Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Entertainment
  3. News

Ukraine president’s Servant of the People is back on Netflix

By

The eyes of the world are currently on Ukraine as the Russian invasion of that country continues. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has emerged as a respected  international figure for refusing to back down to Russian aggression even though his country is severely outgunned by the Russian army. But Zelenskyy wasn’t always a politician. In his previous career as a comedian and an entertainer, Zelenskyy once played a fictional teacher who became the President of Ukraine in the sitcom Servant of the People. Now, that series is back on Netflix.

According to Deadline, Netflix made the announcement on Twitter. Servant of the People originally debuted in 2015 and it ran for three seasons for a total of 51 episodes. Netflix previously streamed the series from 2017 to 2021.

Recommended Videos

You asked and it’s back!

Servant of the People is once again available on Netflix in The US. 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. pic.twitter.com/Pp9f48jutF

— Netflix (@netflix) March 16, 2022

Related

Zelenskyy created the series and headlined the show as Vasyl Petrovych Goloborodko, “an absent-minded high school history teacher who lives with his parents.” Vasyl is unwillingly drafted to run for president after his students film him venting about the corruption in his country. After winning the election, Vasyl attempts to be a worthy president while working to eliminate the corruption within the Ukraine government.

Volodymyr Zelensky in Servant of the People.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

In 2019, life imitated art when Zelenskyy actually ran for president on an anti-corruption platform as a member of the newly created Servant of the People political party. In the second round of voting, he was elected to office with 73% of the vote. Since then, Zelenskyy found himself unexpectedly drawn into American politics when former President Donald Trump appeared to attempt to coerce him into opening a corruption investigation into the son of his political rival, Joe Biden. Trump was impeached for that offense, but was later acquitted by the Republican-dominated senate. Biden went on to win the 2020 election as the 46th President of the United States.

The outcome of the current war in Ukraine is far from certain. But regardless of what happens, Zelenskyy has made his mark on world history and audiences can see another side of him with this show.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Blair Marnell
Blair Marnell
Blair Marnell has been an entertainment journalist for over 15 years. His bylines have appeared in Wizard Magazine, Geek…
Angelyne trailer peels back the layers of an LA icon
Emmy Rossum in Angelyne.

If you've lived in Los Angeles long enough, then you probably have an Angelyne story. From the suggestive billboards to seeing her drive around town in a pink Corvette, it's almost impossible to miss Angelyne when she wants to be seen. She created her own fame in Los Angeles, and that mystique has endured for decades. Next month, Peacock is examining the woman behind the legend in a new Angelyne miniseries.

Former Shameless star Emmy Rossum is executive producing and starring in the miniseries as Angelyne. The real Angelyne is very protective of her secrets and her persona, and that carries over to the new trailer for the show. In this footage, a few characters appear to be addressing the camera in a documentary-style look at Angelyne's life, but the woman herself prefers to remain an enigma, even as she chases everlasting fame.

Read more
Spotify halts service in Russia and pledges Ukraine aid
Joe Rogan

Earlier this month, Spotify, the podcast and music streaming service, suspended its subscription service in Russia due to its invasion of Ukraine, which is now in its second month. While the earlier action wasn't a permanent shutdown, it sounds like Spotify has decided to tackle the issue more seriously. Via Variety, Spotify has completely halted operations in Russia, which will cost the company approximately 1.5 million subscribers.

“Spotify has continued to believe that it’s critically important to try to keep our service operational in Russia to provide trusted, independent news and information in the region," said a company spokesman in a new statement. "Unfortunately, recently enacted legislation further restricting access to information, eliminating free expression, and criminalizing certain types of news puts the safety of Spotify’s employees and possibly even our listeners at risk. After carefully considering our options and the current circumstances, we have come to the difficult decision to fully suspend our service in Russia.”

Read more
The growing list of tech companies’ responses to the Ukraine War
An Apple MacBook placed on a table along with a camera.

Russia's decision to go ahead with a full-scale military invasion of Ukraine has been met with varying degrees of opposition. While the U.S. and its allies have imposed severe economic sanctions against Russia, others have responded by breaking off ties with them and speaking openly against Russia at international forums.

However, not all of the punitive action against Russia has come from nations. Several U.S. and international companies have also begun taking measures of their own to hit back against Russia.

Read more