"House of Lies" has cleaver writing and good acting. On-camera asides are among its funnest moments. It suffers from characters who are wholly unsympathetic if not downright distasteful as human beings. There's an obvious attempt to humanize their unethical business practices and self-absorbed sexual antics with humor and a touch of pathos that tells us that these characters are caught up in impersonal structures of power far beyond their control or full understanding. And Marty Kaan is presented as the most devoted father, who affirmation of his teen-aged son's "gender fluidity" supersedes all other concerns in his life, personal or professional. None of which changes the fact that this son is an utterly self-indulgent brat and he a sociopath willing to lie to, betray and cheat anyone for money. I suppose the show is interesting, though, in what it says about the broader culture that produces it rather than on its own merits.… Expand

Saw a couple of Season 1 episodes on a flight, and they got me hooked. A very cynical, yet hilarious, take on the management consulting world, with psychological overtones in the exploration of the characters' relationships with one another. There's some misogynistic humor and some d**k-and-fart jokes, low hanging fruit as they are, but they don't detract too much from the overall experience. It's offset in part by the very human portrayal of Don Cheadle's character's son exploring gender identity issues. It's worth watching the first three or four episodes in order to build a more comprehensive view, as the show evolves over the course of the season. **USER SCORE CAVEAT** When reading the user reviews, you'll see a bunch of "0" scores. Note the date they were posted (before the pilot aired, or just after) and then click through and look at the other reviews the users have posted. Almost without fail, the users also gave Parks Rec Season 4 a "10." One of the actors from Parks Rec (Jean-Ralphio) is also in House of Lies, which I assume accounts for the collusion behind the "0" scores.… Expand

The TV and Movies have just about a 100% hit rate in their failure to provide even the slightest taste of realism in any show that is centered around what writers believe is the "business world". 99% of investment bankers are not handsome, slick philanderers. They work 65 hours a week and are surprisingly conservative, amateur party animals at best. Attorneys at top law firms are a similar breed, but add an extra 10 to 20 hours of work per week. Management Consultants may very well be at the top of the "stuffed shirt' scale, and their profession may very well be the least interesting of the three, especially to watch. This being said, Don Cheadle and his team of frat boy wannabes totally miss the mark. This show fails at being satire because there isn't one grain of truth in their portrayal of the consulting business, or consultants. It fails at being a straight up comedy, because it's not even the slightest bit funny. It succeeds only in being a cheap rip off of Showtime's other show about decadent lifestyles, Californication. In a nutshell, this show needs to be destroyed as soon as possible.… Expand

I watched the first season after hearing that Cheadle won a GGlobe. I don't get it. It's barely funny, cheaply vulgar, and if it is a satire or indictment of modern business culture the show is not good at it. There was a canadian show about banking called Traders (?) on CBC that I remember being better at this. Oh well. I say avoid it.

I have no idea why people does like the show. Its better than most shows that are on tv. Its really funny, compelling, smart and Cheadle is a beast.

Hysterical. Brilliant characters. Don Cheadle and Kristen Bell have great chemistry. The rest of the "pod" adds a bit of wittiness and humor. Please give the show at least 4 episodes before adding a review.

I would watch Don Cheadle in just about anything and that's what the 2 stars are for. This show had potential (I used past tense, b/c I for one will not be giving it a second chance). The premise is engaging enough, but the over-the-top gratuitous sex (starting with the opening scene) was not what I was looking for or expecting. There are a lot of opportunities for the show to develop and stand on plot lines and characters, but instead the producers (Cheadle being among them) decided to launch an endeavor where anyone who has watched the show could describe as: "I was watching a cheesy porno and a show about Management Consultants broke out." IMO, AMC still holds the title of best network for dramatic TV (Breaking Bad, Walking Dead, The Killing, Mad Men, etc. ) I think "Suits" on USA and "Shameless" on showtime are also noteworthy. But this entire House of Lies debacle seems like something sex industry workers would watch in their spare time. Pity...there was potential.… Expand

The biggest turn off about this show are its characters. Every single one of them is vile and morally repugnant, which in itself is fine: there have been many great shows and movies about irredeemable characters. But on top of it all, they are just flat out annoying. In particular the two male side-kicks on the show fill the screen with their idiotic juvenile banter and act like utter douche bags. I have always been fans of Don Cheadle and the lovely Kristen Bell, but watching this show makes you wonder what they were smoking when they signed up for this pile of dog crap.… Expand

To give it the benefit of the doubt I'm guessing the show plans to humanize Marty little by little as it progresses. I hope so, I found the relentless manic cynicism in the first two episodes insufferable and depressing. Is this really the 'Modern World'? Then please shoot me now.

Damn this is bad. Ive loved krsten bell since her earliest days but this show is so unwatchable. It blows. I hope kristen bell quits and the show gets cancelled.

