Netflix has re-added Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s satirical comedy series Servant of the People to its US library. The three-season series was previously available to watch on the streaming service between 2017 and 2021, but was removed last year. Now, Netflix has confirmed that the series returns on March 16, in light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Servant of the People chronicles the political adventures of a high school teacher (played by the then comedian Zelensky) who unexpectedly becomes the president of Ukraine after being featured in a viral video denouncing government corruption in his country.
With miraculous irony, the series ended with Zelensky’s real-life election to the post of president of Ukraine in 2019. In these elections, he ran under the banner of a new political party, also called the Servant of the People, and won the election.
The Hollywood Reporter reported that Swedish television group Eccho Rights took over the global distribution of the series during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Channel 4 in the UK is among the broadcasters currently licensing Servant of the People from Eccho Rights, so the series is not available on Netflix’s releases in many countries.
Eccho managing partner Nicola Söderlund, announcing the show’s return to the market this month, said: “The real-world scenario facing Zelensky and the Ukrainian public is far more horrifying and terrifying than the show’s comedy, but it’s obvious with the real-world situation. There are parallels, and Servant of the People is a fascinating, important and historical piece of television.”
The remake of Zelensky’s comedy series on Netflix in the US coincides with the day the Ukrainian president addresses the US Congress. Netflix has previously suspended all its services in Russia and announced that it has stopped all its future projects.
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