viewers, worry not: Channel 4 has landed the rights across the pond, and all 23 episodes are available to stream free-of-charge on All 4 right now.
If you would like to donate to the Red Cross Emergency Appeal, which will help provide food, medicines and basic medical supplies, shelter and water to those in Ukraine, click here for more information
Topics: Film and TV, Volodymyr Zelensky, Netflix, Ukraine
Cameron Frew