Three days before the New Hampshire primary, Selina and her staff juggle her multiple official obligations and campaign appearances.
Season finale deploys 66 jokes in 38 minutes—Veep's densest stretch yet.
Directed by Chris Addison · Written by Simon Blackwell, Tony Roche
WAR
120.7
Wins Above Replacement
“New Hampshire” ranks #53 of 65 Veep episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 90.8 — Elite. The episode packs 85 scored jokes at 2.2 per minute, averaging 7.5 on craft and 7.3 on impact, with Selina landing the most laughs. Every joke is ranked below with its individual craft and impact scores.
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Top Jokes
Jonah · Dan: Jonah describes the meme of him 'fucking a chicken while dressed as bin Laden' and the debate over who is wearing the bin Laden costume.
Jonah Dan Dark/Subversive Escalation ★ Rewatch Selina · Gary: Selina's shoes squeak loudly throughout the entire inaugural address. Visual/audio gag: every step produces a loud mouse-toy squeak.
Selina Gary Physical/Slapstick Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Amy · Selina: Amy: 'Don't get too concerned about New Hampshire, ma'am.' Selina: 'I came in third, Amy. Okay? Even the Nazis came in second.'
Amy Selina Dark/Subversive Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Mike · Selina: Selina gets the oath wrong because Mike fell into a lamp during the ceremony.
Ben: Ben reveals he was 'bulimic the whole first year' as Chief of Staff 'and didn't even lose any weight from it.'
Ben Dark/Subversive Character Comedy ★ Rewatch All Jokes — 85 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Ben: Ben: 'Am I dreaming? Do I have my pants on?'
Ben Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Ben: Ben: 'Ma'am, I don't wanna piss on your bliss, but...'
Ben Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy Mike · Selina: Mike yells 'President of the United States!' after pretending to forget what Selina is becoming.
Selina: Selina: 'She's calling me a Single Lady.' (about Beyoncé's voicemail)
Selina Character Comedy Observational Amy: Amy: 'I'm not sure that Beyoncé fully understands that.' (about Selina still needing to campaign while being president)
Amy Deadpan/Understatement Irony/Sarcasm Selina · Staff member: Selina: 'Holy shit. It's like Lolla-fucking-palooza.' / 'It's like I'm a Beatle.' Staff member: 'Well, you got the haircut for it.'
Dan · Selina: Dan: 'From Ashton Kutcher's assistant, Ashton says congrats.' Selina: 'Assistant?'
Dan Selina Setup/Punchline Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Ben: Ben: 'Goodbye, China.' (after learning Selina will acquire nuclear codes)
Ben Dark/Subversive Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Selina: Selina: 'Is Jack Ruby still alive?' (after suggesting they 'take out' political rivals)
Selina Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Selina: Selina: 'God, there's so many people in here. It's like a Mormon orgy.'
Selina Observational Character Comedy Selina: Selina: God, there's so many people in here. It's like a Mormon orgy.
Selina Character Comedy Observational Selina · Ben: Ben: 'Here, boy. Come to me.' (Selina calling for Ben like a dog)
Ben · Kent: Ben: 'Do you want me to tell you which of those two to fire?' / 'Kent. Just kidding, Kent.'
Ben Kent Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Ben: Ben reveals he was 'bulimic the whole first year' as Chief of Staff 'and didn't even lose any weight from it.'
Ben Dark/Subversive Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Selina: Selina: No, you weren't. None of that is true. What are you talking about?
Selina Reaction Beat Character Comedy Selina: Selina: 'I am 10 centimeters dilated. I'm fully effaced. I mean, this presidency is crowning. I need you.'
Selina Absurdist Character Comedy Selina: Selina: 'Ben, I swear to sweet Jesus Christ, if you don't do this, I'm gonna bring back Prohibition.'
Selina Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Male reporter: Male reporter: 'He's so Washington, his blood type is DC.'
Amy: Amy: 'Thank you for interrupting your studies, your start-ups, your retirements, your federal sentences.'
Amy Setup/Punchline Deadpan/Understatement Mike: Mike: 'This is an historic moment. I'm not talking about this first female president thing. I'm talking about the first redhead press secretary.'
Mike Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Mike: Mike: 'Big crowd today. Something important happen that I'm missing?' (entering the White House briefing room)
Mike Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Mike: Mike: 'Any questions? You know what, I'll do the first one myself. Uh, Mike McLintock, why are you so darn handsome?' (press corps laughs) 'Uh, why are you laughing at that one?'
Mike Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Dan: Dan refers to Kelly and Richard Splett as 'Dynamic Duo — Batman, Boy Wonder... young... Lady Wonder.'
Dan Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Richard Splett: Richard Splett: 'I'll hit the phones until I have a sore throat and a hot ear.'
Dan · President Hughes aide: Dan Egan: 'I bring bad news to the closet.' (meeting held in a closet)
Dan · President Hughes aide: Dan: 'Give you 24 hours? Like in a movie?' / 'No, I mean, yes. Please.' / 'You have six hours. We can't afford 24.' / 'Or for six hours, depending on how you do.' / 'Alternatively, goodbye forever.'
