This week in Autopilot, a Globe series on great first television episodes:
“Veep”
Episode: “Fundraiser”
Pilot air date: April 22, 2012, HBO
Stream it on: HBO Max, Prime Video
By the time “Veep” premiered in 2012, its Scottish creator Armando Iannucci had already established himself as a sharp-penned observer of political absurdity. His BBC series “The Thick of It” satirized the egos and ineptitude of British government officials; his film “In the Loop” brought some Americans (including James Gandolfini) into the picture. But “Veep” was taking the big stage of HBO, and it was tackling the highest levels of the high-stakes American political world.
Well, the second-highest levels, anyway. The stakes in that realm are somewhat lower, and this is the essential joke at the heart of “Veep,” which ran until 2019 and firmly established Julia Louis-Dreyfus as her own generational comedic talent. The first episode brings the point home: Despite the sweat and humiliation that go into Vice President Selina Meyer’s daily routine, none of it really matters. The president is not going to call. Her staff, including Anna Chlumsky’s Amy Brookheimer, Matt Walsh’s Mike McLintock, and, most hilariously, Tony Hale’s Gary Walsh, can worry and maneuver all they want, but they’re still stuck in the minor leagues (as presidential aide Jonah, played by Timothy Simons, is always happy to remind them).
Life moves very fast in Iannucci Land, as it does in politics, and speed is a key component of the “Veep” formula from the start. Characters buzz in and out of rooms, hurling off-the-cuff insults at each other as they prepare to face the next crisis. The pilot finds Vice President Meyer trying to get her clean jobs initiative off the ground. In a very “Veep” (and very real) twist, she needs to cozy up the plastics lobby to make it happen. (“The Graduate” was right: plastics are crucial). She makes a fund-raising speech, which is heavily redacted from above at the last minute, leaving her to speak gibberish and put her foot in her mouth before a less-than-appreciative audience.
Through it all Louis-Dreyfus performs a one-woman symphony of double takes, deadpan glares, and miniature fits. She was great in “Seinfeld,” and “The New Adventures of Old Christine” remains underrated, but “Veep” gave its star the role and the series she was made for. Even now, more than once per episode, I find myself laughing so hard that I miss the next couple of lines after a choice barb. And there’s always another one right around the corner. The life of the veep is a minefield of petty slights and blows to the ego. We’re just lucky enough to be flies on the wall.
Chris Vognar can be reached at chris.vognar@globe.com. Follow him on Instagram at @chrisvognar and on Bluesky at chrisvognar.bsky.social.