House Of Lies Teaser: Showtime Series Starring Don Cheadle And Kristen Bell

Let's hope that Showtime's new 'comedy with balls,' House of Lies can navigate the world of Corporate America in a way that cuts through the bullshit and highlights the absurdity within the system. The new series, to debut early next year, has an impeccable cast and the first promo goes right to what hopefully is the tone of the show, just down and out silliness. You won't find many first looks this simple, but in its own way, it's pretty special.

House of Lies is set in the high-stakes corporate world and centers around a self=-loathing management consultant played by Academy Award nominee Don Cheadle. I have a feeling that this dude will play by his own rules, ignore/skewer the decorum of corporate culture and instead lead his unorthodox team to their absurdist and successful best. The rest of the team/cast is equally promising with Kristen Bell, Ben Schwartz, Josh Lawson, Dawn Oliveri, Glynn Turman and Donis Leonard Jr.

There is nothing more difficult to pull off than satire. You first have to have a firm grasp on the 'straight' side of the skewed reality which you're then going to take to the point of absurdity. When striving for this kind of irreverence you're always walking a fine line... when done successfully, like M.A.S.H. or Dr. Strangelove, it ends in genius, when done poorly, well, then you join the ranks of the forgotten (Catch-22).

I really like this promo as I do the cast and creators (Emmy winner Stephen Hopkins directed the pilot among other episodes), so I'm hopeful for this little corporate comedy in the new year. Brave, no plot points, no character outlines, just your core group of actors getting down. See what you think...


[If you can't watch the trailer because of region restrictions, you can still catch the promo on the always reliable YouTubes.]

House of Lies is set to premiere on Showtime, January 8, 2012 at 10 p.m.

Official Synopsis via Showtime,

A scathing, Corporate America-skewering comedy about a self-loathing management consultant (Academy Award nominee Don Cheadle) from a top tier firm who is never above using any means (or anyone) necessary to get his way with and for his clients.