"Watching Servant of the People today is striking. The television series that catapulted Volodymyr Zelenskiy to the presidency of Ukraine premiered 10 years, but it seems like there's a century between the country depicted in the show and today's Ukraine. What stands out about the comedy is the use of the Russian language, the utopian fight against corruption, and most strikingly, the absence of any threat from the Kremlin."
"What Zelenskiy projected as the on-screen president of Ukraine was exactly what 73% of the population wanted the same population that voted for him in the runoff of the 2019 presidential election. It has little to do with present-day Ukraine. Servant of the People, which is available on Netflix, was a parody of the everyday political and social miseries of Ukraine. But it was also Zelenskiy's election program and campaign."
"The series follows the tribulations of Vasyl Holoborodko, a history teacher at a Kyiv high school who, through a twist of fate, ends up being elected head of state. The show aired on channel 1+1, one of the largest in Ukraine, from November 2015 to March 2019. Three days after its finale, Zelenskiy announced he was running in real life for the presidency."
Servant of the People premiered ten years ago and depicted a Ukraine that contrasts sharply with the country today. The series was filmed entirely in Russian and centered on a utopian fight against endemic corruption while omitting any threat from the Kremlin or the Donbas conflict. The on-screen president embodied policies that matched the preferences of roughly 73% of the population and mirrored the campaign that led to Zelenskiy's 2019 victory. The show followed teacher Vasyl Holoborodko becoming president, aired on channel 1+1 from November 2015 to March 2019, and preceded Zelenskiy's real presidential announcement three days after the finale. Contemporary Ukrainian broadcasting now minimizes Russian-language content.
Read at english.elpais.com
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