# Tell me why VEEP isn't the worse show in history. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 1, 2019, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-why-veep-isnt-the-worse-show-in-history/831884 "2019-04-01T20:02:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2019, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-why-veep-isnt-the-worse-show-in-history/831884/21 "2019-04-02T04:36:43Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > Four words: “[My Mother the Car](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riOcOgUE-W8)”. How about “Cop Rock” or more recently, “Action”? Cop Rock: [Cop Rock (TV Series 1990) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098772/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) Action: [Action (TV Series 1999–2000) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0206467/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2) Yeah, “Action”'s highly rated. There’s a reason it didn’t last very long, and it was because most people rightfully thought it sucked. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2019, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-why-veep-isnt-the-worse-show-in-history/831884/22 "2019-04-02T13:10:01Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > Four words: “[My Mother the Car](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riOcOgUE-W8)”. > [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Four Words: [Heil, Honey I’m Home](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heil_Honey_I%27m_Home!). Four words: [Touched By an Angel.](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touched_by_an_Angel) ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2019, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-why-veep-isnt-the-worse-show-in-history/831884/23 "2019-04-02T13:16:59Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > Four words: “[My Mother the Car](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riOcOgUE-W8)”. > [@nearwildheaven](#): > > How about “Cop Rock” or more recently, “Action”? > > Cop Rock: [Cop Rock (TV Series 1990) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098772/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) > > Action: [Action (TV Series 1999–2000) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0206467/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2) > > Yeah, “Action”'s highly rated. There’s a reason it didn’t last very long, and it was because most people rightfully thought it sucked. Well, neither of those is four words. ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2019, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-why-veep-isnt-the-worse-show-in-history/831884/24 "2019-04-02T15:16:38Z")
[The Simple Life](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVPbGhzsBb8) ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2019, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-why-veep-isnt-the-worse-show-in-history/831884/25 "2019-04-02T15:34:45Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > For me the show lost it last season after Serena left the Presidency. It seemed like the same show but nothing worked. Without the background of her being in the actual offices, the pettiness overwhelmed. I stopped watching after a few episodes because it was in fact too awful to bother with. > > I haven’t seen this year’s episode, but my guess is that it’s a terrible place to start watching the show. Go back a few years and start there. This season’s premiere is still lacking purpose, and I think the rest of the season will end up that way. There’s still a bit of top quality political satire in the show, but the plot is no longer compelling. I’ll keep recording the shows but watching them won’t be a priority for me. I suppose I’ll want to follow the season and see the finale, but I expect it to be disappointing. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2019, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-why-veep-isnt-the-worse-show-in-history/831884/26 "2019-04-02T15:47:06Z")
Hey! I _liked_ **My Mother, the Car.** Of course, I was six years old when it aired. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2019, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-why-veep-isnt-the-worse-show-in-history/831884/27 "2019-04-02T15:51:17Z")
[Manimal](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085051/) ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2019, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-why-veep-isnt-the-worse-show-in-history/831884/28 "2019-04-02T16:44:50Z")
You are objectively wrong, Veep is one of the better shows on television and although it has declined in quality somewhat in the past couple of seasons, the writing is crisp, the satire is cutting and performances are excellent. As for it being a parody of Trump, I don’t no where you’re getting that, it is a satire of America, especially its venal ruling class. If anything, it is more a parody of the naked and ethically void ambition of the Clintons. In last night’s episode when she was forced to come up with a reason for wanting to be president, in her honest moment she declared “because it’s my turn, America owes me and this time I want a war!” But of course she knows she can’t sat that, so she decides on “giving America a better deal or some fucking crap like that.” Which is pretty much the DNC standard platform. Veep smartly doesn’t bother parodying Trump because anyone so openly corrupt and incompetent isn’t funny. What is funny is that you get the sense that for Selina and everyone on her team, there was a time that they actually believed the crap they spew, but that so long ago, they forget what actually caring felt like. That’s as sharp a parody of America as you can get; given that we are all required to parrot that America is the greatest nation on earth every few hours, I’m amazed Veep is allowed to stay so good by the forces of mediocrity that drive our society. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2019, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-why-veep-isnt-the-worse-show-in-history/831884/29 "2019-04-02T18:07:31Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > [Manimal](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085051/) [Fish Police!](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fish_Police_(TV_series)) ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2019, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-why-veep-isnt-the-worse-show-in-history/831884/30 "2019-04-02T18:11:55Z")
