In the Loop (w/ Spencer Ackerman) (2009) | Bang-Bang Episode

If you like HBO’s Veep, you’ll love its predecessor, In The Loop, a 2009 political satire made by Armando Iannucci—the same brilliant mind behind Veep.

In The Loop depicts the lead-up to the Iraq War, portraying Washington as a comically scuzzy letdown at the height of US hegemony. For bureaucrats and think tankers, this film is a cult classic, and for good reason—it shows the truest version of Washington that we know. I started working in the Obama administration when this film first hit theaters, and we told every new staffer that it was mandatory viewing.

To guide my co-host—Lyle Jeremy Rubin—and I through this episode of Bang-Bang, acclaimed journalist and friend Spencer Ackerman dishes up an oral history of In The Loop (the first 30 minutes of this episode), because, by a twist of fate, he was a political consultant on the film. You’ve got to hear this story.

The full episode is available for free—check it out!

In the Loop (w/ Spencer Ackerman) (2009) | Ep. 7

Further Reading

“How to succeed in Hollywood without really trying” (2009), by Spencer Ackerman

“That’s Me and Him From The Sopranos” (2009), by Armando Iannucci

Reign of Terror (2022), by Spencer Ackerman

Iron Man Vol. 1 (2025), by Spencer Ackerman and Julius Ohta

Forever Wars Newsletter, by Spencer Ackerman

Perils of Dominance, by Gareth Porter

In The Loop Trailer

Teasers from the Episode