A show that lampoons American politics - from an outsider's perspective!
355081
I wanted to like this show. I like Julia Louis Dreyfus - she's a smart, beautiful woman, so let's see her in a role of a woman power. No dice- we apparently like our "strong" women be blithering nervous wrecks. I'm not sure the British Armando Ianucci should be doing a show about American politics. I'm as snooty as anyone about American politics, but I'm not doing a show about it which seems very much like a high school review. Firstly, they never explain how Selina Meyer goes from being a presidential hopeful to a loser. She spent 20 years in Washington, so where's her team of insiders? Are they trying to insinuate that she got where she is on looks alone? And if her daughter is in college, did Ms Meyer abandon her from birth? Would the public really stomach a senator who ditched her kid for Capitol Hill? (her being the key word- if Hillary Rodham had to pretend to be Hillary Clinton just so her husband could get elected, you can imagine what the public think of a working mother!) Veep is far too petty and mundane. I don't imagine Joe Biden's day is very interesting, but he wouldn't spend any time or energy retrieving a card an aide mis-signed.
EPIPHANY: I get it! Americans, do you realise the Brits are making fun of you with this show? There is no slickness, no political gaming in this show because the not-so-hidden agenda is to showcase the US as a hotbed of bumbling eejits! There is not one competent character in Veep because this is how the UK views America - and I thought the British sneered at the Irish!
4919993
I had a great time watching this series when it aired in the US. I hold back from giving it highest rating due to some minor flaws in plot / fight sequences. But it attempts quite a lot of plot! If you want a show that is historically accurate - forget this. It has updated the tale of Robin Hood (Wood!) for our times but still retains a sense of fun from the Errol Flynn pics and sprinkels some history here and there.

I didn't expect it, but this show really made me think about "values" in today's day and age. Why doesn't Robin just kill the sheriff? Sure another will be sent, but maybe he won't be as bad? Is murder o.k. now? After 9/11? How quaint it was when we really wondered if our governments should assassinate foreign leaders or preemptively start wars / remove dictators. Now you are weak if you don't immediately shoot to kill. Remember when good guys shot the gun out of the bad guy's hand instead of killing him? That is this Robin Hood. This series is very timely and thoughtful and still fun and romantic. Raves to Jonas Armstrong for creating a likeable and needy hero (he stays around to hear the good things said about him - cute)! I am ordering the DVD but recently viewed the "extras" which weren't anything to write home about. Just some standard interviews that look like they were done early in the series.
3126185
Episode 1, if not the single best TV I've ever seen, certainly rates in the top 10.

After that - well - not so much.

