Veep is one of the best political satires ever put on television, and some of its best episodes stand out as true masterpieces. After lampooning UK politics in The Thick of It, Armando Iannucci brought that fly-on-the-wall format to HBO and turned his satirical lens to the White House with his perfect sitcom Veep.
Throughout Veep’s seven-season run, it delivered a bunch of classic episodes — from “Kissing Your Sister” to “Election Night.” It even stuck the landing in its series finale.
Running
Season 2, Episode 9
For the most part, Veep was a sophisticated comedy dealing with highbrow political satire and profane but very well-crafted insult humor. But it occasionally indulged in broader slapstick gags — and when it did, it always worked a charm (and it always served the story).
In season 2’s “Running,” Selina walks right through a glass door and her staff has to deal with the fallout. Julia Louis-Dreyfus has a lot of fun playing loopy Selina hopped up on pain medication, and the climactic fun run is a great visual punchline.
Special Relationship
Season 3, Episode 7
Veep collided with its British predecessor, The Thick of It, when Selina went to London to meet with the Deputy Prime Minister in season 3’s “Special Relationship.” There are a lot of great culture-clash gags in the episode, especially when Selina visits a pub and speaks to a bartender she can barely understand.
But there’s some terrific storytelling in this episode, too. Jonah becomes a Deep Throat-style spy for Maddox, Dan suffers a nervous breakdown that costs him the job of campaign manager, and Christopher Meloni gives a hilarious guest turn as a meathead personal trainer with a bit too much influence on Selina’s decision-making.
C**tgate
Season 5, Episode 6
Making its titular politician a woman allowed Veep to satirize the internalized misogyny in both Washington insider circles and the U.S. voting population at large. In season 5’s “C**tgate,” that sexism is laid bare when an article claims that someone on Selina’s own team called her the C-word, and she tasks Amy with finding out who did it.
In a great comic payoff, it turns out they’ve all called her the C-word a bunch of times. This episode ends with the surprise revelation that Catherine has been dating her mother’s body double, Marjorie. It’s hilariously ironic that the character who hates her mother the most fell for the staffer who was hired due to her uncanny resemblance to her mother.
Some New Beginnings
Season 3, Episode 1
Veep’s season 3 premiere splits up the ensemble into an A-plot and a B-plot, but they both make great use of the characters. As Selina promotes her autobiography in Iowa, we’re introduced to Sam Richardson’s delightful turn as Richard Splett — a strangely wholesome counterpoint to the rest of the ensemble. Meanwhile, at Mike’s wedding, the Maddox resignation news overshadows the happy occasion.
The episode builds to a hilarious ending when Jonah is fired from the White House for posting government secrets to his blog “West Wing Man.” Watching Jonah curse up a storm on his way out, and watching Dan take sheer pleasure in the self-destructive display, is a laugh riot.
Mother
Season 5, Episode 4
One of the most refreshing things about Veep is that it never tried to make its lead character likable. Selina was a bad person until the bitter end. When Gary told Selina that her mother had suffered a stroke, we might’ve expected to see grief or sadness or uncertainty. But instead, she sees it as an irritating inconvenience.
This episode is responsible for one of the funniest visuals in the series. While Selina barely has any reaction to her mother’s health crisis, we see Catherine crying her eyes out in the background.
Testimony
Season 4, Episode 9
Selina and her staff have to take the stand and field questions in season 4’s “Testimony.” They’re grilled about the Families First vote and, more pressingly, the source of the campaign’s notorious federal data breach. In a darkly hilarious miscarriage of justice, everyone unanimously scapegoats poor Bill Ericsson.
Iannucci directed the episode spectacularly. It’s hilarious to see everyone in the ensemble reacting to the pressure and the scrutiny in different ways, but it’s also an appropriately tense portrayal of these high-stakes proceedings.
Crate
Season 3, Episode 9
A single scene makes this one of Veep’s greatest episodes. After Selina finds out that the president is resigning and she’s going to become the leader of the free world, she excuses herself to the bathroom, where she’s joined by Gary. Gary is so excited by the news that he gets a nosebleed.
This whole sequence in the bathroom is one of Veep’s most authentic moments. The laughs shared by Louis-Dreyfus and Tony Hale feel real. Selina doesn’t always treat Gary well, but she clearly loves him.
Veep
Season 7, Episode 7
Endings are tough, especially for TV shows, but Veep culminated in a perfect series finale. It abandoned the usual nostalgia and sentimentality of series finales and stayed true to the show’s signature bite. In the final episode, we see just how much of a monster Selina is as she burns all her bridges, turning everyone who cares about her against her, in the name of consolidating power.
The time jump to Selina’s funeral is a fun way to show where everyone ends up years down the line, and the show ends with a hilarious callback to the pilot episode. Selina’s funeral being overshadowed by Tom Hanks’ death is a perfect punchline for the entire series.
Kissing Your Sister
Season 5, Episode 9
Toward the end of season 5, Veep breaks away from its usual format to show us Catherine’s film studies project. She’s been documenting Selina’s bid for the presidency, and the doc picks up as the House votes on who will take the Oval Office. Catherine does all the direction, camerawork, and voiceover narration in character.
This unconventional episode was a great way to bring the season’s ongoing storylines together, showing plot points we’ve already seen from a new perspective. Plus, the mockumentary format introduced a whole new kind of comedy for the show to take advantage of.
Election Night
Season 4, Episode 10
The greatest episode of Veep, by far — and one of the greatest episodes ever aired on HBO — is the season 4 finale, “Election Night.” The episode largely takes place in a hotel room, where Selina and her top campaign staffers are watching the results of the presidential election roll in. This contained setting puts the spotlight squarely on the characters and their ensemble dynamic.
“Election Night” perfectly encapsulates the chaos and tension of a presidential election. The results keep swinging back and forth, building to a hilarious twist when Selina is about to concede and Mike races back to stop her. This is Veep at its very best: a perfect blend of incisive political commentary and lovable ensemble comedy.
