Let's just dive right in from the start shall we? VEEP is
one of the most unfunny shows ever created. Yes, it really is that bad. As I
watched the entire first season I think I honestly laughed perhaps once and
that was just a small chuckle, not a belly laugh. Having just seen THIS IS THE
END and actually finding myself laughing out loud about 15 times in the middle
of a theater, this show never inspired that once while sitting in the comfort
of my living room. It really is unfunny and displays in so many ways how out of
touch Hollywood is with the real world.
Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, an actress who has shown time and time
again that she knows how to be funny, stars as the title character, Senator
Selina Meyer who has just taken on the role of Vice President. But what she
thought would be a position that would provide her with some power and a direct
link to the White House ends up being nothing of the sort. Selina is given
little more to do than the bidding of the President, helping him to shore up
votes he needs for projects while never getting credit or the chance to forward
her own ideas.
Through it all she plays the political games where back
stabbing is a virtue and keeping a smile plastered on your face while twisting
the knife is the norm. This same theme is used quite well with Netflix series
HOUSE OF CARDS but here it falls flat.
Meyers has surrounded herself with complete idiots or career
builders who are more inclined to take care of themselves than her. Some have
the potential to be funny characters but are never given the chance to show it.
Instead they seem to think that the more they drop the F bomb the funnier they
are. This made me worry about how much input Louis-Dreyfuss had in the scripts
as I thought back to the time period when Saturday Night Live became a show
that was unfunny...and when she was a cast member. At that time they seemed to
tell jokes that they thought were funny but that no one laughed at. I found
this series to be much like that.
I had heard this series was funny. I even remember several
people involved being nominated for Emmys. After watching it I found my
feelings about the Emmys and other awards given in Hollywood to be vindicated.
Rather than honor anyone for true talent and ability it seems as though they
give out awards for simply being someone they like or for trying to portray
anyone they dislike in an unfavorable way. Anyone connected with this show who
would win didn't deserve it and should immediately give the award back.
I was stunned to see that a second season of this series has
already aired and that a third is on the way. It makes me wonder what shows
that delivered pilots to HBO were turned down. Surely there was something else
that deserved the funding that this show gets. The only thing this show made me
want to do was turn back to television to see if a rerun of SEINFELD was on.
Now that show was funny and so was Louis-Dreyfuss when she was in it. Unless
the only thing you find humorous is how often and how creatively a person can
swear it you won't enjoy this show.
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