Q&A: 'Veep' showrunner shares Selina Meyer's advice for Vice President-elect Kamala Harris
"Veep" is the TV comedy that, particularly in recent days, feels more like a documentary.
Though it ended its six-season run last year, the Emmy-winning HBO series, which starred Julia Louis-Dreyfus, has seen a resurgence in mentions on social media over the last week as the final phase of the election began to feel like it was ripped from an episode of the political satire.
Many noted the parallels between Trump campaign gripes and plot developments in the show's "Nev-AD-a" and "Mother" episodes, in which then-presidential incumbent Selina Meyer (Louis-Dreyfus) calls for a recount of votes in the Southwestern state after an Electoral College tie — only to backpedal on the messaging when it becomes clear that absentee military ballots will not trend in her favor.
By Saturday, there was a more notable resemblance to "Veep" in our real-life process: the election of a female vice president, Kamala Harris — who breaks boundaries not only as the first woman in her role, but also as the first Black and Asian American person to be elected vice president.
The Los Angeles Times reached out to "Veep" executive producer David Mandel, who served as showrunner for the comedy's final three seasons, about the presidential election's wild final days. Speaking Saturday from Los Angeles (the conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity), Mandel shared his thoughts on the show's resonance, what advice Selina Meyer might offer to Harris, and whether political comedy can recover from the Trump presidency.
