The Russian TV network TNT will create a sitcom portraying U.S. President Joe Biden moving to Russia incognito, the network announced on Aug. 27.
According to the preliminary details about the show, named "Goodbye," an undercover "Biden" moves to Russia to investigate why Western sanctions are unsuccessful. After losing his documents, Biden is forced to become an English teacher to save up money and eventually return to the U.S.
During the course of his adventures, Biden will also attempt to understand the "Russian soul," the press release said.
Biden will be played by Russian actor Dmitry Dyuzhev, best known for his role in the 1990s cult miniseries Brigada about the Russian mafia.
"I myself am very curious to see what will come out of our bold experiment and whether the audience will be able to immediately recognize me in Biden and Biden in me," Dyuzhev told the TV Mag media outlet.
The show's creator, Alexander Baldin, said that the "project is definitely a comedy with elements of satire."
"We wanted to create a story that not only entertains but also makes you think about the relations between Russia and America, showing them through the prism of humor and absurdity."
It is not the first time that Russian media, typically state-run or at least state-controlled, has used entertainment to further political messaging goals.
Earlier in 2024, investigative journalists acquired documents collectively known as the "Kremlin Leaks," which revealed links between Russian President Vladimir Putin's administration and a variety of pop culture projects that — subtly or unsubtly — contain popular Kremlin talking points.
While the funding for the Biden show "Goodbye" is unclear, the network TNT is owned by Gazprom Media, which is a subsidiary of the Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom.
The Russian TV channel NTV, also owned by Gazprom Media, ran a skit in 2020 featuring an actor in blackface as former U.S. President Barack Obama, which was widely criticized for its usage of racist tropes.
Tigran Keosayan, who portrayed a TV host in the skit, also made a state-funded film along with his wife, Russian propagandist Margarita Simonyan, entitled "Crimean Bridge: Made with Love."
The film, which was panned critically and a flop at the box office, depicts a budding romance that takes place amid the construction of the Crimean Bridge, which was illegally constructed following Russia's unlawful annexation of Crimea to connect the Russian mainland with Kerch, a city on the far eastern tip of the Crimean peninsula.
Kateryna Denisova
