Veep (TV series)

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Veep
Veep intertitle.png
Intertitle
Genre Comedy
Political satire
Created by Armando Iannucci
Simon Blackwell
Starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Anna Chlumsky
Tony Hale
Matt Walsh
Timothy Simons
Reid Scott
Sufe Bradshaw
Composer(s) Rupert Gregson-Williams
Christopher Willis
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 2
No. of episodes 14 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s) Armando Iannucci
Christopher Godsick
Frank Rich
Camera setup Single camera
Running time 30 minutes approx.
Broadcast
Original channel HBO
Picture format 1080i (HDTV)
Original run April 22, 2012 – present
Chronology
Related shows The Thick of It
In the Loop
External links
Website

Veep is an HBO television comedy series, starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus, set in the office of Selina Meyer, a fictional Vice President of the United States. The program was created by Armando Iannucci and was inspired by his previous political satires, the BBC series The Thick of It and the Academy Award nominated film In the Loop.

The series premiered on HBO on April 22, 2012,[1] with an eight-episode season. The first season enjoyed solid ratings and was well received by critics. In 2012 the series was a nominee for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series. Louis-Dreyfus' performance has also received considerable acclaim; she was presented with the 2012 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series and nominated for a 2013 Golden Globe Award.

The series' second season debuted on April 14, 2013.[2][3] On May 1, 2013, HBO renewed Veep for a ten episode third season to air in 2014.[4]

Contents

Cast [edit]

  • Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Vice President Selina Meyer. A former senator and one-time presidential candidate, Selina often feels powerless, disregarded and discontent in her position as second in command. Her relationship with POTUS is portrayed as a strained one. A hallmark mantra of her vice-presidency is "politics is about people". She is divorced, with one daughter. [5] Louis-Dreyfus has received considerable critical acclaim, winning a Primetime Emmy Award for her performance. She has also been nominated for the Golden Globe Award, Television Critics Association Award, Critics' Choice Television Award, and Satellite Award.
  • Anna Chlumsky as Amy Brookheimer, the vice president's chief of staff. She credits herself as the Vice-President's "trouble-shooter, problem-solver, issue-mediator, doubt-remover, conscience-examiner, thought-thinker and all-round everything-doer." Amy is constantly sacrificing her own reputation to save Selina's political credibility.[6] Chlumsky had previously portrayed a similar character, Liza Weld, in Iannucci's 2009 film, In the Loop, much as most of the The Thick of It actors who appeared in the film did so as similar but nominally different characters.
  • Tony Hale as Gary Walsh, the vice president's personal aide. A long-term associate and confidante of Selina's, Gary is portrayed as an incredibly loyal and giving aide to the Vice-President. [7]
  • Matt Walsh as Mike McLintock, the vice president's director of communications. Also a long-time employee of Selina's, Mike has served as her communications director since her time as Senator for Maryland. His dedication to his career is often questionable, to the extent where he pretends to have a pet dog so he can escape from work commitments at times.[8]
  • Timothy Simons as Jonah Ryan, White House liaison to the vice president's office. Self-described as "the go-to guy for all things White House", Jonah takes immense pride that he works for the President and not for the Vice-President. He constantly clashes with most members of the Veep's office, particularly Amy.[9]
  • Reid Scott as Dan Egan, deputy director of communications. The most recent addition to Selina's administration, Dan is a highly ambitious up-and-comer in DC who takes pride in his contacts and networking skills. He often dates the daughters of influential politicians to get ahead in his career.[10]
  • Sufe Bradshaw as Sue Wilson, the vice president's personal assistant. A direct and straightforward personality in the Veep's office, Sue boasts she is the third most important person in the world, as she is the one who arranges for people to see Selina, the second most important person in the world.[11]
  • Kevin Dunn as Ben (season 2), the president’s pragmatic Chief of Staff.[12]
  • Gary Cole as Kent Davison (season 2), senior strategist to the President. [13]

Episodes [edit]

Main article: List of Veep episodes

Development [edit]

Louis-Dreyfus with Vice President Joe Biden at the White House.

