As Season Three of VEEP comes to Blu-ray and DVD on 30th March 2015 from HBO Home Entertainment, we look at six fantastic reasons why you need to be watching the hilarious political comedy which follows the whirlwind day-to-day existence of Vice President Selina Meyer.
1. Armando Iannucci
Glasgow-born Iannucci is renowned as one of the most influential comedy writers, satirists, directors and producers in Britain. His screenplay for the critically acclaimed film In The Loop was nominated for an Oscar® and featured characters based on his TV series, The Thick of It, which received three BAFTA® Awards. In 2003, Iannucci was listed in The Observer as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy. He was also appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2012 Birthday Honours for services to broadcasting. VEEP is Iannucci’s first venture into American television, and he serves as the writer, director, and executive producer of this hilarious and award-winning show.
2. Julia Louis-Dreyfus
American actress, comedian and producer Julia Louis-Dreyfus originally came to the public’s attention after being cast in Saturday Night Live, in which she appeared from 1982 to 1985. Her breakthrough came in 1990 with a nine-season run playing Elaine Benes on Seinfeld, one of the most critically and commercially successful sitcoms of all time. Louis-Dreyfus has received seven Golden Globe nominations, winning one, and 18 Emmy nominations, winning five. Her hilarious, Emmy winning performance as Vice President Selina Meyer in VEEP has resulted in Louis-Dreyfus becoming the only woman to win an acting award for three separate comedy series. Foul-mouthed and frazzled, Meyer manages her band of disgruntled and incompetent staff members through never-ending ridiculous political situations, suffering near-constant embarrassment for her political scheming.
3. Best From Both Sides of the Pond
The show was inspired by Armando Iannucci’s BBC political comedy, The Thick Of It, and he brought over many of the UK-based cast and crew to the United States to work on the production of VEEP alongside him. The team is made up of British and American comic royalty. The writers include Peep Show’s Jesse Armstrong and Simon Blackwell, and The Thick of It star, Will Smith. The show’s directors include Chris Addison and Brass Eye’s Chris Morris.
4. The Supporting Cast
The Veep’s staff are constantly battling for her approval, whilst hysterically handling any political situations that come their way. The supporting cast includes some top-notch comedy – from Tony Hale’s socially awkwardness as personal aide Gary, to Anna Chlumsky’s quick witted Chief of Staff Amy, to Matt Walsh’s effortless deadpan as PR man Mike and Reid Scott’s role as smooth-talking social climber Dan, the Deputy Director of Communications. Timothy Simons plays the hapless Jonah Ryan – White House liaison to the Vice President’s office. Self-described as “the go-to guy for all things White House”, Jonah takes immense pride that he works for the President and not for the Vice-President, much to the annoyance of the Veep’s staff. Smart and laugh-out-loud funny, the hilarious supporting cast are certainly up to the task of keeping pace with their whip-smart leading lady.
5. The Political Humour
If you are amused by politics and all the drama that comes alongside it then VEEP is definitely the show for you. This American political satire boasts incredibly witty lines and comical political dialogue. Despite their best efforts, Selina and her crew have a tremendous talent for screwing things up. The incompetence of her staff and the other ineffective cogs in the Washington machine is painfully real and hysterically hilarious.
6. The Creative Insults
Not for the faint-hearted, the fantastic array of withering insults thrown about in every episode is one of the main things that makes VEEP what it is. Every character in the show has blurted out some kind of creative, hilarious and memorable insult to someone, and the insults are either side-splitting or shocking – most of the time both. The insults fly through the highly-pressurised Washington corridors, and the political rivalries result in some ferociously filthy and utterly hilarious slanging matches between members of the fuming White House staff.
For examples, check out our feature detailing the Best Insults in VEEP Season 3.
VEEP: THE COMPLETE THIRD SEASON is released on Blu-ray and DVD on 30th March 2015 from HBO Home Entertainment. The full season and episodes are also available to own and watch instantly on Amazon Instant Video, blinkbox, Google Play™, iTunes, Wuaki.tv and Xbox Video.
