“We try to do things that seem far fetched for Washington,” Veep star Julia Louis-Dreyfus said yesterday while on a SXSW panel discussing the show’s 4th season (debuting on April 12th on HBO), “but then three months later, it happens.”
Louis-Dreyfus’ portrayal of the preposterous upwardly failing (spoiler alert) President Selena Gomez has put another mark on cable’s board for hit shows (it’s already won four Emmy’s) that push the boundaries of what the medium of television can deliver. Its deep irreverence and quick, brave satire – not to mention world-class cursing –make it the diverse kind of show that makes cable programming so popular. With a limitless platform like HBO, writers, actors, and its renowned British satirist show runner Armando Iannucci, are free to deep-dive into spaces that were once untouchable for serialized television programming.
The SXSW panel featured Louis-Dreyfus with cast-mates Matt Walsh and Sam Richardson, all echoing how exciting, refreshing, and challenging it is to work on Veep. And although they are extraordinary improvisational actors, the cast reports a collaborative writing process, and when it comes down to filming, they stick to the script. Louis-Dreyfus referred to this balance as the show’s “secret sauce.”
During a brief question and answer with audience members, the question was asked why does cable have the best content on TV? Louis-Dreyfus responded, “Because cable is the Wild West. Anything feels possible.”
Washingtonians know what it’s like to be asked whether the way DC is portrayed in Netflix’s House of Cards is realistic. Of course it is not. But the way it’s depicted in Veep? Well that rings disturbingly true. And to prove it, when Louis-Dreyfus was asked what advice Selena Gomez would have for Spacey’s President Underwood, she said, “Lighten up.”