TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Netflix to rerelease TV comedy that launched Zelensky to presidency
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Back on screen: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addresses the nation on Feb. 21 following a meeting of the National Security and Defense Council. Netflix announced on Wednesday that it would rebroadcast the 2015 television comedy satire that launched the political career of its star, Zelensky. (AFP/Ukraine Presidential Office)
T
he comedy satire in which Volodymyr Zelensky unexpectedly becomes Ukraine's president, now his real-life wartime job, will be aired again on Netflix, the streaming platform announced Wednesday.
The resurrection of TV series Servant of the People comes amid a global outpouring of praise for the former comedian now leading his outgunned country's battle against the Russian invasion.
"You asked and it's back," Netflix tweeted.
On Tuesday, Zelensky received a standing ovation as he addressed the United States Congress via video link, with an impassioned plea for more weapons and the establishment of a no-fly zone to help Ukraine survive the Russian invasion, which began on Feb. 24.
In the 2015 series, Zelensky, now 44, plays a teacher who unexpectedly becomes president after a video of him complaining about corruption goes viral.
The series was a huge hit in Ukraine and launched Zelensky's career in politics. He was elected president in 2019 as the star of a party with the same name as the TV series, garnering more than 70 percent of votes.
The French-German TV channel Arte has been airing Servant of the People online since Nov. 19, 2021 citing huge viewer interest.
Since the first days of the invasion, the foreign channels that have acquired the rights to air the series include Channel 4 in Britain, ANT 1 in Greece and PRO TV in Romania.
The series was first aired on Netflix from 2017 to 2021.
