Now that last night’s episode of Game of Thrones has started a bit of controversy online, HBO has turned to its acclaimed comedies to help quench the flames. According to Deadline, the cable network has renewed Veep for a fourth season and the freshman show Silicon Valley for a second season.
Veep stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus (who took home an Emmy for the role last year) as Selina Meyer, who becomes Vice President of the United States only to realize that it’s not at all what she expected – but is everything she was warned about. The series was created by Armando Iannucci (In the Loop) and also stars Tony Hale, Anna Chlumsky, Reid Scott, Matt Walsh, Timothy Simons, Sufe Bradshaw, Gary Cole and Kevin Dunn.
Silicon Valley is only three episodes into its debut season, but has already received accolades from critics and generated impressive numbers for HBO. Created by Office Space director Mike Judge and Seinfeld producer Alec Berg, it’s a workplace comedy for the information and computer age, as it follows a group of young computer programmers whose software catches the attention of the biggest names in the technology industry. It stars Thomas Middleditch, T.J. Miller, Zach Woods, Kumail Nanjiani, Martin Starr and Josh Brener.
Both shows are excellent comedies that should have bright futures ahead of them, so it’s great to see HBO giving the greenlight for additional seasons. Silicon Valley and Veep air on Sunday nights after Game of Thrones. If you’re feeling a bit down after the latest bloodbath in Westeros, these comedies are the perfect pick-me-up.