Entertainment
18 Shows To Watch After That Heartbreaking & Hilarious 'Veep' Finale
Say it ain't so! Just like Selina Meyer's (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) presidency, the HBO comedy titan Veep will conclude after Season 7, which has followed the former president's ill-advised second campaign to win back the Oval Office. The Veep Season 7 finale will air Sunday, May 12 on HBO, and will hopefully reveal who won the presidential election.
However, it's probably a good thing that the series is ending — Veep's brand of shocking political humor has somehow become commonplace in a post-Trump world. That said, audiences will no doubt miss Selina's critical jokes about the American people, Jonah Ryan's foul-mouthed rants, and Amy and Dan's will-they, won't they? antagonistic dynamic. And who could ever forget Richard Splett's good-natured, bumbling persona, which could very well win himself the presidency before it's all said and done?
But while Veep was both depraved and hilarious, whip-smart and irreverent, all good things must come to an end. Or as beloved dumb-dumb Richard Splett would probably say, "Don't cry because it's over — smile because it happened!" After all, not only can fans now go back and rewatch the series in all its biting, depraved humor, but there are plenty of other Veeps in the sea. Here are 18 other shows fans can watch after Selina Meyer's story comes to an end on Sunday.
'Succession'
Network: HBO
Why to watch: Trade the White House for control of Waystar Royco, and you've got the same plot. The Succession characters are just as depraved and foul-mouthed as those in Veep, so you'll feel right at home with the terrible Roy family.
'Designated Survivor'
Network: Originally on ABC, now Netflix
Why to watch: Much in the same vein as Selina, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Tom Kirkman (Kiefer Sutherland) becomes the next U.S. president after the entire cabinet is wiped out due to an explosion. However, Tom takes his position a bit more seriously than Selina did hers.
'Madam Secretary'
Network: CBS, streaming on Netflix
Why to watch: Elizabeth McCord (Téa Leoni) was a CIA analyst-turned college professor before she gets tapped to become the next Secretary of State. While this political drama is more serious than Veep, the complicated plots are sure to keep audiences entertained.
'Catastrophe'
Network: Amazon Prime
Why to watch: This British series stars co-creators Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney as two people who have sex for a week, get pregnant, and decide to get married. Catastrophe is practical and never sappy. The couple tend to say awful, witty things to each other, but their marriage somehow works.
'The West Wing'
Network: NBC, streaming on Netflix
Why to watch: If, for some reason, you haven't watched Aaron Sorkin's acclaimed political drama, then The West Wing may just hit the spot. President Bartlet is much less jaded than Meyer, yes, but there's still plenty of cutting Sorkin dialogue, which has a similar cadence to that of Veep.
'Seinfeld'
Network: NBC, streaming on Hulu
Why to watch: This long-running sitcom featured Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Elaine Benes in a role incredibly similar to the one on Veep. And although the Seinfeld characters may not be quite as vulgar as the HBO show, Elaine, Jerry, Kramer, and George were just as self-involved.
'Barry'
Network: HBO
Why to watch: Barry is an irreverent comedy starring Bill Hader as a theater-crazed assassin trying to break good. And although the show is violent and dark, it's also hilarious, with a stunning performance by Anthony Carrigan as NoHo Hank.
'Fleabag'
Network: Amazon Prime
Why to watch: This show's protagonist (creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge) never gets a name and is simply referred to as Fleabag. This British show is all kinds of dark, yes, but it's also hilarious, irreverent, and impeccably executed.
'Killing Eve'
Network: BBC America, streaming on Hulu
Why to watch: Killing Eve is sexy, gory, and hilarious, centering around a psychopathic, Russian assassin named Villanelle (Jodie Comer) and the CIA agent trying to catch her (Sandra Oh). I'd love to see her and Selina Meyer in a room together — just to see what would happen.
'Arrested Development'
Network: Originally Fox, streaming on Netflix
Why to watch: Is President Meyer secretly a Bluth? It would be a legitimate question if Julia Louis-Dreyfus hadn't guest-starred on Arrested Development's first and second seasons — as a lawyer who pretended to be blind, naturally.
'Detroiters'
Network: Comedy Central
Why to watch: Real-life best friends Sam Richardson (Richard Splett on Veep) and Tim Robinson co-created this (now tragically canceled) Comedy Central show about small-time ad men in Motor City. While Detroiters is more good-natured than Veep, the show knows how dumb its protagonists are and constantly makes fun of their harebrained schemes and awful advertising ideas. It's a blast.
'I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson'
Network: Netflix
Why to watch: This short sketch comedy show shares DNA with Detroiters, as it was co-created by Robinson. So if you've ever wanted to see Sam Richardson host a game show about babies, I Think You Should Leave is right up your alley.
'Drunk History'
Network: Comedy Central, streaming on Hulu
Why to watch: Drunk History is part reality show, part historical reenactment, and completely hilarious. Co-creator and host Derek Waters sits down with intoxicated historians/experts and has them recount something from American history. However, the alcohol often inhibits their ability to tell the story...correctly, and the results are always gut-splitting.
'Curb Your Enthusiasm'
Network: HBO
Why to watch: What's more Veep than a grumpy, narcissistic protagonist who bumbles through life, getting mad at people? Not to mention the fact that Larry David co-created Seinfeld, so he and Louis-Dreyfus go way back.
'Silicon Valley'
Network: HBO
Why to watch: Five men set out to found a tech company after Richard Hendricks (Thomas Middleditch) develops an innovative data-compression algorithm. Except for one exception (Jared Dunn), the Silicon Valley characters are all completely terrible and only become more depraved as the series continues.
'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia'
Network: FX, then FXX — streaming on Hulu
Why to watch: Has there ever been a group of narcissists more hilarious than The Gang? For the past 13 seasons (and counting), Charlie, Dennis, Mac, Dee, and Frank have wreaked havoc on the town of Philadelphia, and audiences have loved every minute of it.
'Nathan for You'
Network: Comedy Central, streaming on Hulu
Why to watch: Nathan Fielder plays a parody of himself as an awkward TV show host with zero charisma. As he says in the series intro, he "graduated from one of Canada's top business schools with really good grades." On Nathan for You, Fielder pretends to help local stores turn their businesses in around, when in reality, his ideas are purposefully bad. While the show's premise sounds mean, there's an underlying sweetness that sets it apart from more irreverent comedies.
'Schitt's Creek'
Network: Pop, streaming on Netflix
Why to watch: This Canadian import follows the self-involved Rose family after they lost their entire fortune. Now, they must live in a podunk town with regular people who don't even have cedar chests for their knits. While David, Alexis, Johnny, and Moira start out as stuck up, rich people, they become more human as Schitt's Creek goes on.
So surely one of these 18 shows will be enough to keep you entertained after Veep goes off the air. But even if not, you can always rewatch the HBO series as many times as you want.