The show is quick and Clever. I was surprised to see Don Cheadle as the slick manipulator Marty Kaan but he made me believe. Kristen Bell has steals the show as the feisty Jeanie. She also ruins any preconceptions I may have had about anal sex (yuck).

Sex sales! The show is still wet behind the ears...but it has potential if you like raunchy comedy By the balls!
Mad Men meets Entourage! It won't make you mad or waste your time if you've watched it when nothings on.

Absolutely awful. House of Lies is a big mess. It's an insult to people who like television. I can't believe that Showtime, the same network that has Weeds, also has this show (and The Big C). So much of it needs to improve, immediately.

I watched this because I heard that the guy who plays Jean-Ralphio on Parks and Rec is on it. Not only is he barely featured, the show itself is a mess. I highly recommend against it.

Vomit inducing. Awful, awful, awful. Hopefully it gets cancelled before the world has to see any more. Why is Kristen Bell doing this? A waste of her talent.

TERRIBLE. Not worthy of following Californication. Not worthy of even being on the same network as Weeds. One of the worst pilots I've seen in my life. Any good reviews are simply biased. Nobody watch this, this needs to be cancelled so Don Cheadle doesn't lose his good rep.

Was persuaded to watch this by a friend of mine. Turns out we both hated the pilot. I really hope it improves. It looks like there's little to grow on and hopefully Don and Kristen don't trash their careers.

Love Kristen Bell. Hate big business. Thought I'd love this. I hate it. The worst pilot ever written, a stupid adaptation of a good book. Please Kristen Bell don't ruin your career with this **** show.

Watched it for Don Cheadle, sucked hard. Way too many stupid jokes about gay people. Absolutely terribly written, one of the worst pilots ever. Shocking that showtime would accept this.

Refreshing new show. I am eager for more. Don Cheadle is hilarious. Too bad not everyone gets the comedic devices used here. I cannot wait to see what happens next.

This show is shockingly bad. I'm giving it a 1 because I suppose someone someday might create something even worse but it's hard to imagine.

The plot makes no sense. The entanglements are preposterous and the abundance of sex and nudity which I generally welcome are so gratuitous that it feels like pandering.

It's obvious that they are trying emulate Entourage in terms of being irreverent, witty, and cynical but let's remember that even Entourage turned flat when it simply tried to imitate itself without any real creative content. There is no real creative content in this lame satire. Here's a tip to the writers - comedy is supposed to be funny.… Expand

I hold out hope for future episodes, however the writing of the first episode bordered on unbearable, with single-dimensional caricatures that were both predictable and groan inducing. The wife, the son, the prostitute, much less the bathroom scene..just horrendous stuff. The core idea of the show is novel and enjoyable, as is the Fight Club-esque techniques and narrative, however the execution has me expecting the axe to fall on it soon.… Expand

The Pilot episode was horribly constructed, i'm really surprised that Don Cheadle and Kristen Bell signed up for this train wreck. I'll give it a couple more episodes before i can it, only because It's on after Shameless, but its not looking good for House of Crap... i mean Lies.

The first showtime comedy that boasts its ability to stay a comedy and not fall into dramatic territory is actually pretty good and it sticks true to its promise for the most part. It's less insightful about fatherhood, relationships or business than it may think it is, but it resists cliche and offers a pretty good chance for Mr. Cheadle to show off his comedic chops week after. I would give it a second look if the pilot was the less than sensational for other viewers.… Expand

My management consultant parents encouraged me to watch this and tell them what it's like since they don't have Showtime. I found it to be awful and they agreed, saying that the things happening to the characters are unrealistic. Critics gave it inexplicably good reviews.

Like many, I expected this Showtime "comedy" to be a drama. It wasn't a drama, but it also wasn't a comedy. In this day and age where marketing and economics is such a rich topic to explore, this show comes and decimates it. One of the worst pilots. Giving it a 3 for Don and Kristen and Jean-Ralphio from Parks and Rec.

It's okay. By no means an advancement in the comedy genre like the shows on NBC, but it's better than Showtime's other crap like Nurse Jackie and The Big C. The writing needs to be better.

Terribly written pilot, already a contender for worst show of the year. Possibly the decade. There's no well thought out reason to explain what caused this show's all-star cast to accept these roles. I'm not understanding how any critic could give this a 100.

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I only wanted to watch this for Don Cheadle and Kristen Bell. When the pilot leaked online I jumped on it. The first thing you see is Don Cheadle's ass. Then you meet his extremely flamboyant son. Hundreds of jokes about gays follow. Cheadle's character breaks the fourth wall a lot, and it's annoying. Then there's a scene in a restaurant where a hooker talks about having sex with women. Seriously? This show is terrible, the critics are wrong.… Expand

Are the critics reviews a joke?? This is the worst episode of television I've seen in my life. All of the jokes about gays are just sick and rude. Kristen Bell is absolutely killing her career.