
Politicizing TV show’s is a popular method for directors and writers to put forth their thoughts on politics to the viewers, whether it be through a more dramatic and serious approach a la Netflix’s popular series House of Cards, or even through a bare-bones, stripped down version of politics that can be witnessed on the TV series Survivor. While there are endless series to choose from and analyze, two shows in particular offer a fascinating approach to the inner mechanisms of both large and small scale politics while remaining true to the universe and structure of the television show. The episode entitled “Election Night” from HBO’s series Veep demonstrates what happens behind the scenes as the protagonist, Selina Meyer, and her crew await the results of the presidential election for the United States of America as the electoral votes funnel in. The popular comedy series Parks and Recreation also offers it's take on the election process as Leslie Knope and her team attempt to win a small position in the town of Pawnee’s government. The methods that both Veep and Parks and Recreation utilize in their exhibit of the political process show not only the differences to the process in the United States but the differences between each series.

Upon first viewing of each episode, the most immediate difference that was noted is the tone and feeling conveyed while watching each show. In Veep, director Chris Addison provides a behind the scenes look of primarily one candidate's “war room” as the votes are being tallied that night and the results of each state are being announced. The atmosphere that is conveyed is obviously quite tense, as the results of the next president of the United States of America is on the line, however the show manages to squeeze crude humor and entertaining interactions between the characters in almost every instance of dialogue. Throughout the entirety of the episode, the presidential race is tense and electric as Selina nearly concedes to Senator O’Brien before being reassured that Pennsylvania was hers. “Election Night” shows that in political races anything can happen and it is not necessarily over until the last vote is counted, as the United States witnessed in the 2000 presidential election between George W. Bush and Al Gore. However Veep demonstrates this political process with the primary focus being entertainment for the viewer. While the episode’s incorporation of the mainstream media is obviously quite skewed, it is correct in the fact that the media plays an enormous role in how citizens of the United States are informed and interact with the election. The media is so concerned over calling the state's candidate selection quickly that the show reveals how accident prone the mainstream news networks actually can be when Pennsylvania was initially called for Senator O’Brien. The beauty of a show like Veep is that it is able to tap into the mysterious realm of the political “what if’s”. When Selina and her team are informed that there has been a 270-270 electoral tie, they are pictured as not only baffled by the result, but genuinely confused as to what happens next. Not only does this event show how much uncertainty in politics there still is today, it shows how our first instinct is to google what happens next.

In contrast to the tone and writing style of Veep, the light hearted comedy Parks and Recreation offers its take on the political process as Leslie Knope attempts to win a debate for a position on city council. While the show in the nature of it's conception is obviously veered towards more silly and fun humor and the episode aired in 2012, “The Debate” is eerily similar to what our country has witnessed in the events of this past year. Several of the candidates of the debate are depicted for the viewer as a joke, and they have no business running for office. Very little talk of policy actually occurs during the debate, as the audience views each of Leslie Knope’s statements as an attack on Bobby Newport, quite similar to what has happened in recent debates. The effects of personal relationships in politics also comes into play. Tom, Chris, and Ann come together to form Leslie’s spin-off team, however Tom is upset with Ann because she broke up with him and her and Chris have been acting flirtatious in front of him. In rebellion, Tom takes his anger out on the reporters who he is supposed to be finessing. This happens in our own country today as individuals who feel they have been treated poorly by a candidate could possibly go out of their way to promote their own personal slander and hurt a candidate's chances at being elected.

Both episodes of Veep and Parks and Recreation attempt to show two different political events, the pre-voting and post-voting phases of an election. While each of these respective shows primary goal is to entertain the viewer, they raise some very valid points and questions about our own election system today as they attempt to create a political environment while sticking to the elements that make each respective series what it is known for.