Because its target demographic consists of people who know the difference between “worse” and “worst”? ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2019, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-why-veep-isnt-the-worse-show-in-history/831884/31 "2019-04-02T21:36:55Z")
I have gotten more consistent laughs out of _Veep_ and _Arrested Development_ than nearly any other show in the last 10 to 15 years. I tried _Modern Family_ but it just didn’t click for me. It seemed obvious and the characters mostly annoyed me. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2019, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-why-veep-isnt-the-worse-show-in-history/831884/32 "2019-04-03T04:11:33Z")
“Growing Up Gotti” got high ratings and stayed on the air as long as it did because the show was very popular with teenage girls, who ogled the sons. > **[Growing Up Gotti (TV Series 2004–2005) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0405545/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)** > > Growing Up Gotti: With Victoria Gotti, Carmine Agnello Jr., John Agnello, Frank Agnello. Camera crews record the everyday experiences of Victoria Gotti and her three sons. The short-lived MTV cartoon “The Brothers Grunt” wasn’t much better. > **[The Brothers Grunt (TV Series 1994–1995) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0158522/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)** > > The Brothers Grunt: With Doug Parker, Lee Tockar, Philip Maurice Hayes, Danny Antonucci. An interstellar creature grows a group of boils on its back that come to be 'The Grunt Brothers'. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2019, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-why-veep-isnt-the-worse-show-in-history/831884/33 "2019-04-03T04:30:13Z")
\*I married dora \* [I Married Dora - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Married_Dora) As far as I know this show never aired in prime time I only seen clips of it at like 3:30 am ….but it was protested by the left and right when they announced it and the critics they screened it for said it was crap Juliette Lewis has never admitted to being in it ……(and that’s saying something ) ---
**Author:** ![Tinker\_Grey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tinker_grey/32/8136_2.png) [@Tinker\_Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tinker_Grey)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2019, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-why-veep-isnt-the-worse-show-in-history/831884/34 "2019-04-03T05:14:37Z")
_2 Broke Girls_ ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2019, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-why-veep-isnt-the-worse-show-in-history/831884/35 "2019-04-03T17:48:16Z")
> [@nightshadea](#): > > \*I married dora \* [I Married Dora - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Married_Dora) > > As far as I know this show never aired in prime time I only seen clips of it at like 3:30 am ….but it was protested by the left and right when they announced it and the critics they screened it for said it was crap > > Juliette Lewis has never admitted to being in it ……(and that’s saying something ) I Married Dora ran for 13 episodes, all aired on primetime, Fridays at 7:30 (CST) on ABC. I watched it new. While it did get cancelled after 13 episodes, it didn’t suck enough to fit in this thread. I forgot Juliette Lewis was in it. Gawd I hate her acting. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2019, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-why-veep-isnt-the-worse-show-in-history/831884/36 "2019-04-30T01:28:15Z")
I’m loving this season so far; I like how they split decomposited Trump into Selina and Jonah, Amy has of course become Kellyanne Conway without the family life. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2019, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-why-veep-isnt-the-worse-show-in-history/831884/37 "2019-04-30T01:59:03Z")
I found the show quite amusing at first. But the schtick grew old fairly fast, so I didn’t even make it through S1, although I’ve sampled a few episodes here and there (I was curious, for instance, to see what it would be like when she became president). ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2019, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-why-veep-isnt-the-worse-show-in-history/831884/38 "2019-04-30T03:36:28Z")
I like the show quite a bit, but real-life’s absurdity has made it scramble to seem satirical and not idealized. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2019, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-why-veep-isnt-the-worse-show-in-history/831884/39 "2019-04-30T03:53:18Z")
[Dusty’s Trail.](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069577/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1) ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2019, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-why-veep-isnt-the-worse-show-in-history/831884/40 "2019-04-30T12:58:16Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > No. If you don’t like it, you don’t like it. Don’t watch it. Just because I like it doesn’t mean you have to like it, nor vice versa. This is s very lazy and nonsensical response to criticism. If this is a legitimate response then there’s never any reason to debate the merits of Art. The main point of art is to discuss it, analyze it, etc. its not only a valid question, but it’s possibly the most important question to ask why you like or dislike something. Okay. Given that. Veep is an American remake of a brilliant British show called The Thick of It. Go watch that show. It’s a satire but throughout it has the eerie quality of seeming entirely realistic. It’s a perfect exploration of the shallowness and scheming of the political class, and juxtaposing that with the values that attracted the characters to public service in the first place. Ultimately it’s an indictment of the public for being so easily susceptible to shallow skullduggery. “Veep” is the American translation in which the characters are dumber and slightly lovable. This was a decent satire for the pre-Trump era, but it’s completely obsolete in the age of new-fascism rising all over the world. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-why-veep-isnt-the-worse-show-in-history/831884.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-why-veep-isnt-the-worse-show-in-history/831884.md?page=3)