Everything you need to know about Veep
Veep follows Selina Meyer, a former Maryland Senator who is given the role of a lifetime as Vice President of the United States (nicknamed ‘the Veep’).
In this satirical comedy, the series follows Selina as she tries to balance her political career with her personal life, relying heavily on her team of dedicated staff.
With the cutthroat world of politics ripe for things to go wrong or, at the least, blown out of proportion, Selina has to do what she can in order to succeed and keep her position in the White House while the President appears almost totally absent.
As her power and influence grows, soon she’s eyeing up the President’s position herself.
The series, which launched in 2012 and ran through to 2019, was widely praised for its acidic view of the inner workings and red tape of the US government.
Who starred in Veep?
Six stars appear in every single episode of Veep and lead the cast as the titular vice president and her chief of staff.
These are:
- Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Seinfeld, Black Widow) as Selina Meyer
- Anna Chlumsky (Inventing Anna, My Girl) as Amy Brookheimer
- Tony Hale (Arrested Development, Quiz Lady) as Gary Walsh
- Reid Scott (The Big C, My Boys) as Dan Egan
- Timothy Simons (Inherent Vice, Don’t Worry Darling) as Jonah Ryan
- Matt Walsh (Manhunt, The Hangover) as Mike McLintock
Other key members of the cast include:
- Sufe Bradshaw (Murder Mystery, Hidden Canyons) as Sue Wilson
- Kevin Dunn (City On A Hill, Ghosted) as Ben Cafferty
- Gary Cole (NCIS, Dodgeball) as Kent Davison
- Sam Richardson (Ted Lasso, The Afterparty) as Richard Splett
- Sarah Sutherland (Innocence, Like A House On Fire) as Catherine Meyer
- Clea DuVall (The Handmaid’s Tale, The First Lady) as Marjorie Palmiotti
How many episodes of Veep are there?
Veep ran for seven seasons for a total of 65 episodes.
Each season ran for ten episodes each, with the exception of season one, which ran for just eight episodes, and the final seventh season, which ran for seven.
Veep is also considered somewhat of a ‘sister’ series to another Armando Iannucci series, The Thick of It.
Another satirical comedy, The Thick Of It and its spin-off film In The Loop focuses on the UK government rather than the US one.
Veep was born after an American remake of The Thick Of It was given a pilot (tester) episode but failed to be picked up.
After this, HBO and Iannucci began talks and the series was remodeled and remade into what Veep became.
The Thick Of It is a BBC series launched in 2005 and had four seasons, ending in 2012 after 23 episodes.
How successful was Veep and what awards did it win?
Veep became a massive success, building up a devoted cult audience throughout its run.
This resulted in wide awards recognition, with 248 nominations in total from awards bodies, and 77 wins.
Award wins include:
- 17 Primetime Emmys
- Four Screen Actors Guild awards
- Two Television Critics awards
- Three Writers Guild of America (WGA) awards
- Two Critics Choice awards
What is the age rating of Veep?
Veep’s official rating in the UK, as certified by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), is 15 for the complete run.
This means scenes may not be suitable for a younger audience.
Reasons for the rating include:
- Depictions of nudity – with explicit body areas pixelated.
- Consistent use of strong profane language throughout every episode.
- Inferences of sex or sexual actions.
- Moderate use of blood used solely for comedic effect.
- Minor scenes of violence.
How to watch Veep in the UK
Veep is available to stream in full on Sky Atlantic and NOW.
Sky is the exclusive home of Veep in the United Kingdom, with HBO distributing the show in the United States.