The series rapidly devolves into just another - albeit well acted - soap opera that pretends to be a neutral portrayal of a newsroom that pits a semi conservative news anchor talking head boss against a fairly liberal staff. Not my cup of tea. I'm sick of that debate. Get enough of it in real life and certainly don't want to be assaulted and preached to by it in the guise of entertainment.
3318374
This show is the best and the most addictive television in my memory, and I remember watching first runs of the old Star Trek and Dick Van Dyke.  It portrays U.S. Politics as I wish they were, and is founded in a deep love and respect for our country and its principles.
Additionally, although it is unabashedly liberal in its viewpoint, it does not make the mistake of being unthinkingly partisan.  Issues are examined from both sides, some Republicans are portrayed as reasonable men of principle, and some Democrats are portrayed as hollow shells more interested in getting the job than doing well in it.  There is true balance that only the most dogmatic media watchers would fail to recognize.
As a recent convert to this show, my addiction to it is overwhelming, and I must admit my frustration with the fact that it is released in the U.S. slower than elsewhere.  This is the price we pay for having such a well developed entertainment infrastructure.  Companies release television shows slower here because they can run them on our many cable channels and pick up extra profits.  Obviously Bravo (where they are being re-run now) would pay less for the rights to broadcast West Wing if all its fans owned the entire thing on DVD.
Even so, it's worth the wait.  I record each show and watch it 2-4 times every day it is broadcast because the dialog is so good and so dense it generally needs repeat viewing to understand all the nuances.
Not only is this show a brilliant brass ring for us to strive for in our politics, it is equally a goal for our media companies to strive for when it comes to quality entertainment.  Add it to your wish list, it would be worth it at three times the price asked.
1693378
It's a little too choppy of a show for me, and the characters are extremely volatile toward one another language-wise (which I'm sure is supposed to be funny because they are all under lots of pressure and intentionally don't use any kind of filter when letting out all of their thoughts towards one another).  However, even though I am not a political person, I can detect that there are lots of "politics" going on underneath the surface and the writing is very fast and on point.  For those who savor these kinds of situations that the Veep has to go through and those of the layers of people that surround her, I'm sure there is lots of "tongue in cheek" material to enjoy.  For me, I could take it or leave it, but Julia Louis Dreyfus is always great in her roles and the supporting cast rises to the challenge.
3824930
Good show, something different for the mind!
658726
It's tough to do political comedy well and refreshing for it not to be some rightwing teabag redneck thing. RMM has it all clicking here from hysterical spot on parodies (you could easily think you're listening to a Motel 6 or E-Harmony commercial) to sharp political observations. Let's hope for Vol. 2, maybe a Skeeter Xmas.
1680785
I am really loving this show.  I generally do enjoy shows of this nature.  The characters are really great and have their own agendas, some hidden, some obvious.  It is for sure one that I will re-watch!
2360053
As the general election campaign heats up - with pundits and bloggers and negative ads stoking the fires of the red state vs blue state mentality - AMERICAN FEUD is an oasis of reason. If you are ready for an unbiased look at the American political arena - and the apparent liberal / conservative divide - Don't miss AMERICAN FEUD! Along the way, the film reveals some surprising twists and turns in the history of American partisanship. I'm telling all my friends and family to see it before the upcoming party conventions...
422030
this series is a remarkable glimpse into the inner workings of Washington politics. it has an air of authenticity due to the consultants they used in the show who actually lived in that strange environment such as Dee Dee Myers.  It was a joy to watch all the episodes in close succession without waiting a week to see the next installment. House of Cards is good too but not as smooth or polished. worth the price of Prime membership on its own.
1199266
There's a program on Animal Planet called, "North Woods Law". Although everything on it is true, I hesitate to call it a "reality" show because of the baggage the phrase, "reality show" carries along with it. Reality shows generally involve waste-of-space Kardashians or oversexed, drunken denizens from Down South or the Jersey Shore or battling MILF Housewives or Mobwives or whatever kind of "wives" are well past their cheerleader, glory-day prime and crave their fifteen minutes of degrading "fame" like a junkie craves smack. North Woods Law is nothing like any of those. It's more like "COPS" but without the annoying theme song, without the swarms of knucklehead criminals with no shirts and with State Game Wardens instead of cops. North Woods Law is actually pretty cool. A site I found for it in an online search describes North Woods Law as, "Set in Maine, the show follows numerous game wardens of the Maine Warden Service from various regions of the Pine Tree State." Yep, that pretty much sums it up and I swear, before seeing this show, I had no clue exactly how wild and unpopulated the state of Maine actually is. And for the most part, the cases the show follows are a total hoot. If you enjoy the occasional full grown moose with his antlers tangled in a backyard swing set, this is the show for you. Wanna see some hard-drinking, out-of-staters hauling in waaay too many fish without so much as one fishing license between them and then trying to deny everything? Here you go! Care to see some "hunter" getting the shock of his life after wardens pop out of the underbrush to catch him on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere trying to VERY illegally blast a deer with a rifle from the front seat of his pickup truck? We got that too! The wardens are honest, seriously dedicated and as hardworking as the day is long and their cases always make for some pretty interesting, and sometimes funny, stuff. Let me give you just one example of how cool the episodes, and the wardens they follow, actually are. On a recent episode, a landowner called the warden service (in the deep-wood, wilds of Maine, apparently you don't call the cops when there's a problem, you call the wardens) to report someone had planted a flourishing crop of ten or fifteen marijuana plants hidden on his forested land. The landowner wanted the plants removed. The warden came and obliged the landowner by digging up the plants and hauling them away. Then the warden went one better. He returned to the spot with an equal number of flowering plants he'd purchased with his own money. Then he carefully planted one of them in each of the blank spots where the marijuana plants had been. Then, before departing, the warden placed his business card there with a note inviting the dope farmer to call him if he had any questions. That is the kind of show North Woods Law is. Pretty damned cool.
3995815
Indeed a truly funny look at both American history and American politics.  If you are buying this book, you are expecting a laugh, and believe me, you will get it.  It is good to have a relatively solid knowledge of American government so that you can appreciate this humorous take on what history books teach about in such a dry manner.  But, foreknowledge is not necessary, as this book is thoroughly funny regardless of how much you know or don't know about American politics.

