Veep appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.78:1 on these Blu-ray Discs. As was the case in the past, the episodes offered solid visuals.
Sharpness seemed positive. A smidgen of softness might’ve crept into a handful of shots, but the majority of the series seemed accurate and well-defined. I saw no shimmering or jagged edges, and edge haloes remained absent. No print flaws marred the image either.
Colors tended toward a subdued feel, with a bit of an amber tint to the proceedings. Within those parameters, the hues seemed well-developed and concise. Blacks looked dark and firm, and low-light shots gave us smooth, clear visuals. This offered a satisfying presentation.
Also similar to what we got with prior seasons, this year’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio didn’t excel but it worked fine. A chatty series, the soundscape lacked a lot of scope, so effects failed to do a lot. Street and crowd scenes offered a bit of life, and music showed reasonable spread, but nothing here stood out as memorable in a sonic sense.
Audio quality seemed good. Speech was an important factor, and the lines appeared distinctive and natural. Music was full and lush, while effects came across as accurate and tight. I was fine with the low-key audio on display.
We get four audio commentaries here. Here’s the list:
“Special Relationship”: executive producer Chris Godsick, producer/actor Julia Louis-Dreyfus, director Chris Addison and actors Anna Chlumsky and Tony Hale;
“Debate”: Louis-Dreyfus and actors Kevin Dunn, Gary Cole and Matt Walsh;
“Crate”: Louis-Dreyfus, Addison, Hale, Walsh and executive producer Frank Rich;
“New Hampshire”: Louis-Dreyfus, Dunn, and actors Reid Scott, Tim Simons and Sufe Bradshaw.
Across the various tracks, we learn about story/character elements, cast and performances, sets and locations, and some different series components. If you heard the tracks for prior seasons, you’ll know what to expect here.
That means listenable but not especially informative chats. We get a smattering of useful notes, and the conversations remain reasonably engaging. However, we find a lot of laughter and happy talk, so don’t anticipate a bunch of good details about the series.
48 Deleted Scenes fill a total of 18 minutes, 17 seconds. These come for every show except Episode 10. With an average length of about 23 seconds per scene, one shouldn’t expect a lot from them in terms of plot/character developments.
Instead, we find a slew of extra quips. These tend to be funny and they’re good to see, but they don’t give us anything of substance.
Finally, Governor’s Visit brings us a two-minute, 56-second clip. It shows former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley’s stop at the Veep set. It feels more an a promo for future O’Malley campaigns as well as the use of Maryland for TV/movie productions than anything else.
Possibly the series’ best year, Season Three of Veep offers a quality collection of shows. It moves along the overall narrative and provokes a bunch of laughs. The Blu-ray boasts solid visuals as well as acceptable audio and a handful of supplements. Fans will continue to enjoy the series in its third season