We want to imagine our elected officials throw around creative f-word conjugations as they caravan along the campaign trail. We want to deny that they care more about their own legacies than what’s best for their constituents. And we want to believe strategy has more to do with foreign policy than a shade of lipstick. But in a society where memes and Saturday Night Live sketches can instantly shake up the polls, there’s only so much time left for addressing the real issues.
Other than the fact that one of the funniest female comedians of our time isn’t running the country, in some ways, Veep probably isn’t too far off from what DC is really like. Vice President Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and her staff act like you would in if you were in their shoes: flustered, jaded, and flying by the seats of their pants. For a brief run-down, the main cohort includes: Amy Brookheimer (Anna Chlumsky), the Veep’s perma-stressed chief of staff; Dan Egan (Reid Scott), the networking-obsessed deputy communications director; Mike McLintock (Matt Walsh), the everyman communications director; Gary Walsh (Tony Hale), the man-child bag-carrier; Sue Wilson (Sufe Bradshaw), the no-nonsense schedule-keeper; and Jonah Ryan (Timothy Simons), the obnoxious White House liaison. As the seasons go on, others join the team: Ben Cafferty (Kevin Dunn), the cynical-yet-sensitive White House chief of staff; Kent Davison (Gary Cole), the political statistician; and Richard Splett (Sam Richardson), the shamelessly dorky campaign aide. Yet the hilarious recurring performances aren’t reserved for this crew.
The show outshines Scandal, House of Cards, and other ongoing political series that give fictional executives too little personality or too much ego. Veep isn’t corny or cringe-inducing—it’s just a lot of fun. Selina (like House of Cards’ Frank Underwood) occasionally blows cigarette smoke out a window, sleeps with someone who will bring her bad press, and gets caught in a lie. But Veep asks the question, don’t we all? To err is human. To eff up on a global scale is another day, another press release, and another insincere apology in Washington.
Veep’s fourth season wraps up this weekend. But whether you're trying to catch up before then, or sometime before the 2016 season (and election) is underway, it’s never the wrong time to watch. Tailored to anyone who likes wordplay, pop culture references, and witty insults—so almost everyone—it's the kind of program that not only requires a binge-watch, but repeat viewings as well. (And if that recommendation doesn't bolster the show’s approval rating for you, consider the bounty of awards it’s collected—including three consecutive Emmys for Louis-Dreyfus alone.) Here's how to consume everything you need to know about HBO's best comedy.
Number of Seasons: 4 (37 episodes to date)
Time Requirements: The show’s fast-paced retorts and brief length make it extremely binge-able, and at 19 hours, it’s possible to cram the whole thing into a couple of days. But if you want time to let the wise cracks marinate, give it two weeks.
Where to Get Your Fix: HBO Go (Seasons 1 through 4); Amazon Prime, Google Play, iTunes, Netflix DVD, Vudu, Xbox Video (Seasons 1 through 3)
Best Character to Follow:
Jonah. While all of the characters on Veep have vulgar senses of humor and are the butts of others’ jokes, Jonah is the one everyone gangs up on. He’s separate from the Veep’s core staff (also known as her “Veeple”), and he initially serves as the White House liaison to the vice president’s office. He frequently barges in, making some cocky comment about his professional status. He’s that guy who toes the line between socially savvy and cripplingly nerdy, which means he’s always trying too hard. He may work for the POTUS, but he has no friends. (None of the characters would like to admit it, but some of them are his frenemies.) He’s always following Selina and her staff around, ready to catch whatever scraps fall from her team’s very full political plates—even at the risk of becoming more despised.
Seasons/Episodes You Can Skip:
Veep follows a chronological narrative, and there are rarely flashbacks. It’s best to watch in order, but these are some of the weakest installments, if you must forego one or two. Still though, you should at least do yourself the favor of reading the quotes.
Season 1: Episode 8, "Tears" Selina and Roger Furlong (Dan Bakkedahl), an Ohio congressman running for governor, go back and forth on an issue, changing their minds faster than the staff can keep up. In an effort to improve how she looks in the public eye, Selina resorts to emotional appeals, which backfires when her sincerity is questioned. She can blame the responsible party for poor execution, but next time it will just be someone else’s fault.
Season 3: Episode 6, "Detroit" A lot of the plot details here are forgettable in the scheme of the series’ through lines. Catherine (Sarah Sutherland), Selina’s exploited twenty-something daughter, acts in an uncharacteristic way. The return of a world leader met earlier in the series is entertaining, but a bit random, especially given the location in the episode’s title. Dan has a funny line involving Shark Week, but it’s not the comedic gold the show is capable of.
Seasons/Episodes You Can't Skip:
Season 1: Episode 1, "Fundraiser" A great introduction to the main characters that quickly gets viewers up to speed on their level of vulgarity and the lengths they will go to cover up their blunders. Selina goes from zero to flipping out to composed in the matter of a minute, which if nothing else shows just how adept Louis-Drefyus is at setting and keeping the pace of this show.