Dan · Boss: Boss: Give you 24 hours? Like in a movie? / Dan: No, I mean, yes. Please. / Boss: You have six hours. We can't afford 24.
Dan Boss Irony/Sarcasm Deadpan/Understatement Mike: Mike: 'They fuckin' love me in there, Ben. My bit about gun control killed. My bit about voter ID laws identified itself as hilarious.'
Mike Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Ben: Ben: 'You know, I told you when I was telling you I wasn't telling you what I told you. The fuck stops here, Dan.'
Ben Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jonah: Jonah: 'So I'm gonna go to Africa and help install sewage systems in poor communities or whatever. Or go to Wall Street, I don't know. One of the two.'
Jonah Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Jonah · Dan: Jonah: 'But, Dan... I've never told a lie in my life.' Dan: 'That was a lie. Try to keep up, Egan.'
Dan: Dan's phone call: 'I would love to go for margaritas. Just to warn you, though... I do like to lick the rim.'
Dan Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Jonah: Jonah: 'Three-pack-of-Kleenex Rachel? Yeah, I know Rachel.'
Jonah Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Kent · Dan: Kent: I don't want you on top of me. / Dan: Well, I'm going to be. So, work with it.
Kent Dan Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Kent · Gary: Kent and Gary fighting over office space in the West Wing, with Gary arguing 'That's my calculator' and Kent: 'You don't need an office. You have a bag.'
Kent Gary Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Selina · Catherine: Selina to her daughter Catherine: 'Couldn't have done it without ya.' Catherine: 'What have I done to help?' Selina: stammering non-answer.
Jonah · Dan: Jonah describes the meme of him 'fucking a chicken while dressed as bin Laden' and the debate over who is wearing the bin Laden costume.
Jonah Dan Dark/Subversive Escalation ★ Rewatch Jonah · Dan: Jonah: 'I'm like a boom op on a porn shoot right now.' Dan: 'I can't have a terrorist chicken-fucker next to the president. Security risk.'
Jonah Dan Character Comedy Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Callback Jonah: Jonah: 'I'm like a boom op on a porn shoot right now.'
Jonah Character Comedy Observational Gary · Selina: Gary has been carrying special shoes for Selina since a New York promise years ago — she doesn't remember making the promise.
Gary Selina Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Selina: Selina: 'This is like Kathy Bates in Misery.' (about Gary putting the shoes on her)
Selina Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Dan: Dan: 'Yeah, except there's no bridesmaids to fuck.' (about the inauguration being like a wedding)
Dan Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Selina · Gary: Selina's shoes squeak loudly throughout the entire inaugural address. Visual/audio gag: every step produces a loud mouse-toy squeak.
Selina Gary Physical/Slapstick Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Dan · Aide: Dan: 'Jesus Christ, Gary. Are those real shoes or are those fucking dog toys?' Aide: 'Sounds like the theme from Psycho.'
Dan Aide Reaction Beat Physical/Slapstick Callback Selina · Aides: Selina delivers her inaugural address while aides are loudly weeping and checking Twitter. 'Are you seeing this on Twitter?' / 'Yup. President squeaks to the nation.'
Gary · Selina: Gary weeps audibly during Selina's inaugural address. Selina shoots him an irritated look mid-speech.
Gary Selina Reaction Beat Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Selina: Selina: 'Take these fucking shoes and shoot 'em in the fucking head.' / 'I am the most powerful person in the world. Is that correct?' / 'Yes, ma'am.' / 'Any fuckup from now on is not just a fuckup. It's my legacy. Got it? No fuckups.'
Selina Character Comedy Escalation Callback Selina · Kent · Mike: The Leslie Kerr/Leslie Carr/Leanne Carr name confusion chain — Selina fires the wrong person entirely.
Mike: Mike: It was a mishearing which led to a misspeaking which led to a misfiring.
Mike Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy Callback Ben: Ben: 'You might as well drive a suicide clown car into the fucking Lincoln Memorial.'
Ben Dark/Subversive Absurdist ★ Rewatch Selina · Ben · Mike: Selina: 'What man is named Leslie, for fuck's sakes?' Ben/Mike: 'Leslie Nielsen. Leslie Moonves. Leslie Frazier, the coach for the Vikings...'
Kent · Selina: Kent lists men named Leslie — Leslie Nielsen, Leslie Moonves, Leslie Frazier the Vikings coach. / Selina: Doesn't matter. You're... good speech.
Selina: Selina: 'He's useless. He's a one-inch cock.' (about Secretary Maddox)
Selina Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Reporter: Reporter: 'President Meyer is making Iran irate. Imagine what she could do in 24 hours. Imagine Selina Meyer is the only person keeping your children safe at night. 'Cause she is.'
Mike: Mike at press briefing: 'I mean, we all make mistakes... just ask your mom and dad.' (laughs) / 'Has President Meyer spoken to Iran?' 'I'm not able to answer that. Otherwise I'd have to have you killed.' (laughs)
Mike Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Richard Splett: Richard Splett: 'I think they were deprived of fresh air at birth.' (about rude callers)
Kent: Kent: 'They only got one vote left in 'em, we need it.' / 'Warm, upright bodies that can still punch a hole in a card.'
