Veep

I'm seeing Louis-Dreyfuss, Tony Hale, Matt Walsh and Anna Chlumsky. I like them all, but this is the sort of series that looks like it should have a murderer's row of funny people. Or am I just spoiled by big ensembles?

I don't think Ianucci really casts that way. I'm not super up on contemporary British comedy, but it's not like The Thick of It was wall to wall British comedy royalty (I don't think). 

Frankly, I think a murderer's row of funny people would work against the show, and turn it into HBO's Parks and Recreation. Which is not meant as a slight against Parks and Rec, but the mindset of the viewer when watching it is very different than when watching The Thick of It or In the Loop.

Yeah, I never got Ianucci's stuff as "haha" funny. More like "Holy Shit!" funny. And really, speaking of female comedians how much higher an echelon is there than Julia Louis Dreyfuss? Both, in terms of "name" and ability.

Pilot directed by Chris Morris, yo

Great news about Morris, that would make this their first collaboration in a decade I'm pretty sure. This will be the first ever work in the US for them both I think (unless bits of In The Loop count).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fafhrd 

I don't think Ianucci really casts that way. I'm not super up on contemporary British comedy, but it's not like The Thick of It was wall to wall British comedy royalty (I don't think). 

He has a pool of regulars who dip in and out of his stuff - Rebecca Front from the last series of Thick Of It has been working with him from the beginning. But he doesn't tend to work with 'names' as such, and is all the better for it. Peter Capaldi for Malcom was cast almost out of nowhere.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul C 

Great news about Morris, that would make this their first collaboration in a decade I'm pretty sure. This will be the first ever work in the US for them both I think (unless bits of In The Loop count).

He was a script editor on Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle on BBC2, which was exec produced by Iannucci.

Ah fair enough. This seems more of a direct collab though.

One thing I've read is that the whole thing is going to be written by the Thick Of It team. I'm a little surprised at that. Of course they're great, but I can't quite imagine Thick Of It having been written by Americans, so having a bunch of brits make a similar show about US internal politics is kind of an odd prospect.

In the Loop was nominated for an oscar. Having those guys on board is actually pretty good, marketing wise. 

I just mean on a cultural level. Thick Of It works because these guys know UK culture and politics inside out, but now they're going to try to do something similar in the states where they're outsiders. US politics is pretty world famous of course, but seems to me there's a risk it might not feel as authentic as it might if they had american writers involved.

Iannucci and Morris are both known for being ruthlessly thorough with their research. I doubt they'd have signed up for this without making sure they knew what they were doing. There is absolutely nothing to worry about with this one, nobody making it has ever turned in something shitty or for the sake of it. These guys are artists.

Matt Walsh (Upright Citizen's Brigade, various other projects) could really pull off the Malcolm Tucker-ish character pretty well he has that vicious, angry funny unbridled rage about so he could potentially be almost as awesome as Capaldi. All in all the rest of the cast seems great especially Julia Louis-Dreyfus as the VP who is totally over her head, so this could be potentially amazing, probably not as good as "The Thick of it" but still will be entertaining.

I hope the bleeps aren't in the actual show. Are they?

Quote:

Originally Posted by stelios 

I hope the bleeps aren't in the actual show. Are they?

It's HBO, so if they do, it's a deliberate choice.  I'm guessing it's just a youtube/preview thing, but it's sort of odd that they bleep "fuck" and not "shit."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fafhrd 

I don't think Ianucci really casts that way. I'm not super up on contemporary British comedy, but it's not like The Thick of It was wall to wall British comedy royalty (I don't think).

Not royalty in that not a lot of them are exactly hot comedy properties, but there are/were lots of people who can be very funny with the right material. Capaldi, Roger Allam, Chris Langham, Alex McQueen, Rebecca Front, James "I was in the Nam" Smith, etc. There are so many interesting and ignored American actors he could pull in for this. And after seeing that trailer, I'm really looking forward to it.