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.

This has to be one of the most lewd and rude shows I have ever seen. Push that aside for a tick and discount the machine gun humour that's leaving gaping holes across the corporate back drop in which this is set. Move to the foreground to where I want to dwell. The great mix of self absorbed characters with more hang ups than a normal closet. A dollop of kid dealing with coming out of a closet, or is that his dad and dad's dad that are dealing with it? Those two generations of fathers are definitely not sure how to do the job. Only seen two episodes but I am hooked, line and sinker. Sprinkle the whole thing with a reasonably good support cast. Greg Germann was so good in Episode one, good to see a reprise in next weeks. Kristen Bell is OK as is Ben Swatz & Josh Lawson in full geek mode.

But what is with the on again off relationship with Don Cheddie and Dawn Olivieri who plays his hot ex? Gold, pure gold! This is one of those multi layered comedies that I look for from the UK.

Bravo ShoTime for making, what is at present, my new favourite TV show. Keep it strong!

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?

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.

I just read a review in which someone complained about the amount of "slurs" and basically equated the show to pornography. They couldn't be more wrong.

Yes, the show has some swears. And yes, there is nudity. But how is that worth a 1-star review? Are you 10 years old? This is a program created by and for Showcase, a network that shamelessly brands itself as "television without borders," so there should be an expectation of some level of debauchery. How many other top shows out there contain the same material? Look at True Blood, Game of Thrones, Californication, and the list goes on. House of Lies is an adult show with adult themes. Get the hell over it! This show is clearly not for you. Everyone's welcome to their own opinion but I doubt anyone will find yours to be useful here. Don't give it a 1-star review just because you don't approve of its content. Go watch "The Wind at My Back" or something like that instead.

That being said, Don Cheadle is fantastic as the lead part in this comedy. He pulls it off so well that it's unexpected and refreshing. Cheadle's "psycho" ex-wife is also a great character, flipping between pill-popping party girl and smart, driven career woman that we love to laugh with even though we hate her for being such a b*tch. I can't wait to see more of this show and I applaud everyone involved for a job well done. The acting is convincing and the writing is sharp. There is a great dynamic between all the characters, especially that of Cheadle and his father. The only acting that's less-than stellar comes from Cheadle's son's character, but it's difficult to find a convincing child actor anywhere. He'll probably improve as the show goes on.

I was laughing throughout the episode. Don't let the review of some prude turn you away from this great comedy.