House of Lies
A comedy drama about ruthless management consultants.
House of Lies is an American comedy drama television series created by Matthew Carnahan, based on the 2005 book of the same name by Martin Kihn. It premiered on Showtime on January 8, 2012, and follows a group of management consultants who stop at nothing to get business deals done. The series was cancelled after five seasons, with the finale airing June 12, 2016.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Comedy drama
- Creator
- Matthew Carnahan
- Based on
- House of Lies, Martin Kihn
- Starring
- Don Cheadle
- Kristen Bell
- Ben Schwartz
- Josh Lawson
- Dawn Olivieri
- Donis Leonard Jr.
- Glynn Turman
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Seasons
- 5
- Episodes
- 58
Facts from the source article.
Plot
The series follows Marty Kaan, a manipulative and opportunistic management consultant and partner at Galweather-Stern in Los Angeles. He leads a team of associates: Jeannie van der Hooven, Clyde Oberholt, and Doug Guggenheim. Marty's ex-wife Monica works for a rival firm. Marty and his pod travel to New York to win the business of Metrocapital, a large banking institution. Marty wins over the CEO but humiliates CFO Greg Norbert, who retaliates by suggesting Metrocapital acquire Galweather-Stern, guaranteeing mass layoffs. Senior partner Skip Galweather wants the merger, while CEO "The Rainmaker" opposes it, though it is revealed the Rainmaker is using Marty to remove Skip. With the acquisition nearly certain, Marty leverages credible sexual harassment accusations against the Rainmaker. At the gala celebrating the merger, Jeannie reveals she was one of the Rainmaker's victims. Metrocapital calls off the merger, the Rainmaker is put on leave, and Marty and Jeannie black out after sharing a drink.
Cast and characters
Don Cheadle plays Marty Kaan, the immoral proprietor of Kaan & Associates who previously led a pod at Galweather-Stearn. He is willing to do anything to close a deal and alienates most people he meets. Marty spends several months in prison before season 4 due to questionable business practices, straining his relationship with his son Roscoe and father Jeremiah. Cheadle also served as executive producer through his Crescendo Productions banner. Kristen Bell portrays Jeannie van der Hooven, a partner at Kaan & Associates with a complex relationship with Marty. She was part of Marty's pod at Galweather and later led her own pod there before joining Kaan & Associates. Jeannie was inadvertently responsible for the FBI bust on Kaan & Associates, leading Marty to blame her for his jail time. In season 4, Jeannie is pregnant with Marty's child, but he is reluctant to be involved. Ben Schwartz plays Clyde Oberholt, a marketing and spin specialist who was part of Marty's pod at Galweather. He briefly joined Monica's pod at Kinsley & Associates after a falling-out with Marty, then worked his way into Kaan & Associates. Clyde has a jealous, arrogant, and cruel personality and struggles with drug addiction in later seasons. Josh Lawson plays Doug Guggenheim, a numerical analysis specialist who graduated from Harvard and constantly reminds others of this. He was part of Marty's pod at Galweather, then Jeannie's pod before both left for Kaan & Associates. Doug marries Sarah in season 2, but she cleans out his bank accounts and leaves in season 4 after he sends a drunken text. Dawn Olivieri plays Monica Talbot, Marty's ex-wife and an ex-partner at rival firm Kinsley & Associates. She and Marty often taunt and abuse each other and engage in angry sex.
Production
The series is executive produced by Matthew Carnahan, Jessika Borsiczky, and Stephen Hopkins. Carnahan wrote the pilot, which Hopkins directed. Showtime gave a pilot order on December 13, 2010, and picked up the series for 12 episodes on April 7, 2011. The series is based on Martin Kihn's book House of Lies: How Management Consultants Steal Your Watch and Then Tell You the Time. David Nevins announced the premiere date of January 8, 2012, during the 2011 Television Critics Association press tour. Casting began in December 2010 with Don Cheadle as Marty Kaan. Dawn Olivieri was cast as Monica, Ben Schwartz as Clyde Oberholt, Josh Lawson as Doug Guggenheim, and Kristen Bell as Jeannie van der Hooven. Donis Leonard Jr. was cast as Roscoe Kaan, Glynn Turman as Jeremiah Kaan, and Richard Schiff as Marty's boss. On December 29, 2013, Showtime presented House of Lies Live, a broadcast of long form improv performed by the main cast and guest actors at the People's Improv Theater.
Reception
House of Lies received mixed reviews from critics throughout its run. Entertainment Weekly's Ken Tucker, reviewing the pilot, found the premise "terrific in concept" and praised Cheadle and Bell as charming performers, but ultimately deemed the show not "all that interesting" with a "crucial weakness" of "dead language. He criticized the freeze-frame asides as a "visual gimmick" and found dialogue derivative of Glengarry Glen Ross. Tucker later placed the series fourth on his Top 5 Worst TV Shows of 2012. In contrast, Matt Rouch of TV Guide called it "one of the smartest, funniest shows of the new year," praising its "pitiless, biting satire" and "deeply cynical" humor. He commended Cheadle's character's direct-to-camera asides for teaching the audience "his lingo and soulless trade secrets. While calling the cast and production outstanding, she expressed concern that the show asks viewers to admire the characters' methods of ripping people off, calling for scrutiny of corporate America.
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