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2 months ago
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Veep is seeing a sudden surge in viewership following the announcement that VP Kamala Harris is likely the Democratic presidential nominee, after President Joe Biden announced he was dropping out the race and endorsed his second-in-command.
Viewership of the HBO series’ first season on Max was up 353% yesterday, July 22, with 2.2 million total minutes watched, following word that Harris had clinched enough delegates to claim the nomination. That’s compared to 486,000 total minutes watched on Sunday, July 21.
The circumstances are remarkably similar for Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Selina Meyer and Harris. In Veep, Meyer (Dreyfus), a U.S. Senator from Maryland, jumps into the ring for President but loses the nomination to Stewart Hughes (who is never depicted on screen). She later joins the Hughes ticket and is elected Vice President to Hughes. In Season 2, Hughes abruptly resigns due to his wife’s poor mental health and Meyer becomes President.
Many fans have taken to social media with memes pointing out the parallels to Dreyfus‘ titular character in the hit political satire comedy.
But Veep series creator Armando Iannucci reminds fans in response to a post on X that “we made all that up”, despite perceived similarities to Biden‘s announcement that he’s dropping out of the 2024 presidential election and his endorsement of VP Harris.
A similar surge in viewership was seen for J.D. Vance‘s memoir Hillbilly Elegy after the author was named as former President Donald Trump’s running mate in the upcoming presidential election.
Veep received numerous awards and critical acclaim during its seven-season run, including seven consecutive Primetime Emmy nominations for Outstanding Comedy Series, winning for its fourth, fifth, and sixth seasons. Its second, fourth, and sixth seasons won the WGA Award for Television: Comedy Series, and its third season won the Television Critics Association Award for Outstanding Achievement in Comedy.
Louis-Dreyfus’ performance won her six consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards, three SAG Awards, two Critics Choice Television Awards, a Television Critics Association Award, and five consecutive Golden Globe nominations.
