<p>The relationship between media and politics has often been considered with a focus on news. Research into the impact of fictional formats has been limited to analyses of a few popular TV series, mostly from the US. This paper discusses a case of political fiction on TV in a clientelistic media system, drawing on both the literature fictional political TV series and the literature on types of media systems. Based on a qualitative analysis of the Ukrainian TV series <i>Servant of the People</i>, the paper examines how a format created in a highly clientelistic media system depicts the polity, policies and politics of the country where it is set. The paper contributes to a better understanding of the impact that clientelistic relations between politics and media have. Results indicate that the series openly addresses the role of clientelism and influential oligarchs but was intermittently also subjected to such influence. Although the series depicts the fight against corruption and clientelism, its political vision remains wedded to characteristics of a clientelistic system. By identifying a major shift in the narrative of the third season, the paper shows how the series was turned from a political satire into a vehicle for Zelenskyy’s campaign. </p>