Armando Iannucci Succeeds Again With Veep

Those with HBO have been barraged with endless promos for two very different shows with female leads. While Girls has attracted the majority of the critical acclaim (as well as the internet backlash), Veep has gone relatively under the radar despite our politics-obsessed culture.

Perhaps this because most Americans are unfamiliar with the brains behind the show, Armando Iannucci. The Scottish writer/producer created the hilarious BBC political sitcom The Thick of It and directed a spin-off, the film In The Loop. Both the show and movie satirized the inner workings of the British government and with Veep, Iannucci sets his sights on the White House. Julia Louis-Dreyfus plays Selina Meyer, the vice-president who led a failed campaign for the most important job in the country. Like his previous works, the show is mostly shot with handheld cameras to give an intimate–and almost claustrophobic–feel. While most TV shows try to portray American government as a bastion of well-meaning idealism that is filled with selfless individuals who sacrifice for the good of the people, Veep goes in the opposite direction and compares it to any other workplace. Aside from the Vice-President’s office everything is drab and dull, full of dull people looking at their Blackberries. While there is a lot of walking and talking, Aaron Sorkin fans should turn to their West Wing DVDs if they want to find any romantic speeches about the power of government.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus is in her funniest role since Seinfeld, and her most foul-mouthed part ever. She is fantastic in the lead role and combines the physical comedy that made Elaine Benes such a memorable character with Iannucci’s razor-sharp dialogue. It’s probably a safe bet that Dreyfus will win an Emmy for this role. There’s also a quality supporting cast full of “That guy/woman” people, most notably Tony Hale (aka Buster Bluth) as Meyer’s personal assistant.

The real star of the show, however, is Iannucci’s gifted use of profanity. Fans of his previous works already know the man can write a full symphony with only the word “fuck” and in Veep that same amount of colorful language and persistent insults remains. Some of the best lines from the pilot include, “Hoisted by my own retard,” “Weapons-grade retard,” and “Put some in your fucking bitchbag for later.” These all sound juvenile and silly without context, but let’s be honest, Washington D.C. is a juvenile and silly place. Those looking for a clear trashing of spineless Democrats or hypocritical Republicans should stick to cable news because this show is focused on lambasting the political process as a whole. There is no mention of a political party, nor does the President even make an appearance. His physical absence is a reminder that ultimately a lot of what Meyer’s staff does is pretty useless.

Overall, the pilot packed a lot of laughs in twenty-eight minutes, and the episode zooms by pretty quickly thanks to the sharp dialogue. Some have compared it to The Office but there’s little to no attempt to humanize the characters, much less cultivate any love interests so as of now that feels a bit lazy. If you don’t have HBO you can watch the pilot for free here. If you have morals, then start sleeping with someone with a subscription.

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