The Thick of It (2005)

The British original behind Veep's style, and the place to hear Malcolm Tucker at full volume. Peter Capaldi's spin doctor delivers abuse so inventive that the BBC made a point of having a swearing consultant, writer Ian Martin, on the team. The handheld documentary look makes it feel loose, but co-writer Simon Blackwell put the mix at roughly 80 percent script to 20 percent improvisation, so the barrage is mostly built, not found. The language is relentlessly strong and the politics very British, yet the rhythm of the put-downs needs no translation.