House of Lies: The First Season

House of Lies is ostensibly a satire of American corporate culture and business consultants—those highly paid specialists called in to fix failing companies, rehabilitate reputations and brand names, and help employees steer through rough waters. But like a lot of Showtime's half-hour shows, it's really just another showcase for extreme characters who indulge in bad behavior with little remorse and then slip into denial when it catches up with them. Golden Globe and Emmy winner Don Cheadle stars as Marty Kaan, the proudly unscrupulous head of a management-consultant group that flies around the country to sign new clients to the firm, and Kristen Bell is Jeannie Van Der Hooven, his team leader, not yet as jaded and cynical but learning fast. They're called by corporations in crisis, but their end-game is to sign up long-term contracts for big bucks, and for that kind of business they'll do anything from seduction to sedition. Cheadle's character also serves as the narrator, stopping to explain his philosophy and his schemes, while also managing to sleep with someone new practically every episode (and sabotage romances and alliances with aplomb). But as entertaining as Cheadle and his crew can be, House of Lies ultimately feels like a familiar examination of an amoral business culture rather than offering a more complex commentary like the sophisticated Mad Men. Compiling all 12 episodes from the 2012 debut season, DVD extras include episode audio commentaries and behind-the-scenes featurettes. Optional. (S. Axmaker)