We are currently experiencing the cult classic-ification ofVeep, the 2012-2019 HBO series starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Comparisons to the political satire started after President Biden dropped out of the 2024 race, endorsing Vice PresidentKamala Harrisas the nominee instead. The same sequence of events happened inVeep’s second season; Louis-Dreyfus' Selina Meyer was thrust into the race when her POTUS abruptly decided not to run.The series has exploded in popularity as a result of this life-imitating-art moment. By August 07, 2025, it had already seen a 353% rise in viewership, perInside Edition.
The internet is having a field day with this information. Scores of TikTok comments read, “the next generation is gonna thinkVeepis a documentary,” and other takes to that effect. Julia Louis-Dreyfus herself chimed in on the matter, sayingVeep’s overwhelming increase in popularityhas been “a wild thing to witness.” However, show creator Armando Iannucci has mixed feelings. Recently, Iannucci came out with a dire warning about losing focus in the midst of an election year; how it might not be the best sign that politics looks so much like entertainment these days that we’re only able to make sense of current events by drawing parallels to a sitcom.
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On some level, Iannucci understands thatcomparisons between his showand the current political landscape are “inevitable.” Speaking withThe Guardian, he admitted, “Selina was a senator like Harris, and is then plucked from a powerful job into a job that’s frustratingly powerless.”
Veepran for seven seasons, taking Selina Meyer’s character on a journey with as many ups and downs and through as many realistic scenarios as actually take place in Washington, D.C. For this, the series was revered bypeople in politicsdespite the unflattering portraits of each character and the overall tone of despair. When asked about his research process for the show, Iannucci described getting up close and personal with political figureheads in an interview withSlate:
“I’d say to them all, ‘Look, it’s a fiction. I’m not about to expose a scandal or name names. I just want to get the accuracy nailed. So I want to actually know the boring stuff. Who gets in first thing in the morning? What time does everyone leave?'”
The main tension inVeepcomes from the aforementioned powerlessness to affect change in American politics. The show also captures the extra layer of pressure and scrutiny that women face, like in the episode where Selina believes she may be pregnant and immediately knows that terminating the pregnancy isn’t an option due to how controversial the issue of choice is in the U.S. On the other hand, she and her office know that (operating under similar logic) if she does have the baby, she has to marry the father.
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This issue was apparently as on the money in 2012 as it is now, as anewly-circulating 2021 clipof Donald Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, proves. In it, he calls Kamala Harris a “childless cat lady,” proving that, in the eyes of some, women are damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don’t.
Armando Iannucci Warns Veep Fans to Stay in Touch With Reality
In a recent opinion piece with theNew York Times, Iannucci took on a more serious tone than in previous interviews. He brings up how quickly the assassination attempt on Trump was turned into a meme, largely through his own doing. Rather than just having a gut reaction to the attempt on his life, the wheels in Trump’s head immediately turned to produce a viral moment, which is how we got the iconography of his fist in the air.
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He then exploited this event during the Republican convention, implying some sort of divine intervention took place. This claim was taken as seriously as a heart attack (or an assassination attempt) despite having all themakings of political satire. Iannucci warns against becoming complacent during an election where Americans could be confined to a reality closer toVeepthan real democracy. He finished:
“Rather than counter with a similarly ambitious fiction that he (Joe Biden) was Super Joe who could power through on self-belief alone, he looked at the facts, stared reality in the mirror and did the one thing he could do to avoid oblivion.More reality will be needed in the months to come…the coming election may well become a choice between two competing versions of reality: one we can control ourselves and one they tell us is the only one available.”
So, while it’s innocent enough tomake a compilationof Selina Meyer’s nothing-burger speeches and Kamala Harris’ most confusing streams of consciousness, it shouldn’t, in his mind, actually affect the public’s decision come November.All seven seasons ofVeepare streaming onMax.
