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 its own way." It has also appeared as one of the favorite episodes on a number of "best of" lists. "Entertainment Weekly" placed the episode 19th in their top 25 Simpsons episode list. In an interview for "Star-News", "The Simpsons" writer Don Payne revealed that the episode was in his personal top six of the best "The Simpsons" episodes. Additionally, Gary Mullinax, a staff writer for "The News Journal", picked the episode as part of his top-ten list. The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase "The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase" is the twenty-fourth episode of the eighth season of "The Simpsons". It originally aired