Curb Your Enthusiasm: Season Two (2001)

Creator: Larry David

The chain reaction humor, the miscommunications, the victim of circumstance, all those elements that were at play in the first season of the show are once again on full display here in the second. In some cases they're refined and done even better, but most importantly there are some stakes that are introduced. Larry pitches a TV show with Julia Louis-Dreyfus and his actions during the show actually have consequences for how those pitch meetings go, which is to say not well. There is real damage done to his career and personal relationships. Now the show is still very episodic, as the TV show pitch plot comes and goes, and there's not much of a serial narrative.

The show still is a joy to watch just because it's quite expertly plotted, though the structure is a little familiar now, and so we're pretty sure that the odd thing that happened to Larry in the beginning of the episode is going to come back to bite him in the ass later on. One particular episode that stood out was the episode with Shaquille O'Neal. That episode was special because it introduces a new experience in Larry's life. We've been seeing the same side of him for the whole show but that episode we see a different side, a side that is satisfied with the worlds reaction to him. He finds himself in a situation in which he doesn't have to deal with people anymore, and he loves it. I definitely hope for more adventurous episodes like that one in the future. It's a hilarious show that I think has the potential to be even better.

Grade: B

Veep: Season One (2012)

Creator: Armando Iannucci

 If you've seen In the Loop, the 2009 British film by the same guy who created this show, then you'll know exactly what to expect for Veep (if you haven't seen that movie but like Veep, then you really need to watch In the Loop). The comedic style is dialogue-heavy with a bit of an absurdist slant. It takes a slightly exaggerated, but true in theory, look at the world of politics. Veep gets a lot right about politics in America, even if much of the show is a bit out there. D.C. politicians don't throw creative insults around at each other or engage in the type of shenanigans the show's characters do, but the spirit of the character's actions does ring true.

The lofty over-ambition of Dan and the slave-like loyalty of Gary are two examples of characters on the show that are exaggerated for comedic effect, but are still based on reality, and they're all the more funnier because of it. The same goes for the story-lines on the show, like Selina's efforts to get a Clean Jobs bill without making anyone mad only to find that in the end she has made everyone mad (pretty much politics in America in a nutshell). The show reveals the absurdities of not just politics, but of the human desire for others to approve. Even though the show does seem a bit slight and doesn't have goals that are set too high, it's most definitely achieves the modest goals it has for itself. On top of all of its great digs at the politics, media, and culture in America, the show provides a high and frequent dose of laughs. This is an example of a comedy that does exactly what it's supposed to.

Grade: B