Julia Louis Dreyfus

Julia Louis Dreyfus is set to play the vice president in a new HBO comedy.

The network said Monday it has ordered the new comedy series, “Veep,” and expects it to debut in fall 2012. Louis-Dreyfus plays a former senator who becomes vice president and finds the job is everything she was warned about.

As a featured player in “Seinfeld” and star of “The New Adventures of Old Christine,” Louis-Dreyfus has a strong track record in TV comedy.

The series was created by Armando Iannucci, who earned an Oscar nomination for writing “In the Loop.” He’s an executive producer along with Frank Rich, a former New York Times columnist.

Said Louis-Dreyfus: “Although everyone says this is a comedy, I don’t think there is anything funny at all about me being a heartbeat away from the presidency.”