Want to know why the people of Ukraine are so fierce in the defense of their country? Look for clues in Volodymyr Zelensky’s TV show, “Servant of the People.” It’s streaming on Netflix right now, and it stars — you guessed it — Volodymyr Zelensky.
Released in 2015, the comedy series was a hit in Ukraine and led to comedian Zelensky’s presidential election win in 2019.
Netflix was streaming the show during Donald Trump’s first impeachment hearings, when Zelensky and his famous phone call with Donald Trump were in the news. But the show did not get much attention in the US.
Now the first season of the series, complete with English subtitles, is available again on Netflix, so you can enjoy it for yourself.
Smart and Funny
And I mean enjoy. “Servant of the People” is cheerfully funny. It’s also astute. And entertaining.
But there’s another, more compelling reason to watch this series. For me, the show explains a lot — why the Ukrainian people did not roll over and play dead when Putin sent his armies into Ukraine a month ago. And why Zelensky seems to have his finger on the pulse of his people.
“Servant of the People,” conceived and produced by Zelensky and his colleagues, tells the preposterous story of a high school history teacher who accidentally gets recruited by his students to run for president. He wins, and the idealistic young president proceeds to challenge the corruption that burdens the fledgling Ukrainian democracy.
I’m wondering, did this charming but fearless TV series grab the attention of the Ukrainian people because it held out the extravagant hope that they too could have a stable, just society? Did it help clarify to Ukrainians that they wanted that society enough to be ready to die for it?
Zelensky — like his fictional alter ego — is both charming and courageous. A man for his moment. But, as Slate TV critic Lili Loofbourrow is quick to point out, he is also just a guy. His presidency is not entirely free of nepotism and scandal.
But there he is today, sticking it out in Kiev, hanging in there. Reminding Americans and the rest of the world that self-government and the rule of law do not come cheap.
Note: I’ve seen only the first of the show’s three season’s. I don’t know what happens next. But Season One ends with a provocative cliffhanger, and I’m hoping Netflix releases the next season soon.
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I will watch this show! Thank you for bringing it to my attention my attention.
I wish the US was more supportive of Ukraine. We should drive the price of oil down as far as we possibly can. When we do not support Ukraine, we are supporting Russia. We must make this war as expensive for Putin as we can. I want to hear Joe say, “Drill, baby, drill!
Let me know what you think of the show. For me it added a whole new dimension to both Ukraine and Zelensky.