Season 1: Episode 3, "Catherine" Meet the Veep’s only child, Catherine. Tormented her entire life by her mother's rise to power (or lack thereof), she’s in college and finally coming out of her shell. More importantly, she's not exempt from the insulting one-liners the rest of the cast deploys, so she's an amazing comedic punching bag. Oh, and did we mention she’s Kiefer Sutherland’s daughter IRL?
Season 1: Episode 5, "Nicknames" A+ for creativity with this episode, where Selina finds out about all of the names the Internet has been calling her and regrets ever asking. The Secret Service and C-SPAN jokes really hit home, and Jonah and Dan have an argument in a restaurant that solidifies the tone of their relationship. Meanwhile, Selina proves how incompetent she can be; luckily, her staff is there to guide her.
Season 2: Episode 5, "Helsinki" Selina pays a visit to Mina Houkenen (Sally Phillips) in Finland, but before they can get off the ground, the characters are already failing to see eye to eye. Keep your ears open for when Mike makes fun of Jonah on the plane, and then brace yourself for some of the series' most delightfully awkward exchanges. As always, damage control is in full force, but for once, the members of team Veep aren't the only ones at fault.
Season 2: Episode 10, "D.C." Selina makes a major decision, but she's thwarted by some news she receives from Ben. It keeps everyone guessing throughout the episode. Selina tells off Jonah, and Ed Webster (Zach Woods) lets him down further with comedic delay and a bemused expression. Ed also says something that's a total affront to Sue but that, sadly for her, is spot on.
Season 3: Episode 4, "Clovis" The team visits Silicon Valley, where the leaders of the free market clash with the leaders of the free world. At Clovis, a Google-esque tech company, Selina gets little respect from sweatshirt-clad CEO Craig, and gadgets and programs seem to backfire whenever she's forced to experiment with them. In other news, Dan's lines the morning after a few too many drinks kill it.
Season 3: Episode 9, "Crate" Bill Ericsson (Diedrich Bader) insults Jonah expertly. Later, Jonah proves what scum he is by speaking crudely to his mom and making an allusion to 9/11. As for Mike, if you miss the irony of his circumstances, you’re a terrible person, too. The episode rounds out with Selina and Gary having a moment after Gary gets himself way too worked up over good news—news that makes this episode unskippable for the plot point alone.
Season 4: Episode 1, "Joint Session" Patton Oswalt assaults the cast with his arrival. Meanwhile, the writers turn up the dialogue a few notches past its Season 3 average. Don’t miss the characters' new word for "negotiate" (it's one for the US history books, right next to the “carrot and stick” approach). Also, Sue delivers a couple of zingers, and Gary shares a sentiment that will resonate with fellow awkward folks.
Season 4: Episode 2, "East Wing" This episode makes the list solely as a result of an exchange between Gary and Selina about their (platonic yet co-dependent) relationship. Gary oversteps, but he proves he can get away with anything. And Louis-Dreyfus and Hale absolutely nail it. Honorable mentions: A Picasso joke, a startup-culture nod, and a hard-to-shake accent (the latter of which is one of the series' easy-to-miss gems).
Season 4: Episode 3, "Data" Follow Mike in this episode for an OMG comment, and also to watch him get owned by Sue. No amount of absurdity can ever be enough: Selina has trouble completing a basic task, and Dan makes a cutting but dead-on point about Jonah's demeanor that's guaranteed to make you snort-laugh.
Season 4: Episode 5, "Convention" This episode is the king of all political incorrectness. Jokes are at the expense convenience store employees, children, women in general, entire races, you name it. Plus there is a can't-miss outburst from a major character, and all kinds of other silliness. So many hilarious quotes take this episode to a whole new level. How many other shows out there can say that about the middle of their fourth season?
Season 4: Episode 9, "Testimony" While this episode takes place in an entirely different setting, the characters are doomed to be themselves, making off-the-wall remarks and generally acting inappropriately. And when several bad decisions come to a head all at once, they're left to save themselves, too. Isolated from one another, they must find a way to coordinate.
Why You Should Binge:
The characters lash out at each other at such a rapid-fire pace the half hour is up before you know it. It's impossible not to want to queue up the next one—that is, if you’re not toggling back to relive your favorite moments or searching for the perfect gif. Plus, the show leaves a lot of loose ends lying around that are begging to be tied up, like a character who is often named but consistently doesn’t appear (let alone call).
Best Scene—Amy's Moment (Spoiler Alert):
Amy FLIPS OUT and reminds us how much is at stake when overseeing an entire country (not to mention a small, close-knit staff). Give this woman an Emmy.
The Takeaway:
In politics, where issues and interests always conflict, offending others is inevitable. Just learn how to talk about nothing, smile through the pain, and then inflict it upon someone else. The characters would be nothing and nowhere without their colleagues, even if they threaten (intentionally or not) to destroy one another daily.
If You Liked Veep You'll Love:
For more shows about workplace dynamics with quirky characters, try The Office, Parks and Recreation, and 30 Rock. Also, check out Veep creator Armando Iannucci's 2005 BBC show, The Thick of It for a British spin on the series. And if you're craving more humor of the Tony Hale variety, there's always Arrested Development.
