‘Veep’ is one of the most respected and awarded comedies of recent times, but it never became a huge hit in the UK (mainly because we had already had ‘The Thick of It’) but with the world now essentially in lock down, I decided it was as good a time as any to give the show a watch.
Created by Armando Iannucci, as an adaptation of his hit British comedy ‘The Thick of It’, ‘Veep’ is a sharply written, superbly acted and genuinely hilarious show. While it deals with people at the very top of world politics, the focus of the show stays on the main characters, with very low stakes and plenty of great character interaction.
The writing, as you would expect from an Iannucci show is both quick, incisive, boundary pushing, and funny. The episodes are short anyway but they fly by in no time due to the energy the scripts have, and it is exactly what you want in a show like this.
The whole ensemble work together so perfectly that it is flawless, with Anna Chlumsky, Tony Hale, and Timothy Simmons especially shining. However, the undeniable star here is the irrepressible Julia Louis-Dreyfus, the former Seinfeld star who turned herself into an awards machine with this show, and you can see why. Her comedic timing is inch perfect and she has a unique way to make a potentially unlikable character into one you can’t help but root for.
I will gradually continuing working my way through each of the show’s 7 seasons and will provide a review for each season, but this is certainly a strong start.
Rating = 4/5
Howe's World of Film and TV 