Through the cut-crystal lens of satire, they have often only slightly exaggerated the realities of life in the halls of power to deliver bitter laughs at the more ridiculous aspects of the game. From the classic bumbling British pollie Paul Eddington's James Hacker in Yes, Prime Minister, to Shaun Micallef's hapless Andrew Dugdale in The Ex-PM, fictional leaders have allowed us a chuckle at the sorts of scenarios that might be funny if they weren't true.

When life imitates art in this genre, it is a beautiful thing. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's choice of campaign slogan, "Continuity with change", which seemed as if it came courtesy of the writers of Julia Louis-Dreyfus vehicle Veep, who invented the "most meaningless" phrase they could, is a case in point. As we prepare to go to the polls, let's see if any of our top 10 political satires inadvertently provide any more such inspiration.

#1 Yes, Prime Minister (1986)

Reportedly Margaret Thatcher's favourite TV show, the sequel to the BBC's Yes, Minister (1980-84) ran for two glorious years of its anti-hero's leadership. It revels in the rambunctious personalities of the Department of Administrative Affairs and an endless supply of ludicrous red tape unravelled with precision comic timing by parliamentary secretary Sir Humphrey Appleby (Nigel Hawthorne).

#2 Mr. President (1987)

The short-lived Fox series produced by Johnny Carson's company stars George C. Scott (Dr. Strangelove) as the beleaguered President Samuel Arthur Tresch. After two seasons, America decided it wasn't quite ready for political satire. It would take another decade before the genre had any success on US television.

#3 The West Wing (1999)

Stepping away from the farcical constructs of the sitcom and into the gleaming halls of the Oval Office, the hugely successful NBC series starring Martin Sheen as noble President Jed Bartlet takes the concept to a more sophisticated level, allowing drama to underpin its most poignant reflections on the real world while still bringing the funny in spades. The script apparently moved Kevin Rudd to invoke a line by President Bartlet when slapping down an anti-gay marriage campaigner on a memorable episode of Q&A.

#4 Spin City (2002)

US network ABC's political public-relations series twists the genre again, putting as much focus on the chaotic private life of Deputy Mayor of New York Mike Flaherty (Michael J. Fox) as on his adventures in office. Spin City ran for six years, with Charlie Sheen replacing Fox, who was suffering Parkinson's disease, for the final two episodes.

#5 Absolute Power (2003)

If not strictly a political leader, then certainly an effective behind-the-scenes man, Stephen Fry's government public relations gun, Charles Prentiss, offers a frightening glimpse of the wheeling and dealing of parliament's inner sanctum in this BBC series.

#6 The Thick of It (2006)

The 21st-century response to Yes, Minister starred Doctor Who-in-waiting Peter Capaldi as acerbic government director of communications, Malcolm Tucker, whose withering put-downs have the power to crush the most uppity of ministers.

#7 The Hollowmen (2008)

A drily funny local bureaucracy satire, Working Dog's comedy is set in the offices of the fictional Central Policy Unit and stars Rob Sitch as Tony, the Prime Minster's Private Secretary. It shines a light on the sometimes-hamstrung Australian alls of power.

#8 At Home with Julia (2011)

Starring writers Amanda Bishop and Phil Lloyd as Julia Gillard and her partner, Tim Mathieson, the cheeky ABC four-part comedy series crossed a line by satirising the sitting Prime Minister, with mixed results. The portrayal is affectionate, if disrespectful (the controversial sex scene was blamed for the series' failure to return), and the treatment so verges on the melodramatic that it's impossible to take seriously.

#9 Veep (2102)

Delicately straddling comedy and drama, this first US political series to star a woman in office (Julia Louis Dreyfus as US Vice-President and later President Selina Meyer), Veep brought a woman's perspective on political power and proved a hit.

#10 The Ex-PM (2015)

Shaun Micallef weaves a unique story of despair with his recently ousted prime minister, Andrew Dugdale, a character not so loosely modelled on Kevin Rudd. The result is a snapshot of the utter silliness of Australian politics that endures as a painful portrait of a fallen politician.