Veep season 6 premieres on HBO tonight, and unlike many other political shows of this day and age, the HBO comedy has a unique advantage—Veep isn’t competing with the Trump administration. In a divided age with a contentious administration that has a dramatic relationship with the media—Trump’s press secretary, Sean Spicer, gets some of the best ratings in daytime television—many political dramas can’t compete (looking at you, House of Cards ). There’s too much real drama going on. But Veep dodges that problem entirely.

Veep Season 6 Escapes The Trump Trap

Two things make Veep different from all the other political shows out there right now: First and most obviously, it’s a comedy, and a very bitter and sardonic one. After all, it comes from the creator of In The Loop and is now brought to us by the showrunner from Curb Your Enthusiasm. I can’t think of another show that is so darkly dismissive of the realities of day-to-day national politics. For its portrayal of American dysfunction, Veep ranks up there with old Soviet propaganda—except, you know, bitingly funny.

But the real reason that Veep season 6 won’t compete with the drama that has sent subscriptions to newspapers, magazines and political sites soaring is simple: the show has evolved once again. In its first few seasons, it was about the vice presidency of Selina Meyer; then, it was about her short-lived presidency and run for re-election. But with the end of the last season, she is no longer president; she’s out of office and beginning her post-presidency.

A show about an American post-presidency, which is what Veep season 6 is essentially about, is something new under the sun. It also gives the show a unique ability to continue to comment on Washington dysfunction and infighting without seeming like it’s partisan—the show will keep doing what it’s always done, but from the unique viewing perch of a president looking back after her term is over.

Even beyond real-life politics, that conceit makes Veep season 6 exciting and compelling in its own right. There’s never really been a show that looks at the weird and sometimes fraught world of a president’s career after office before, at least not in modern times. And we’ll still have plenty of chances to laugh at Washington’s absurdity—especially with the rise of Congressman Jonah Ryan. It should be a good season.

Veep season 6 premieres tonight, April 16, on HBO.