NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Warner Blu-ray (October 2024): Warner have transferred VEEP: The Complete Series to Blu-ray. This includes all 65 episodes from all seven seasons on 13 dual-layered Blu-ray discs. I love this show and owned a few of the seasons on DVD (which I can't locate to compare.) It's in the 1.78:1 aspect ratio as it was broadcast on HBO and there is a high bitrate for each of the 1/2 hour episodes. They look as good as you might expect for a modern TV series shot on digital (2K Master format.) It's pristinely clean, a shade waxy and colors seem muted or at least have a darker cast but it looked very pleasing on my system.

There are eight episodes on the first season, ten each for the second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth seasons and seven for the last season. It ran from 2012 to 2019.

NOTE: We have added 44 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Warner use robust DTS-HD Master 5.1 surround tracks (24-bit) in the original English language with optional DUBs in French and Spanish. There is almost no aggression, and only infrequent separation required - but a frequently repeated brass-heavy theme. Composures for the series are credited to Australian-born British composer and musicologist Christopher Willis (X-Men: First Class), British composer, conductor, Rupert Gregson-Williams (Hotel Rwanda) and David Schwartz who is known for Arrested Development (2003), Northern Exposure (1990) and Trading Places (1983.) There is strong attention to detail in the series and that goes for the audio as well. From my viewing it all sounded clean with consistent dialogue in the lossless transfer. Warner offer optional English (SDH) or foreign-language subtitles on their Region FREE Blu-rays.

The Warner Blu-rays offer many cast and crew commentaries - sometimes two per episode. There are twelve commentaries for the first season, four commentaries for the second season, four for the third, six for the fifth season, seven for the six season and eight for the seventh (final season.) Those that I have sampled are fun and humorous. There is a 'Making-of' featurette, hilarious deleted scenes, outtakes, short Public service announcements and on the final disc has 'character retrospectives' and an 'Inside the Final Season' featurette.

I'm sure it's hard to imagine that the Vice-president of the United States could be so ill-equipped at thinking 'fast on her feet', frequently shifting to unasked topics in a totally awkward fashion, transparent in her nervous laughter etc. Life imitating art is philosophically subjective, I suppose. The humor in VEEP can get fairly broad with swearing, referencing adult situations and is handled in a very Larry David (Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm) style with most characters being selfishly mercenary - only ever feigning compassion to each other. Ex. "Well, I am enjoying a delicious sandwich, made even more delicious by the fact that there's a homeless guy watching me eat it" - character Dan Egan (Reid Scott), deputy director of communications in the Vice President's Office. Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who will always be remembered as "Elaine" in Seinfeld, and the entire supporting cast are excellent including Anna Chlumsky (My Girl,) Tony Hale (Arrested Development,) Reid Scott, Timothy Simons, Matt Walsh, Sufe Bradshaw, Kevin Dunn, Gary Cole, Sam Richardson etc. These are 1/2 hour episodes that you can throw on at any time and get some laughs. It really gets interesting when the President abruptly resigns due to his wife's poor mental health and Selina Meyer (Louis-Dreyfus) becomes... POTUS. Meyer begins her presidential campaign at the end of the third season. This will be on my shelf for many years as I can throw on any of the Warner Blu-rays and watch four or five episodes at a sitting. This is excellent comedy. Absolutely recommended.

Gary Tooze