In the Loop small roles, Samantha Harrington, Eve Matheson, and Will Smith. The only characters from the show, however, are Malcolm Tucker (Capaldi) and Jamie McDonald (Higgins), with brief appearances by Tucker's secretary Sam Cassidy (Harrington) and journalist Angela Heaney (Lucinda Raikes). The other "Thick of It" actors who appear play new characters, albeit very similar to the ones they portrayed in the series. Likewise, Anna Chlumsky went on to portray a similar but nominally different character in the subsequent American series, "Veep". The writing of "In The Loop" followed the methods developed during "The Thick of It" television series. Co-writer Jesse Armstrong
The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase bad writing would be mistaken for actual bad writing. The episode, however, now appears on several lists of the most popular "Simpsons" episodes. Troy McClure hosts a television special from the "Museum of TV and Television" introducing three spin-off productions, created using characters from "The Simpsons". The Fox network has only three programmes prepared for the next broadcasting season, and so commissions the producers of "The Simpsons" to create thirty-five new shows to fill the remainder of the lineup. Unable to handle such a workload, the producers create only three new shows. Chief Wiggum, P.I. is a crime-dramedy spin-off and