One and Done

I'll make this one brief. I checked out the new Showtime series, House of Lies. It looked promising. The cast is pretty good: Don Cheadle, Kristin Bell, and Ben Schwartz (who I love as Jean-Ralphio on Parks and Recreation). But based on the pilot episode, I will not be watching the rest of the episodes. 

The show is about management consulting and what a bullshit business it is. Cheadle leads a team of consultants who are bidding for a job to make-over the image of a bank that received billions in bailouts, but is foreclosing people's homes left and right, and is among the most hated companies in America. The show is fast-paced and filled with a lot of jargon. The cast tries its best to engage in nothing but witty repartee, but falls flat much of the time.

There's drinking, swearing, and nudity; but every cable series has that. I'm sure this show was greenlit immediately because of the inclusion of a major star like Don Cheadle, but this is a mistake for the veteran actor. Showtime can be hit or miss. This one is a miss.