The adaptations have gotten looser, but the DNA of "Yes Minister" has continued all the way into the recently departed HBO comedy "Veep."

"Yes Minister," a satire of backroom British politics, ran from 1980 to 1988 (though two of those seasons were called "Yes, Prime Minister," to reflect the lead character's promotion to the top job -- note that "Veep's" title character got a similar promotion, but the show didn't change names).

A direct remake came in 2013, though that only lasted a few episodes.

However, before that was "The Thick of It," a slightly darker and much more foul-mouthed take on the subject matter. Creator Armando Iannucci admitted he was trying to do his own version of "Yes Minister" with that show, which lasted for four hit seasons on the BBC, the same network that gave us "Yes Minister." 

Then the U.S. came calling. At first, HBO was just trying to get the U.S. rights to "The Thick of It," but soon it started talking to Iannucci about making a brand-new show. In the end, they settled on using the "Thick of It" template -- documentary-style footage and lots of swearing -- on American politics, and "Veep" was born.

Thus "Veep" is a sort of continuation of "Yes Minister," though maybe a more extreme version. American journalist Mark Hemingway wrote that "Yes Minister" was always as concerned with explaining politics as lampooning it. "The signature achievement of 'Yes Minister' was not just that it was hilarious. It was downright educational."

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