VEEP

When Scottish director Armando Iannucci launched VEEP on HBO five years ago, the satiric sitcom’s take on insider D.C. was so spot on that its roots in a British predecessor show—TheThick of It—seemed hard to believe. VEEP immediately won over fans that were in on the joke—politicians and their staffers, lobbyists, journalists, and assorted political junkies. Others received it as a quirky, slightly transgressive view of a serious world, perhaps too cynical by half. Today it is hailed for its prescience, verisimilitude, and glaringly non-partisan takedown of our entire political landscape. In VEEP, there are no heroes and no identifiable political parties. Everyone is a craven, hollow, opportunistic grifter, seeking power for his or her own petty ego needs. It is a rare show blessed at its center with a perfectly cast comedic national treasure, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and a chemically volatile ensemble to propel her through the once-unlikely plot twists each week. VEEP is a workplace comedy that not only captures the zeitgeist of the moment but transcends its own form to deliver a sobering message, with sharp dialogue, street savvy—and lots of laughs. If Selina Meyer can’t be president, she can at least win a Peabody Award.