Veep: The Best Comedy on Television

The true face of politics
"I just talked you down from a death sentence to six months' probation. I'm the best lawyer ever." - Jimmy McGill, Better Call Saul, S01E02




It's with careful consideration and strong comparison to Archer, Sunny, and the other comedy frontrunners that I hereby name Veep the best comedy currently on television. With the season four premiere, it has earned its place on the top. Where will it cement itself in the comedy zeitgeist? Where will it go in season five when it must return sans Armando Iannucci? Today, we're talkin' Veep.

The angriest Scotsman since The Eagles
stole Ian Anderson's melody for
Hotel California
The show is based on the English series The Thick of It, wherein the current Doctor Who, Peter Capaldi, starred as a viciously mean and angry Spin Doctor and enforcer to the Prime Minister. It was a huge ensemble cast, also following the office of another Minister and those under his employment. Though it ran for only four short seasons, Iannucci's first program was beyond great. It had some of the quickest writing, cruelest humor, and best performances of any comedy. Not only that, but it spoke with such an intelligence, highlighting English politics and mentalities, that viewers were really kept on their feet. Being an ugly American, probably a good deal of the jokes flew over my head, and the heavy Scottish and English accents come as a bit of a shocker, but in an overall sense, The Thick of It was a stroke of genius. All of those elements, with the exception of Capaldi's Malcolm Tucker, combine to form the American version, wherein I can understand more of the political satire and revel in my Americanized accents.

After Game of Thrones and Silicon Valley, comes the real treat of the evening. In the past three years, we've seen Julia Louise Dreyfus's character Selina Meyer graduate from vice president to president, as well as growing out her staff constantly. Though Dreyfus's performance is what brings the entire show together, proving once again why she is perhaps the greatest female comic actress of all time, the ensemble of the show takes it to the next level. Every single guest star and/or series regular has their own niche, and fills it to a great extent. There's Matt Walsh, a Groundlings veteran, who plays the harried director of communications, Mike McLintock, Anna Chlumsky as Amy Brookheimer, Selina's right hand woman and campaign manager, Arrested Development's own Tony Hale as Gary Walsh, Selina's personal aid, as well as Reid Scott as Dan Eagan, Selina's deputy director of communications. Coming in at later seasons is the great Gary Cole as Kent Davidson, Kevin Dunn as Ben Cafferty, and Sufe Bradshaw as Sue Wilson. Finally, there's Timothy Simons as Jonah Ryan, a total douchebag who works in the West Wing originally. With such a large cast and a broad scope of jokes to be made, the fast-moving train of Veep never seems to slow.

Then, we come to the masterful writing of Iannucci. The man obviously has studied American Politics in depth, because as a native of America, many of the jokes about my own government fly right over me. In fact, much like Arrested Development, Veep can require a second or third viewing to truly get every joke thrown out. Iannucci makes his actors take subtle jabs at each other, all while working on the same political engine. In addition, the way that he combines the realities of our political system with the manipulation-encouraging, competitive nature of the job gives a rather accurate, or at least more accurate than House of Cards, look at government.
Don't leave us, Armando!

But, one of the major questions that is raised by this conversation about Veep's "Best Comedy on Television" title is, where exactly does Veep place in the overall comedy zeitgeist? If it rules 2015, does that mean that it's up there for best comedy ever? Or does it just mean that Archer hasn't had its game up as much as it should?
Well, it's an interesting topic you raise, Max. Certainly, in the last five years, the major contenders to observe include Veep, but is it as great as Archer or Always Sunny in their prime? The question comes down to longevity. For instance, Curb Your Enthusiasm has a couple of seasons that are true strokes of genius, sometimes outclassing even Seinfeld in terms of pure laughs. However, when looking at the show as a whole nine seasons, aside from Leon, the laughs run slimmer as it goes on. Thus, though I dearly love Curb, it's hard to put it up there alongside the greats. One of the major reason that Always Sunny is climbing my personal ranks is that it's still highly watchable and funny after 10 seasons. Yes, it's not the same level of quality it was in season five, but the mere fact that it can still make me crack up for extended periods of time even at its advanced age is something to win points. Thus, if I were to rank Veep right now, it'd be up there alongside the top ten. However, to truly give it proper placement, we'll have to see how Julia Louise Dreyfus's third big role lasts. Next year, Armando Iannucci has announced he will be stepping down from his post as showrunner. Will that mean Veep is great for four seasons before it has a quick downfall? The League was a stroke of genius for three full seasons, but it peaked a bit too soon, really falling out of the conversation for greatness in a matter of a year. Currently, I'd rank Veep above The Thick of It, but if it keeps going on into not-so-fiery end that doesn't come fast enough, it can easily fall out of the conversation.

Living proof of what happens when a show goes
on too long
What this brings me to is a more central thesis for both comedy and drama: Quit while you're ahead. I widely regard Arrested Development as the single greatest TV show of all time, comedy or drama. It was obviously killed too soon. The fourth season didn't quite live up to our expectations, but was it actually best that Arrested Development was three great years and then done? If it had become something like Modern Family and gone on indefinitely, it would have inevitably lost its touch. Hell, even Seinfeld eventually fell off the bandwagon.

Breaking Bad knew when to call it quits. Dexter was probably on three seasons too long. Thus, at the end of their respective runs, one saved face by ending at a natural plot point, and one, well, just hearing the word "Lumberjack" makes me shudder.

We'll never have an answer for where Veep truly lands until it ends, but currently, if it maintains its status as Best on TV, it'll be in serious discussions to place quite highly on the spectrum of television, regardless of genre.

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