Taking Washington by storm!
Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) made an attempt for the Presidency and is made the President’s Vice President. Now Vice President Meyer and her staff are navigating Washington, D. C. and just trying to keep their heads low. With vocal blunders, pregnancies scares, and under the table dealings, Selina is finding Washington is more of a challenge than she suspected.
Veep—Season 1 aired from April 4, 2012 to June 10, 2012 on HBO. The show is based on the 2005 BBC series The Thick of It (which became the Oscar nominated film In the Loop). The short eight episode season received critical acclaim and Julia Louis-Dreyfus won the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series with nominations for Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series and Outstanding Comedy Series along with a Golden Globe nomination for Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
Vice President Meyer with all her favorite people…and Jonah
Veep is an entertaining series. Like many “office” series like Spin City, The Office, or Parks and Recreation, there is a rather large cast that develops as the story goes. Julia Louis-Dreyfus is the star, but she has great backing from Tony Hale, Anna Chlumsky, Reid Scott, Matt Walsh, Sufe Bradshaw, and Timothy Simons…it just takes a while for their characters to get going.
Though Veep is a comedy, the writers do a great job keeping realistic political storylines for the characters. The events are played as humorous, but they really do feel like they are things that could happen (and have happened to other politicians). The story plays like Vice President Joe Biden who often was seen saying the wrong thing at the wrong time…and Dreyfus actually met with Biden for a photo shoot.
The real VP meets the fake VP…with selfies
Originally, Veep was planned for network TV with an ABC pilot (also called The Thick of It). Fortunately, this show did not make it…this show is helped by its edginess. If you didn’t have Julia Louis-Dreyfus swearing like a sailor, I don’t know that it would work…she expresses herself both through her words and actions. She really makes the show.
Veep is definitely worth checking out. I really like these solidly written short run series. I’d love for the season to be longer, but if it keeps the quality up, I’m for the shorter runs. HBO continues to impress with their choices…just when you think their ideas are out, a new show pops up.
Veep—Season 1 Complete Episode Guide:
“Fundraiser”
1.1 Fundraiser Airdate: 04/22/12
Vice President Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) works to push her Clean Jobs Commission but angers the plastic community by the pushing of cornstarch utensils. When the President orders her to give a speech at a fundraiser not about her platform, she accidentally uses an offensive term and finds herself in spin-mode…leaving an opening her staff for Dan Egan (Reid Scott). Amy Brookheimer (Anna Chlumsky) accidentally signs a condolence card with her own name instead of using Selina’s name, and Gary Walsh (Tony Hale) goes on a mission to get the card back from the President’s aide Jonah Ryan (Timothy Simons).
“Frozen Yoghurt”
1.2 Frozen Yoghurt Airdate: 04/29/12
Selina works on her Clean Jobs Taskforce and a filibuster reform bill and makes a bad deal with Senator Doyle (Phil Reeves). A health scare with the President in Africa puts Selina in a position to take power. Dan works to undermine Amy and Mike McLintock (Matt Walsh) with a frozen yoghurt (with an h) store visit and an interview with The Washington Post.
“Catherine”
1.3 Catherine Airdate: 05/06/12
Selina tries to get a dog for her daughter Catherine (Sarah Sutherland) as she celebrates her 20th year in DC. Attempts to appoint Chuck Furnam (Eddie Jones) to the Clean Jobs Commission creates friction from both Senator Doyle and the oil backers and puts Selina and her crew into spin mode.
“Chung”
1.4 Chung Airdate: 05/13/12
Selina worries that the President might replace her during reelection and investigates Danny Chung (Randall Park) who seems like a possible replacement. A Meet the Press appearance could have backfires when Selina’s caught on an open mic, but a crane accident could be her saving grace…but some mistakes might not go away.
“Nicknames”
1.5 Nicknames Airdate: 05/20/12
Selina learns that she has tons of negative nicknames. Dan cozies up to Jonah to get inside information on the likelihood of Selina’s Clean Jobs Bill of getting passed. When Selina gets bad news about her own bill, she must decide if she’s going against the President.
“Baseball”
1.6 Baseball Airdate: 05/27/12
As Selina is forced to take on the obesity issue by the President, she finds herself possibly pregnant with her boyfriend Ted (Andy Buckley). When a miscommunication leads to a possibility that the press already knows, Selina and her crew must find a way to cover their bases.
“Full Disclosure”
1.7 Full Disclosure Airdate: 06/03/12
Selina suffers a miscarriage and finds the pregnancy rumor and the firing of a guard for smiling are creeping up on her. Ordering a full disclosure, Dan learns that his actions in trying to get the Clean Jobs Bill through behind Selina’s back could come back to haunt him. With her Ted problem growing and concerns about the rumors, Selina finds she might have to fire Dan, Amy, or Mike.
“Tears”
1.8 Tears Airdate: 06/10/12
Dan is warned that his actions involving Clean Jobs will be exposed if Selina endorses a Cleveland Congressman (Roger Furlong) for governor. When Mike and Amy manipulate an interview to get Selina to cry, Selina finds that her approval rating is skyrocketing…but what comes up must come down.
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