BBC series [edit]

Veep uses the same cinéma-vérité filming style as Iannucci's BBC television sitcom The Thick of It, which is set in a fictional department of the British government. The Thick of It was first broadcast in 2005, gaining a number of awards and in 2009 inspired a spin-off film, In the Loop, which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

ABC pilot [edit]

A pilot for an American version of The Thick of It was produced as a candidate for the 2007–2008 season on ABC. The ABC pilot, also titled The Thick of It, was developed for American audiences by producers Mitch Hurwitz and Richard Day, of Arrested Development fame and would have been about the day-to-day lives of a low-level member of the United States Congress and his staff. Original series creator Armando Iannucci had a production credit on the show, but he was not otherwise involved. The pilot was produced by Sony Pictures TV and BBC Worldwide. Grammy and Emmy Award-winner Christopher Guest directed the pilot.[14]

In the pilot, John Michael Higgins played Albert Alger, a newly-elected Congressman and Oliver Platt played committee chairman Malcolm Tucker.[15] Actress Rhea Seehorn was Ollie Tadzio, a young and ambitious speech writer, and Michael McKean played Glen Glahm, "a former campaign operative who's now the chief of staff" for the congressman.[16]

ABC did not pick up the show for its fall 2007 schedule.[17] Iannucci distanced himself from the pilot stating "It was terrible...they took the idea and chucked out all the style. It was all conventionally shot and there was no improvisation or swearing. It didn't get picked up, thank God."[18]

HBO development [edit]

After The Thick of It was dropped by ABC, several networks including HBO, Showtime and NBC again expressed interest in adapting the show.[19] Iannucci re-entered talks with HBO (his initial preference) about adapting the series, with the result that a new pilot episode for a series based in the office of the Vice President of the United States called Veep (a nickname derived from the position's initials "VP") was commissioned in late 2009.[18][20]

Iannucci has been given much more creative control over the show and co-wrote the pilot with English comedy writer Simon Blackwell, who also contributes to the British The Thick of It.[21][22] HBO announced that it had picked up the show for a full season in April 2011.[22]

Louis-Dreyfus has described Veep's intent not to have the President on-screen, or to reveal the political party of the characters.[23][24]

Production [edit]

In October 2011, AFRO reported more details of the show: "Directors for season one include Iannucci, Tristram Shapeero and Chris Morris. Veep is executive produced by Iannucci, Christopher Godsick and Frank Rich. Joining as co-executive producers are Simon Blackwell, Tony Roche, with Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Stephanie Laing producing. In addition to Iannucci, Blackwell and Roche, writers include Sean Gray, Will Smith, Roger Drew, Ian Martin and Jesse Armstrong."[25] Each of these writers has previously worked with Iannucci on the scripts of The Thick of It.

The series is recorded in Baltimore and began production in late 2011[21][26] after several months of rehearsal designed to get the actors comfortable improvising with one another.[27] Julia Louis-Dreyfus is playing the central role of Vice President Selina Meyer.[28][29] Other confirmed cast include Anna Chlumsky (who has previously starred in Iannucci's film In the Loop), Tony Hale, Matt Walsh, Timothy Simons, Sufe Bradshaw, Andy Buckley and Reid Scott.[29] Shooting for the pilot episode was completed in March 2011.

The series premiered on April 22, 2012 on HBO[1] and in the UK on Sky Atlantic on June 25, 2012.

Reception [edit]

The series received generally favorable reviews. Metacritic gives a rating of 72% based on reviews from 30 critics.[30]

[icon] This section requires expansion. (April 2013)

Home Media [edit]

Complete Season Release dates DVD Extras and Bonus Features # of DVDs # of BluRays
DVD Blu-Ray
Region
1		 Region
2		 Region
4		 Region
A		 Region
B
1 March 26, 2013 June 3, 2013 April 3, 2013 March 26, 2013 June 3, 2013 The Making of Veep, Veep: Misspoke, Veep: Obesity, Deleted Scenes and Outtakes, 12 Audio Commentaries with cast and crew. The Region A Blu-Ray edition includes the DVD and UltraViolet/iTunes digital copy.[31] 2 2

Awards and nominations [edit]

Year Award Category Recipient Result
2012 Critics' Choice Television Awards Best Actress in a Comedy Series Julia Louis-Dreyfus Nominated
Pan-American Association of Film & TV Journalists Award Best Cast in a Comedy Series Nominated
Best Cinematography for a Comedy Series Jay Feather (Episode: "Baseball") Nominated
Best Comedy Series Nominated
Best Directing for a Comedy Series Armando Iannucci (Episode: "Baseball") Won
Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Episode: "Nicknames") Nominated
Best Production Design for a Comedy Series Laura Ballinger (Episode: "Tears") Nominated
Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Tony Hale (Episode: "Baseball") Nominated
Best Writing for a Comedy Series Simon Blackwell & Armando Iannucci (Episode: "Fundraiser") Nominated
Primetime Emmy Award Outstanding Comedy Series Armando Iannucci, Christopher Godsick, Frank Rich, Simon Blackwell, Tony Roche, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Stephanie Laing Nominated
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Julia Louis-Dreyfus Won
Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series Jennifer Euston & Allison Jones & Pat Moran Nominated
Satellite Awards Best Actress in a Series, Comedy or Musical Julia Louis-Dreyfus Nominated
Television Critics Association Awards Individual Achievement in Comedy Julia Louis-Dreyfus Nominated
Women's Image Network Awards Best Actress in a Comedy Series Julia Louis-Dreyfus Nominated
Best Comedy Series Won
2013 Golden Globe Awards Best Actress – Television Series (Musical or Comedy) Julia Louis-Dreyfus Nominated
Writers Guild of America Awards Best New Series Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Roger Drew, Sean Gray, Armando Iannucci, Ian Martin, Tony Roche, Will Smith Nominated

