# House of Lies (2012)

> A charming, fast talking management consultant and his crew use every dirty trick to win deals from powerful corporate clients.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/36449

## Facts

- Seasons: 5
- Episodes: 58
- Episode runtime: 30 min
- Status: Canceled
- Genres: comedy, drama
- Created by: Matthew Carnahan
- Network: Showtime
- Cast: Don Cheadle, Kristen Bell, Ben Schwartz, Josh Lawson, Dawn Olivieri, Donis Leonard Jr., Glynn Turman, Mary McCormack
- TMDB rating: 7.4/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1797404/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: none
- Tone: irreverent, cynical, witty, glossy, scathing

## What critics say

Audiences rated the series positively, praising its sharp satire of corporate greed and its charismatic lead performance.

## Synopsis

House of Lies (2012-2016) is a American premium cable comedy-drama series created by Matthew Carnahan for Showtime. Don Cheadle plays Marty Kaan, a charming, fast talking management consultant who leads a crack team of corporate advisers through boardrooms, bars and bedrooms of the power elite. Kristen Bell plays Jeannie Van Der Hooven, a sharp colleague whose loyalties are as flexible as the firm's ethics, while Ben Schwartz and Josh Lawson round out the team as the crew's rivals and accomplices. Across five seasons of twelve-episode runs and a shorter final season, the engine is simple: Marty wants the big deal, and the obstacles are clients, competitors and his own team, who are all out for themselves first. Each episode is built around a new corporate scheme, with the crew manipulating executives who are happy to be deceived. Marty often turns to the camera to explain his tactics, giving the show a wink and a sly intimacy. The tone is irreverent, glossy and scathing, a sharp satire of American corporate life with a cynical edge. Fans of Succession, Veep and Better Off Ted will find resonance in its portrait of ambition, moral compromise and polished, amoral power.

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