Where do House of Cards, Veep and other White House shows go in the Trump era?

For years,House of Cardshas lured audiences in with its dark portrait of unscrupulous Washington schemers, whileVeep'sfanbaseremains devoted to the outrageous White House satire. But what happens when the reality in Washington becomes as dramatic as fiction?

"The way the last 18 months or 20 months now went were so extreme that if they were ourstorylines, they would almost be over the top,"NeveCampbell, the Canadian actor portraying political strategist and campaign managerLeannHarvey onHouse of Cards, noted to CBC News ahead of the show's fifth season debut.

"If we did some of the things this current administration has done and did during the campaign season, people would say 'That would not happen. That's crazy. You'd never see that in real-life politics,'" added co-star Michael Kelly, who plays White House chief of staff Doug Stamper.

"They're outdoingHouse of Cards."

'They're outdoing House of Cards:' when real politics get as dramatic as TV/streaming fiction

7 years ago

Duration 2:21

Neve Campbell and Michael Kelly on the upcoming fifth season of Netflix political drama House of Cards.

Indeed, the writers of theNetflixdrama will have trouble topping real-life drama unfolding regularly around U.S. President Donald Trump, said Robin Wright, who stars as First LadyClaire Underwood.

"Trump has stolen all our ideas for Season 6," Wright quipped toindustry publication Variety at a recent eventat the Cannes Film Festival.

It's unlikely, however, that writers would directly channel Trump's currently chaotic presidency into their scripts, given that they've already created their own storylines, said Melanie McFarland, TV critic for Salon.

TV is escapism. There are very few times when I can look at something and say ... 'The one thing that I really, really want to see is a scripted version giving an indictment of [reality].- Melanie McFarland,TV critic

"TV is escapism. There are very few times when I can look at something and say to myself: 'After everything going on, the one thing that I really, really want to see is a scripted version giving an indictment of [reality]," she said.

While some might compare Trump's behaviour toVeep's bumbling Selina Meyer or perhaps note similarities toHouse of Cards's often angry Frank Underwood, that's more a credit to the skill of TV writers, who have long been mining real-life politics for impossible situations and charting how they might actually happen, according to McFarland.

"When you think ofwhat a writer has to do to keep things interesting [they say] truth is stranger than fiction, but the fiction was pretty damn good [to start with]."

Veepshowrunner David Mandelsaid Trump hasn't substantially affected the award-winning comedy (freshlyrenewed by HBO for a seventh season) centred on perennial award-winner Julia Louis-Dreyfus's incompetent and recently turfed vice-president-turned-president.

"In some ways, she has been Trumpy for six seasons. So much of the show is her barging into things headfirst, saying the wrong thing, screwing up, getting caught, lying about it. If that's not Trump, I don't know what is. Everyone keeps asking, "Well, how has Trump changed things?" Trump, in a weird way, is sort of doing us. We're not doing him,"Mandel told The Hollywood Reporter in April.

A riff on reality

Shows depicting Washington politicsand the White House over the past 15 or so years have often offered an opposing portrait to the administration of the time, McFarlandsaid for instance, during George W. Bush's terms, we watched an idealized, black commander-in-chief (with a Machiavellian First Lady) on counter-terrorism thriller24or followedThe West Wing's well-read philosopher president.

For his part, Barack Obama's two terms also inspired TV writers into imagining a different White House, from the dark vision of conspiracy-ladenHouse of Cardsto the female leader inMadam Secretary.

Successful shows of this genre don't have to reflectreal-life happenings. They're typically created by a group of talented writers riffing on reality to address the current times in a relevant, resonant way, McFarlandsaid. Having a stellar cast helpsas well.

With Emmy favouriteVeep, for instance, the "extraordinary" writers started with "what exactly does the vice-president do and [taken] it into this completely ridiculous direction," she explained.

Meanwhile, acclaimed dramaHomeland co-created by a veteran of24and a cast led by ClaireDanes has focused on the relationships between CIA agents and taken a thoughtful look at international policy and how intelligence agencies navigate and clash against the White House, she said.

For its part,The West Wing" was a combination of perfect timing and really great writing and an extraordinary cast," according to McFarland.

Because of this, she predicts TV writers will continue to leave directly addressing Trump and his administration to their late-night and variety comedy peers. Instead, viewers can expect newcomers that might, for instance, take on politics but not necessarily the White House. One example is ABC's upcoming comedyThe Mayor, which follows an aspiring rapper who runs for office as a publicity stunt and finds himself elected.

These shows "will reflect Trump's America, but also speak to where we are,"she said.