References [edit]

  1. ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie. "UPDATE: Premiere Dates For HBO's 'Girls,' 'Game Of Thrones', 'Veep' & 'Game Change'". Deadline.com. Retrieved 2012-04-24. 
  2. ^ Carter, Bill (2012-04-30). "HBO Quickly Renews 'Girls' and 'Veep'". NYTimes.com. Retrieved 2012-04-30. 
  3. ^ Kondology, Amanda (February 11, 2013). "'Veep' Season 2 Premieres April 14". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved February 11, 2013. 
  4. ^ Seat42f. "HBO Renews Veep". Retrieved 1 May 2013. 
  5. ^ "The Official Website for the HBO Series Veep". Hbo.com. Retrieved 2013-03-22. 
  6. ^ "The Official Website for the HBO Series Veep". Hbo.com. Retrieved 2013-03-22. 
  7. ^ "The Official Website for the HBO Series Veep". Hbo.com. Retrieved 2013-03-22. 
  8. ^ "The Official Website for the HBO Series Veep". Hbo.com. Retrieved 2013-03-22. 
  9. ^ "The Official Website for the HBO Series Veep". Hbo.com. Retrieved 2013-03-22. 
  10. ^ "The Official Website for the HBO Series Veep". Hbo.com. Retrieved 2013-03-22. 
  11. ^ "The Official Website for the HBO Series Veep". Hbo.com. Retrieved 2013-03-22. 
  12. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (2013-02-19). "Kevin Dunn Upped To Regular On 'Veep', David Wilson Barnes Joins AMC Pilot 'Halt'". Deadline.com. Retrieved 2013-03-22. 
  13. ^ Harp, Justin (2013-04-13). "Julia Louis-Dreyfus: 'Veep jokes are a group effort'". digitalspy.com. Retrieved 2013-05-19. 
  14. ^ "Christopher Guest Jumps Into 'The Thick of It'". Zap2it.com. Retrieved 2007-03-16. 
  15. ^ "Platt, 'Piz' Pluck Pilot Parts". Zap2it.com. Retrieved 2007-03-16. 
  16. ^ "'Gilmore' Regular Joins ABC Pilot". Zap2it.com. Retrieved 2007-03-16. 
  17. ^ Goodman, Tim. "Sometimes buzz about TV pilots is just a lot of hot air". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2007-05-27. 
  18. ^ a b Rosser, Michael (2009-04-24). "Iannacci in talks with HBO over US Thick of It". Broadcast. Retrieved 2009-04-24. 
  19. ^ "Rejected by ABC, political satire sparks interest". Reuters. Archived from the original on 2007-06-07. Retrieved 2007-06-04. 
  20. ^ Deamer, Eric. "HBO Gets into the Political Satire Game with Veep". Entertainmenttell. www.technologytell.com. Retrieved 2012-04-24. 
  21. ^ a b Press Release, We Got This Covered 17 April 2011
  22. ^ a b The Hollywood Reporter: HBO Picks Up Julia Louis-Dreyfus Pilot 'Veep' to Series, Hollywood Reporter 17 April 2011
  23. ^ Julia Louis-Dreyfus – The Daily Show with Jon Stewart – 04/17/12 – Video Clip | Comedy Central – for viewers in the U.S.
  24. ^ The Daily Show with Jon Stewart – April 17, 2012 – Video Clip | The Comedy Network – for viewers in Canada
  25. ^ "AFRO, 5 October 2011". Afro.com. 2011-10-05. Retrieved 2013-03-22. 
  26. ^ "HBO's series 'VEEP' starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus begins production in Maryland", Baltimore Sun, 3 October 2011
  27. ^ Conversations with Ross: Featuring Sufe Bradshaw, http://www.rosscarey.com/2012/07/10/episode-68-featuring-sufe-bradshaw/
  28. ^ Jon Swaine, "Armando Iannucci 'producing White House comedy for HBO'", The Telegraph, 30 October 2010
  29. ^ a b Veep at the Internet Movie Database
  30. ^ http://www.metacritic.com/tv/veep
  31. ^ "Veep — Blu-ray, DVD Announced for Julia Louis-Dreyfus in 'The Complete 1st Season'". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved 2013-04-13. 

External links [edit]

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