REVIEW: New season of ‘Veep’ is funny without any context

I missed the boat on HBO’s Veep in its debut season despite across the board praise. The Julia Louis-Dreyfus vehicle is still looking good in season two.

HBO

Without the context of season one, you can still get into the second season of the show that debuts Sunday April 14 at 10 p.m.

Dreyfus plays self-involved/occasionally inept Vice President Selina Meyer to a tee, embodying the worst possible view one could have of a famous politician in either a real or fictionalized world.

The second season opens with Louis-Dreyfus on the campaign trail stumping for governors and senators across the US. The vibe of the show is established quickly and, unlike an Arrested Development, you don’t need the history of previous episodes to appreciate the one-liners thrown out by every character often in rapid succession.

While I can’t speak for the first season, the first four episodes of the second season of Veep lacks the punch of some of the other HBO comedies like Curb Your Enthusiasm or Girls. In fact, it seems like it might more easily fit in with the NBC Thursday night block than on the tail-end of Game of Thrones‘ trail of bodies.

Would I say that Veep is en route to join the ranks of favorite sitcoms like NBC’s Parks and Recreation or even FX’s Legit? Not quite. But it’s an enjoyable and breezy watch that’s probably worth burning through on HBO GO at your leisure.