Veep season 5

Plot summary

President Meyer continues governing while her team tries to leverage Nevada election results. A new Secret Service agent, Marjorie, joins Selina's detail. Mike and his wife Wendy begin adopting an infant girl from China. Amy rejoins Selina's team to manage the Nevada campaign; after Dan is fired from his lobbying job, Amy hires him, and Richard is also hired into a leadership role.

Selina taps veteran political operative Bob Bradley, called "The Eagle," to oversee Nevada strategy. In Carson City, Amy and Dan have a flirtatious moment that ends with Dan sleeping with Amy's sister; Amy later meets election observer Buddy Calhoun and begins dating him. The stock market crashes after the Election Day tie, so Selina makes Tom James economy czar. She begins a relationship with banking magnate Charlie Baird.

Selina accidentally tweets an insult about Senator O'Brien meant only for Charlie and blames it on Chinese hackers, then levies sanctions against China on Bob Bradley's advice. The team eventually removes Bob due to mental confusion. Missing ballots are recovered from Washoe County; Selina brings in friend Karen Collins to delay Nevada's certification deadline, but after counting, O'Brien is declared winner of Nevada's electoral votes and the popular vote.

The election goes to Congress. Jonah's uncle Jeff Kane helps him run for an open New Hampshire congressional seat; Jonah wins after his opponent runs afoul of the NRA. Selina's mother Mee-Maw is hospitalized after a stroke; Selina takes her off life support and receives a favorability bump from perceived grief.

Production

Season five marked a new chapter for Veep, as David Mandel became showrunner after creator Armando Iannucci left. Mandel chose to have Selina lose the election, believing it would create stronger comedy. He had previously worked with star Julia Louis-Dreyfus on Seinfeld. The season debuted on HBO on April 24, 2016, with episodes airing weekly. The day after the premiere, HBO renewed the series for a sixth season.

Reception

Season five of Veep received critical acclaim, holding a 94% on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. Ben Travers of IndieWire rated the season an A, describing it as feeling like Iannucci built the ship and Mandel is taking it out on the water. Allison Herman of The Ringer noted that amid the change to Mandel, Veep's edge stayed razor-sharp, doubling down on its strengths. Jen Chaney of the New York Times wrote that the season looked like a winner.

Caroline Framke of Vox praised Julia Louis-Dreyfus's performance as a terrifying, disgusting, completely beautiful thing to behold. Sarah Marshall of The Week wrote that the season effectively depicts the broken people who pursue power. The season garnered nominations for the Primetime Emmy Awards, SAG Awards, TCA Awards, and Writers Guild of America Awards. The series received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series, and Louis-Dreyfus won her fifth Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.