Netflix announced on Wednesday that a Ukrainian television series starring the nation’s President Volodymyr Zelensky is available for streaming on its platform in the U.S.
The announcement came on the same morning Zelensky was scheduled to address the U.S. Congress via video in Washington, D.C.
“You asked and it’s back!” Netflix posted to Twitter on Wednesday morning.
“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,” it added.
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
Netflix had previously included the series from 2017 to 2021.
The show ran for three seasons before Zelensky announced his run for president of Ukraine in 2019, using the name Servant of the People as the name of his political party.
The former actor, who is also known as the voice of Paddington Bear in the Ukrainian version of the film, has become well-known for his strong response to Russia’s invasion of his country.
His renewed global popularity has led Eccho Rights, the group responsible for the licensing of “Servant of the People,” to launch new agreements to bring his past program back online.
“The series is a comedy but also an important document of where Zelensky comes from,” Eccho Rights managing partner Nicola Söderlund in a statement, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“His fictional president is a normal man, who grows into his role as a heroic and adored leader. 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,” he added.
The show was also recently released in the U.K on Channel 4.
In contrast, Eccho Rights has removed Russian content from its platform and has donated $55,500 to the Ukrainian Red Cross.
Zelensky was scheduled to address lawmakers from the House and Senate in a virtual address on Wednesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced in a letter on Monday. The Daily Wire previously reported:
“As war rages on in Ukraine, it is with great respect and admiration for the Ukrainian people that we invite all Members of the House and Senate to attend a Virtual Address to the United States Congress delivered by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine on Wednesday, March 16th at 9:00 a.m,” Pelosi and Schumer said in the Monday letter to lawmakers.
The virtual address will take be held in an auditorium inside the Capitol Visitor Center on Capitol Hill, according to the letter. Congressional members will be the only people allowed to attend in person. A live stream is also scheduled for the event.
“The Congress remains unwavering in our commitment to supporting Ukraine as they face Putin’s cruel and diabolical aggression, and to passing legislation to cripple and isolate the Russian economy as well as deliver humanitarian, security and economic assistance to Ukraine,” the letter said.