Armando Iannucci, the creator of the Emmy Award-winning HBO series Veep, has recently made it clear that the show is purely fictional despite any perceived similarities to real-life political events. After President Joe Biden’s announcement that he would not be running in the 2024 presidential election and his endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris, fans were quick to draw comparisons to the plotlines of Veep.
Fictional Script
Iannucci took to social media to remind fans that Veep had already written a fictional version of events similar to what was happening in reality. In the show, Kamala Harris inherits the presidency and then decides to run for office. The electoral college ends up in a tie, as does the house vote, leading the Senate to choose the tie-breaking candidate, resulting in JD Vance becoming the President of the United States. Despite the parallels, Iannucci emphasized that it was all part of the drama created for the show.
Following Biden’s endorsement of Harris, social media was abuzz with memes and comparisons between the show and real-life politics. Fans shared scenes from Veep where Vice President Selina Meyer takes over the presidency after the current president decides not to run for a second term, drawing even more attention to the similarities between the show and the current political landscape.
One fan credited Iannucci with “continuing to predict our political reality” as they pointed out the connections between Veep and recent events. Iannucci, in response, jokingly mentioned that he was still working on the ending, implying that there might be more surprises to come.
In a final playful post, Iannucci shared a throwback image of Julia Louis Dreyfus (who plays Selina Meyer) and Joe Biden having a slow-motion walk through the White House from a clip at the 2014 White House Correspondents’ Dinner. This post added to the ongoing discussion of the uncanny parallels between Veep and real-life politics.
Armando Iannucci’s Veep may have been ahead of its time in predicting certain political scenarios, but it’s essential to remember that it is all fiction. The show’s ability to mirror reality is a testament to Iannucci’s writing and the talented cast, rather than any supernatural ability to predict future events. As the political landscape continues to evolve, one can only wonder what other twists and turns Veep may have in store for its viewers.