Volodymyr Zelensky’s ‘Servant Of The People’ May Soon Return To American Television

In a 2017 clip from political satire Servant of the People, fictional Ukrainian President Vasyl Petrovych Holoborodko walks through a sunny square, briefcase in hand, when his phone rings. When he picks up, he discovers the German chancellor on the other end. “My congratulations,” says the actress playing then-chancellor Angela Merkel. “We have decided to take [Ukraine into] the European Union.” The surprised Ukrainian leader, played then by current wartime President Volodymyr Zelensky, crows an expletive, fist-pumping the air. “I’m so happy!” he exclaims.

In the ultimate case of life imitating art, American audiences—now primed to give Zelensky a hero’s welcome for staying in Ukraine to lead his people in their fight against a Russian invasion—may get another chance to see the lighter side of the wartime president on a streamer of their choice.

Distributors for Servant of the People, produced by the Kyiv, Ukraine-based shingle Studio Kvartal-95, are working to get the program picked up for a second run by Netflix, and possibly other domestic streamers, according to a source close to negotiations. The goal, the source tells Forbes, is to license the show in the U.S. non-exclusively (meaning on multiple platforms at the same time) in order to make it available to the widest-possible audience. Representatives for Netflix and Studio Kvartal-95 did not respond to requests for comment.

Servant of the People debuted in 2015 and ran for three seasons until Zelenksy’s real-life ascendancy to the Ukrainian presidency in 2019. In the TV show, Zelensky played Holoborodko, a thirty-something schoolteacher who gets elected as president following an anti-corruption rant filmed by a student that went viral. A film version called Servant of the People 2 was released in 2016 and is also available for U.S. distribution through Eccho Rights. Netflix previously held a U.S. first run of Servant of the People in 2017, but the show did not attract much attention then, and their license has since expired.

Licensing rights for the show are held by the Stockholm, Sweden-based Eccho Rights, which represents Studio Kvartal-95 for distribution. Zelensky, an actor and comedian by trade, is a founder of Studio Kvartal-95, but it remains unclear whether he still retains an ownership stake.

The show, which was a hit in Ukraine, found new life outside of the besieged country as much of the world has rallied around Zelensky’s defiant stance against Russian President Vladimir Putin and widely disseminated scenes of fierce resistance to the invasion by the Ukrainian people. According to Eccho Rights’ website, Channel 4 in the U.K., along with broadcasters in Greece, Romania and the Middle East all licensed Servant of the People in the past week.

“While the real world scenario facing [Zelensky] 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,” the company stated in a March 2 press release.

Remaining proceeds made from licensing Servant of the People will go to Studio Kvartal-95, says the source close to negotiations, after Eccho Rights takes their distribution fee. In its press release, Eccho Rights says the company donated 50,000 Euros to the Ukrainian Red Cross Society to help victims of the war there.

News of the talks to stream the show in the U.S. come amid historically significant sanctions against Russia and its oligarchs, an actual application from Ukraine to join the EU that Zelensky made last week and a campaign he personally concocted called “Your Business Smells Russian,” which aims to financially choke the former Soviet state and its leader, Vladimir Putin. A number of film studios paused Russian releases of new films, including D.C. Films’ The Batman starring Robert Pattinson, and Michael Bay’s latest action flick, The Ambulance. Netflix also halted its Russian productions and has stalled acquisitions from the country amid the conflict.