House of Lies

What started out as a scathing, hilarious indictment of the management consulting racket within just a few episodes has unfortunately turned into a heart-warming/-wrenching story about dysfunctional family life and damaged people.

Even the remnant veneer of business-side stories are beginning to cast the consultants as good guys, working hard to save troubled businesses rather than the leaches and scum of the original premise.

Also, very regrettably the show falls for the false premise that gender-bending is automatically funny and risqué. In fact for those to be funny they have to be, well, funny, as opposed to simply slapped in with a teenage breathlessness about how cool they are.

First off, I have to say I don't watch a lot of "TV". But by TV I mean regular shows or sitcom type material (if they still call it that). I watch movies or sports, news, etc...

But I saw the trailer for this and thought it looked great so I watched it. Now I just love it. It's raunchy and something you're embarrassed to watch with your adult kids, but it's still utterly hysterical. Cheadle makes the whole thing go - but Kristen Bell is excellent as she shows some business savvy with the comedy as well. The other two...well, they are kind of straight men so that's okay. I can watch the same episode three or four times and still laugh and enjoy it.

Personally I think Cheadle is one of the best and most underrated actors around. He should be more of a feature star than doing a cable show, but I'm thrilled he's doing this.

Having said all that, I'm in business. Not Management Consulting, but on the other side, and heaven knows I have encountered their types and typically loathe them. Maybe that's why I find this so funny. If you have no business background, I still think it'll be funny for you, but being in the corporate world makes you laugh that much harder.

Excellent...just excellent.

People say this show has a lot of sex, slurs ... who cares? This show is pure Showtime, so, if you like Californication, you will like House of Lies. If you like Downtown Abbey, maybe you will not. Another reason to watch this show is the cast. Don Cheadle is a great actor, and having the possibility of watching him in this kind of show is awesome. No more "Hotel for Dogs", Don. And Kristen Bell. Everyone loves Kristen Bell. Natural beauty and great actress. Can't wait to see if both characters end up having some kind of relationship ( aka sex ) We'll see how the plot resumes, but the groundwork is done. Showtime is back. The sex, the slurs are back. Who cares?

Whom ever suggested that porn is better must not watch porn at all. As an adult I am tired of having television shows watered down to please those who are afraid of adult content. I love the savvy business talk,the fact that the consultants do what they have to do to get what they want. We all know that that's not the real world but it's a TV show. The banter is brilliant and the humor is memorable. Don Cheadel's character is so unapologetically ruthless that you can't help but like him. A welcome break from mindless reality shows. This now my favorite Showtime Series. The only reason I gave it a 9 and not a 10 is because I wish it were an hour long.

This is a great show for young adults and in particular young men. To me it is Californication with a little more whit. Cheadle is perfect for the role; making the viewer really believe he can make any deal happen with his quick tongue and confident demeanor(he plays a consultant for the number two ranked company if you didn't already know).Each show consists of him and his team trying to make one deal happen and then generally shows Cheadle returning to his family life in the end. Not sure why it isn't more highly rated, but I give it an 8. If you enjoy the playboy type role that Duchovny plays in Californication you will love Cheadle in House of Lies!