House of Cards meets This is Spinal Tap. It couldn't get any fucking better

In 2009, my cousin invited my brother and I to see a film in the theatre, In the Loop. I had no idea what it was. I found it extremely funny. And so I added the show it was tangentially related to to my list. It has taken me 17 years to get around to watching it. The first thing that hit me about this show is how of its time it was. Back in the aughts, everyone thought it was cutting edge to film comedies as documentaries. It was so trendy that now it just screams turn-of-the-century. It reminds me of nothing so much as The Newsroom. No, not the notorious Sorkin show but rather the Canadian satire about a fictional CBC news show that aired in the late ’90s. In the Thick of It is a lot shoutier, especially in its later seasons, but I really feel like there’s a similar attitude towards the people who run our institutions. (It has been decades since I watched The Newsman.) I must also mention that I haven’t scene the British or Australian shows that inspired The Newsroom (and, I assume, to some extent, this.) The show is, at times, laugh-out-loud funny. And there are so many lines that you probably need to watch it more than once to catch all of them. I’d say there are more chuckles than laugh-out-loud-moments but that’s just the kind of show it is. (Or maybe I’ve changed over the years and no longer find this style as funny as I did in 2009.) Anyway, there are numerous memorable lines. There aren’t so many British idiosyncrasies – in terms of the jokes or the politics – that it isn’t approachable for someone who doesn’t know anything about it. And given what’s happening right now with Starmer, it feels relevant to this day. In fact, I’ve seen many Brits sharing memes and lines from this show as they react to everything. Whether or not it’s somewhat accurate or completely inaccurate, it has captured the way people imagine politics doesn’t function in the UK. But, nearly 20 years later, it is hard to get over how dated it looks and feels, as a “aughts faux documentary satire.” I wish I had watched it when it was airing and not so many years later.

It's insane how perfectly and accurately the writers and actors captured and projected the state of UK politics. 2005 or 2025, turn on the TV, and the comparisons are uncanny, to the point you couldn't tell reality apart from parody. It's unfortunate that there are only 21 episodes, especially because each season is better than the last. I doubt the BBC would bring back a political show like this, but I'm hoping someone does. Peter Capaldi, Joanna Scanlan, James Smith, Rebecca Front… The casting and cameos are peak. If you hate to love politics, this was meant for you.

Funny political intrigue. Mostly consists of people yelling in various rooms and corridors but is one of the most interesting bits of TV ever produced.