Stewart does a fairly good job of keeping himself balanced, bashing members of both sides of the political spectrum, and doing it rather tastefully too.  He avoids the easy potshots at our nation's political leaders, and embodies intelligent humor in the attacks he does make.

I enjoyed the sassy narrative tone of this book, and was disappointed when I reached the end, knowing that it would be a while before I could find another book as funny as this.
4869048
A satirical look at politics, its humor comes from its closeness to actual campaigns. As Pat says, "Just change a few names and the same thing is going  on today." Narrated by Henry Fonda, this highly acclaimed TV  show will keep you laughing. (This video was one of three American TV shows  taken by a Russian delegation back to Russia in 1972. Nobody knows why, but  pat assumed this contributed to the fall of Communism.)
160749
VEEP is very funny and I think it was a premonition of what is happening in politics now (Season 1 and following seasons).
46846
great show if you don't mind nudity, drug use, alcoholism, racist jokes, vulgarity, toilet humor, psychotic behavior, insanity, political incorrectness...etc!
1610525
I'm Canadian so I love it. I love all the anti-American jokes because I agree with them!! I can understand why the show was criticized for this though. The show is well done - good (excellent) writing. If you are a touchy American - don't watch. If you're a Canadian or good humored American enjoy one of the better homeland security dramas. I bought all three seasons.
792577
The premise of Family Ties is relatively simple. A pair of activists from the 60s with decidedly liberal views find themselves raising a family in the 80s with kids who are very 1980s-minded.

Yet from this simple premise was born a great television show, one that dealt with many very serious issues, but one that found comedy in all sorts of situations. Watching this much-anticipated first season release, one will find themselves laughing at the situations that the characters find themselves in, even 25 years later.

Steven and Elyse Keaton (Michael Gross and Meredith Baxter Birney) were anti-war demonstrators in the 60s, but in the 1980s things are a little different. The couple is raising three children, 17-year-old Alex (Michael J. Fox in his career-defining role), 15-year-old Mallory (Justine Bateman) and 10-year-old Jennifer (Tina Yothers). As parents they want to be sure they are raising the kids right, but they are also hoping to avoid the traps that they believe their parents fell into when raising them.

The relationship between the parents and kids, as well as the relationship between the kids, is the hallmark of this show and none of those relationships are as entertaining as the one between Alex and his parents. Alex is a hard-core Republican conservative, worshiping at the altar of Nixon and Reagan, all the while keeping track of investments and any way he can make money.  His views are obviously completely opposite of his parents and this leads to a number of hilarious encounters. Fox really brought a lot to this role and when he was cast, he was basically an unknown. This part put his career on the fast track, leading to his eventual role as Marty McFly in the Back to the Future trilogy. I remember watching this show as a kid and really enjoying the character, but watching it now with a better understanding of the political views and such, it is even funnier.

Mallory is the typical teenage girl, completely infatuated with boys, but not so much with school. While her brother shines in the academic world, she struggles in his shadow, instead electing to focus on fashion and such. But she is also a good friend and a good sister, as she helps one of her friends through a teenage pregnancy in one of her stronger storylines of the first season. She also deals with the flirtations of an old family friend. Thankfully, though the subjects were serious, the show was always able to find comedy in serious matters.

Jennifer is the perfect example of a tomboy, into sports and hanging out with boys, which gets her in trouble with some of her classmates, as they are at the age where boys and girls begin to separate. As the youngest member of the Keaton clan, Jennifer often feels overlooked, but she is always quick to put in a good punch line and play the role of precocious kid when it is needed. Often times she even comes out looking more mature than her older siblings.

In this first season, Tom Hanks makes a guest appearance as Elyse's brother, who is on the run from the authorities after stealing a large amount of money from his company. It was interesting to see Hanks at such a young age, as many in my generation know him mainly for his most recent movies.

The only disappointing thing about this set was the lack of extras, but that was expected. I am hopeful for more seasons of this fantastic show to be released, though it would be nice if they were able to put together a few extras along the way.

All in all, though, this show transferred well to DVD. It was obvious that the show was shot in the early 80s, but there were no visual side effects and everything appeared pretty clear. This is a great family comedy, one that can be enjoyed by all ages, but will surely be enjoyed by someone who grew up in the 1980s and knows the time period.