If Francis Underwood from Netflix’s House of Cards is your favourite TV vice president, you obviously haven’t met Veep’s Selina Meyer. While Frank gave us a ruthless stone-cold VP, Selina shows us that not everyone is truly up to the task. From shattering glass doors, to dysfunctional staff, to her backstabbing ex-husband, Selina really isn’t having an easy go at things. Seinfeld’s Julia Louis-Dreyfus won an Emmy for her performance in the series’ second season, an award that was well deserved. Selina’s group of misfits features Tony Hale (who also won an Emmy for the show) as Gary, Selina’s personal aide, or as he dubs himself, her “bag man”. Hale’s performance will surely remind many of his star-turn as Buster in Arrested Development. Both characters are overly quirky, and at times just watching them make you uncomfortable. Matt Walsh offers another excellent performance as Mike, Selina’s director of communications. Mike seems to spend his day trying to sell his boat to workers in the West Wing, rather than helping Selina in any way. The rest of the Veep’s staff are portrayed by Anna Chlumsky, Reid Scott, and Sufe Bradshaw. In a time when most half-hour comedies are barely worth a second look, Armando Iannucci’s Veep is absolutely wonderful. While being full of satire and farce, the show gives us a somewhat realistic look at US politics. Julia Louis-Dreyfus is perfect as Selina Meyer; her performance is even stronger than her iconic portrayal of Elaine in Seinfeld. Now that Veep has garnered multiple Emmy awards, you really have no excuse not to be watching.

Some of the best episodes in the season include:

Helsinki (Episode 5) – When lyrics from a song Selina jokingly performed are taken out of context, half of Europe thinks that the vice president of the United States has mocked them. The public outcry makes a trip to Finland very awkward for Selina and her team. Things only get worse when the Finnish Prime Minister’s husband gropes the VP.

Running (Episode 9) – This episode offers one of the series’ funniest moments yet when the Veep accidentally stumbles through a glass door. When pain medications make her a little loony, Selina buys Gary’s boat and snuggles with her personal aide.

[star v=45]