Zelenskyy's TV show 'Servant of the People' once made a joke about Putin that got it canceled in Russia

• A new Hulu documentary "Two Men at War" explores Zelenskyy and Putin's backgrounds.
• Before Volodymyr Zelenskyy was president of Ukraine, he played the role in a TV show.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy sparred with Russia's Vladimir Putin long before the current military invasion, according to the new Hulu documentary "Two Men at War" by ABC News' George Stephanopoulos.

Before becoming the actual president of Ukraine, Zelenskyy played the role in a popular Ukrainian TV show, "Servant of the People." In the show, which aired from 2015 to 2019, Zelenskyy played an idealistic school teacher who goes on a viral tirade about government corruption and ends up becoming president.

Zelenskyy's 'Servant of the People' made an 'off-color' joke about Putin

"Do you know, by the way, who else wears this watch?" a Hublot watch salesman asks Zelenskyy's character in a clip from "Servant of the People." "Putin," he adds.

"Who?" Zelenskyy asks. "Putin Hublot?"

"Yes," the salesman responds.

The pronunciation sounds like "Putin khuilo," a crude football and protest chant used by Ukrainians against Putin, according to the London Evening Standard. ABC News senior national correspondent Terry Morgan said the "off-color joke" caused the show to get canceled in Russia.

"In one episode, Zelenskyy makes a joke about Putin, kind of an off-color joke," he said. "And afterwards, that show was canceled in Russia. But it added a dimension of political satire, of addressing the problems in Ukraine through comedy. People loved it."

"Two Men at War," exploring Putin and Zelenskyy's backgrounds, leadership styles, and relationships with the West amid Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, is currently streaming on Hulu.