The Business

How David Mandel & his 'Veep' writers became "mini soothsayers"

For the past two seasons, former Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm writer David Mandel has been showrunning HBO's Veep. And while the show can have eerie parallels to reality, Mandel tells us that more often than not, it's real life that ends up imitating Veep.

By Kim Masters • Jun 17, 2017 • 28m Listen

TV-writer producer David Mandel is asked constantly if HBO's Veep is based on real-life politics. But the truth is that real life ends up imitating situations that seemed kinda crazy when he and the rest of the Veep writers made them up. Mandel tells us about overseeing Veep in the age of Trump, keeping track of the show's relentless torrent of vicious insults and how his wife's hands inspired one of the most famous episodes of Seinfeld.

Photo: Hugh Laurie, David Mandel, Julia Louis-Dreyfus behind the scenes of Veep. (Lacey Terrell/courtesy of HBO)

Kim Masters
partner/writer at Puck News, host of KCRW's “The Business.”
Kaitlin Parker
Producer, 'The Business' and 'Hollywood Breakdown'

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The Business

How David Mandel & his 'Veep' writers became "mini soothsayers"

For the past two seasons, former Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm writer David Mandel has been showrunning HBO's Veep. And while the show can have eerie parallels to reality, Mandel tells us that more often than not, it's real life that ends up imitating Veep.

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The Business

How David Mandel & his 'Veep' writers became "mini soothsayers"

For the past two seasons, former Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm writer David Mandel has been showrunning HBO's Veep. And while the show can have eerie parallels to reality, Mandel tells us that more often than not, it's real life that ends up imitating Veep.

Share