Five reasons to vote for Veep

Or how about just one? Politically incorrect in every way, it is without a doubt, the best comedy show to debut on TV this season

It’s maker:

Band of Brothers, Boardwalk Empire, Entourage, Eastbound and Down, Mildred Pierce, Sex and the City, The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, The Wire…what do they have in common? Their maker. Few production houses can make better series than HBO and we know it. Why, just look at their brilliant adaptation of the epic adventure series Game of Thrones, which has effortlessly managed to oust every other show on TV from the vicinity, sitting lordly in a league of it’s own. So when it’s from them that comes Veep, a brand new comedy, we pay attention alright. And if the pilot is anything to go by, we can safely say, it’s the best political satire of the season.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus :

We loved her as Elaine in Seinfield and we love her as palinesque Vice President Selina Meyer in Veep. How Selina got to being one step away from being the leader of the free world is anybody’s guess, considering that she’s a walking-talking accident waiting to happen. And having watched her on the show, there’s simply no one better to do it than Dreyfus. From being a livid, profanity sprouting boss having to cope with her inept staff in one scene to charming the pants off senators in another, she’s perfect as the attention-craving, scatter-brained, dimwit Veep.

The supporting cast:

It’s not often in a show that you like “the extras” as much as you would as the lead. But here’s the thing. Veep works because of its awesome supporting cast, who are essentially scrambling members of Selina’s team. There’s Anna Chlumsky as Amy, (yes! The girl from My Girl) as the Veep’s snarky and temperamental chief of staff; not-very-effective spokesperson Mike (Matt Walsh); the airhead fashionista and right hand man (Tony Hale); and the slick spin doctor Dan Egan (Ridd Scott). Their antics and shenanigans in the office are where the uproariously funny one-liners come from.

Comic stylings:

It’s fresh, its natural and its as politically incorrect as it gets, what more can you ask for. The characters are quirky, the dialogues are witty, the goof-ups legendary and the repartee hilarious. The 30 minutes of the episode slide easy without too much notice. Easily explained, considering the show’s creator is Armando Iannucci, a master at seamlessly fusing subtle and overt to hilarious effects.

Political undertones:

Underneath all the fun and frivolity, Veep has some genuine moments of insight (even if only in satire) into the political machinery. There’s back-stabbing, blame games, ladder-climbing, hegemony of lobbies (plastics, oil), disaster control, self-serving politicians, useless public programmes — basically, all the incidents that routinely take place in governmental offices. We have little doubt, fans of both smart, and slapstick comedies are going lap this one up.

Episodes of Veep are available online.

Tags: HBO, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, television series, Veep

Category: TV