Veep

Just saw the first episode of Veep and, if the rest of the series is as good as the opener, HBO has a brilliant series on its hands. Louis-Dreyfus delivers a performance reminiscent of her Elaine days; utilizing every ounce of her talent and pouring her entire body into each moment. It's easily her best work since Seinfeld, and that's no put down of her post Seinfeld work. It's a commentary on just how brilliant she was on that show.

The supporting cast is up to the task of keeping pace with a comic and actress as strong as their leading woman. Pleasantly surprising is Anna Chlumsky's funny and endearing chief of staff.

One episode may not be enough to judge a series on but, for episode one I vote 10 out of 10. Smart and laugh out loud funny is a hard combo to come across. I sure hope the rest of the show lives up to day one. I look forward to more.

Like the rest of Ianucci's work, this is a fantastic political satire. The reflexive self-serving sycophancy, the arbitrary nature of power, the automatic deferral to the hidden powers behind the throne, the elevation of random dross above real issues (brilliantly lampooned in the pilot when the use of cornstarch forks in the White House becomes a stumbling block to setting up a clean jobs task force) are skillfully portrayed, showing how the dysfunction of the modern arena (especially the media's eye, usually passive but, as in the second episode, sometimes accompanied by a mouthful of vicious teeth) prevents the exercise of power for actual governmental function. None of the characters are perfectly likable, though all are well-played, but somehow the ensemble is endearing. Watch this if you want to see a sharp commentary on the drunken carousel that is politics.

Why are people voting on a show before it's aired? There is no way this deserves a 4.9; however, I'm sure it will go up as actual viewers chime in. I've seen the first episode and I'm hooked already.

Short and sweet: Louis-Dreyfus is best at characters with an edge. She had me laughing out loud and re-watching line deliveries ("Selena. Hi. I'm melting, I'm melting."). The entire cast is great. Tony Hale does what he does best -- meek, a little dim -- but it works great. Anna Chlumsky holds her own next to Dreyfus. The writing snappy and natural. The direction slick.

I hope this show sticks around for a bit!

A very smart comedy that I believe can only be understood if you have brains and some knowledge of the American political system. I don't know how people can rate this comedy to be worth 1 star . Probably the above conditions would missing

This show communicates well how the most selfish, petty and arrogant of people are drawn to politics. And what makes it work is that it never mentions parties. This show perfectly captures what both parties are potentially like, and also what most global politics are really about. This is one of the best shows of my lifetime.