The show is a twisted version of a buddy comedy that explores one of the most relevant issues in politics: what happens when true believers lose their integrity and moral compass in pursuit of their cause.
David Mandel, the director of White House Plumbers, is a man who knows more about the intersection of Hollywood and Washington than anyone. Mandel has had a storied career as a comedy writer and producer. He is a veteran of Saturday Night Live, Seinfeld, and Curb Your Enthusiasm. He then directed the production of Veep, one of the funniest and most accurate shows ever made about Washington, for its final three seasons.
In this week’s episode of Playbook Deep Dive, Playbook co-author Ryan Lizza talks to Mandel about the lessons he learned translating Washington for Hollywood, first with Veep and now with the White House Plumbers, and how a certain president elected from among these two shows changed everything. about what makes politics funny.