Veep is returning for a sixth season in just a few short weeks and fans of the show could not be more excited about the upcoming season, especially since the show is coming off a red-hot fifth season with a brand new showrunner. But with the anticipation of a new season comes the wariness about what types of political jokes the show will be using this year, especially since the current political environment is arguably more of a mess than anything that has ever been featured on the show.
To keep things as escapist as possible, the Veep team is potentially including certain political references while spurning other ones, especially those that may seem obvious at this very moment. To that end, current showrunner David Mandel shared some insight at SXSW in regards to what they will and won’t be satirizing this year.
On Trump, Mandel revealed,
“There are the occasional jokes, but we’re not SNL, and if we try and make a joke about Trump on Veep it will be old by the time it airs. For us, tragedy Trump plus time equals comedy.”
That’s in line with what most cast members have said in the past few months, and makes sense when considering that Veep has never really done “ripped from the headlines” stories but rather been semi-inspired by worldwide political goings on and crafted seasons accordingly.
One of those “ripped from the headlines” episodes could easily seem very familiar to anyone who has been paying attention to the Obama’s post-White House public life. Specifically, that massive book deal that the former First Couple just inked. Mandel says,
“Keep your eyes on Obama. What’s exciting for us — as you’re seeing him signing a book deal — don’t be surprised if Selina signs a book deal, although not for as much money.”
Whatever path Selina Mayer takes in the new season, five prior seasons have built up enough trust between the show and viewers that the Veep team could be inspired by almost anything happening these days and still build a gut-bustingly hilarious bunch of episodes for all to enjoy.
(via The Hollywood Reporter)
