The creator of HBO’s hit political comedy series “Veep” said in an opinion piece published in The New York Times on Friday that the reality of today’s politics is “crazier” than what is depicted in the comedy series.
“What the hell is going on? What’s going on there right now is crazier than ‘Veep,’ and it’s very serious,” Armando Iannucci said in the Times article.
“These are not melodramatic fiction, but real events with real implications to our lives. Depending on who wins, we can either continue to work to stop global warming or sit back, sleep and melt,” he added.
“Veep” has garnered additional attention as people draw parallels between the show’s storylines and current events following President Biden’s withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race and Vice President Harris’ likely status as the Democratic nominee.
“The show stars the invincible Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Vice President Selina Meyer,” Iannucci said in a Times article. “As the series progresses, the president decides not to run for a second term and Selina is suddenly catapulted onto main stage to face the party’s convention as the new presumptive nominee. For 24 hours, the mainstream media has been asking me if I’m comfortable with the comparison.”
“This is the first time I’ve answered that question definitively, but the answer is: No, I’m not worried. I’m very worried! And it’s not about Harris. I’m confident that she will inject some much-needed edge into the campaign,” he continued. “What I’m worried about is that politics has become so much like entertainment that the first thing people do to understand the current situation is compare it to a sitcom.”
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published Wednesday, “Veep” producer David Mandel said that Trump, not Harris, is the candidate in this year’s presidential election who is most similar to Louis-Dreyfus’s character on the show.
“The most Selina-like candidate is Donald Trump,” Mandel said in an interview.
“He is vain, cares about his appearance, has astonishingly good relationships with people who are better looking than his children, is petty and vindictive, cares about his money, doesn’t believe in what he says and will say anything to get elected,” Mandel continued.