Kent Deadpan/Understatement Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Amy: Amy: 'Kent, your rhetoric, as always, is inspiring.'
Amy Irony/Sarcasm Deadpan/Understatement Callback Amy: Amy: 'He's got old people coming out of his ass.'
Amy Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Jonah · Dan: Jonah's negotiation demands: West Exec parking for the Cube, mess hall privileges, and 'somebody that works for me — a Jonah.' / 'And henceforth they will no longer be known as Jonahs. They'll be known as Jimmys or Pepes or Sarahs or whatever the fuck that person's name turns out to be. And you can't hire anyone named Jonah.'
Jonah Dan Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Dan: Dan: 'Maybe Chung didn't torture that guy, but he sure is waterboarding the fuck out of us in the polls.'
Dan Wordplay/Pun Dark/Subversive Callback Mike: Mike: 'Yeah, like a Snapchat presidency.' (about Selina potentially having the shortest administration in history)
Mike Observational Character Comedy Ben: Ben: 'Yeah, can we fly it into Danny Chung?' (about Air Force One)
Ben Dark/Subversive Deadpan/Understatement Selina: Selina: 'Yeah, everybody wants to fuck 'em, too. God, I would love to fuck a firefighter. Hey, I'm the president. I can fuck anybody I want now, right? All the other ones have.'
Selina Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Selina: Selina: Yeah, everybody wants to fuck 'em, too. God, I would love to fuck a firefighter. Hey, I'm the president. I can fuck anybody I want now, right? All the other ones have.
Selina Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Aide: Aide: 'She is so good at making people believe she is good with people.' / 'She's on fire.' (barely audible chiming in background)
Aide Irony/Sarcasm Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Dan · Aide: Dan: 'A great advantage that she has over the other candidates in this race is that she's the president.' Aide: 'She's not the president.'
Dan Aide Irony/Sarcasm Setup/Punchline Callback Mike · Selina: Selina gets the oath wrong because Mike fell into a lamp during the ceremony.
Selina · Amy · Ben: Selina: 'Get a local judge to do it.' Amy: 'Wait, isn't that gonna look just a little bit tacky?' Ben: 'That could be really great for us. Play up to New Hampshire's already inflated sense of self-importance.'
Ben · Amy · Selina: Ben/Amy: 'Isn't that gonna look just a little bit tacky? / I don't think about it. / No, no, no. That could be really great for us. Play up to New Hampshire's already inflated sense of self-importance.'
Selina · Aides: Selina: 'Get Catherine, okay? 'Cause I gotta... you know... have her hold the thing.' All aides: 'The Bible.'
Ben: Ben: 'Iran is officially pissed that you fired Leslie Kerr. Apparently they liked the guy. It must be the beard.'
Ben Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy Callback Ben: Ben: Apparently they liked the guy. It must be the beard.
Ben Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy Ben: Ben: 'So you'd rather piss off blue-collar truck drivers and their chicken-frying wives? Shh. We're surrounded by these people. Keep your voice down.'
Ben Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jonah: Jonah to Jeff Kane: 'I am just honored to be a part of your team. And I will serve you faithfully as long as you happen to be president.'
Jonah Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Catherine · Aide · Staffer: Catherine: I mean, I like this one better than the first one. / Aide: This looks ordinary, it looks relatable. / Staffer: It looks horrible. She looks like she's in 'Flashdance.'
Aides: Second swearing-in at the factory: aides debate photography, calling it 'Flashdance' and joking 'Thai lady-boy made head of sweatshop.'
Aides Cringe/Discomfort Dark/Subversive Catherine · Mike: Catherine: 'I think there were fundamental issues with the New Hampshire campaign and I just wish I'd have been here earlier to advise you.' Mike: 'Campaigns are a lot more difficult than experimental dance troupes, Catherine.'
Mike: Mike: Campaigns are a lot more difficult than experimental dance troupes, Catherine.
Mike Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Mike · Dan: Mike: 'It's good we won Dixville Notch.' Dan: 'It's got a population of 12, Mike.' Mike: 'I know, Dan, but it's famous.' Dan: 'Our Lord Jesus started with 12.' Mike: 'He didn't win New Hampshire, either.'
Mike Dan Setup/Punchline Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Selina: Selina comes in third in New Hampshire. A photo is taken of her devastated expression. She says: 'Delete that.'
Selina Reaction Beat Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Unnamed aide: Unnamed aide: 'It's one percent. That's nothing. All second in our eyes, I'll tell you that much.'
Dan · Jonah: Dan to Jonah (who wants a desk by the window): 'Yeah, Dan? Promise to jump out of it?' Jonah: 'Well, I'd be on the first floor, so that really wouldn't work, would it?'
Jonah: Jonah: Well, I'd be on the first floor, so that really wouldn't work, would it?
Jonah Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Callback Amy · Selina: Amy: 'Don't get too concerned about New Hampshire, ma'am.' Selina: 'I came in third, Amy. Okay? Even the Nazis came in second.'
Amy Selina Dark/Subversive Character Comedy ★ Rewatch