Today Showtime released the first episode of its upcoming new series ‘House of Lies,’ and I’m disappointed. This show has some exciting pedigree to recommend it, and yet the episode, currently available on Showtime’s website (ABSOLUTELY NSFW. Let me repeat that. This episode is NSFW!!!), left me cold. I won’t rule out a series simply based on a pilot, especially when a series can drastically change between a pilot and even the second episode, but there are some substantial improvements that need to be made if I’m going to keep it on my busy Spring TV schedule.
(The series will premiere on Showtime on January 8th, 2012, and air on Sundays at 10 PM)
Suggested Improvements
1. Cut the narration
I get it. You have been fortunate enough to cast Don Cheadle for the lead role of your series, and you want to get as much mileage out of him as you can. Completely understandable. And I would listen to Don Cheadle read the Nutrition Facts on a Doritos bag, let alone describe to us how he’s going to deceive these corporate douches who have hired him, since he’s just so f***ing cool (see below).
Yet the narration needs to stop. There are certain situations in which narration is called for. Pushing Daisies used narration to great effect, since it contributed to the series’ fairytale-esque vibe. This series is using it like a crutch, didactically explaining who everyone is and what is being talked about. It seems to not think highly enough of its viewers, that they can catch on to what the relationships between the characters are and when exactly bulls*** is being spewed. It should take a page out of The West Wing’s book in this respect, by providing just enough context in order for the episode’s story to make sense, and assume that the viewer will catch on to the rest if he or she doesn’t know it already. It’s not like the concepts that the characters of House of Lies are throwing around are wholly foreign and esoteric, so there really isn’t any need for it.
What’s worse is that the narration literally cuts into the flow of the episode. The rest of the characters and action in the scene freeze so that Don Cheadle’s Marty Kaan can speak directly to the audience. The narration actually cuts into the story without adding much to it, and it happens frequently throughout the pilot. What I find strange is that the director of this episode is one of the directors of 24, and the Emmy-nominated director of its pilot episode (Stephen Hopkins). Say what you will about 24, but you cannot say that it wasn’t gripping or well-paced. Time for him to recapture some of that intensity and energy for this series.
2. Get some new writers
There. I said it. I was going to try and beat around the bush, suggesting that the show should dig deeper into its characters or spend more time writing more original dialogue, but in the end it seems more efficient to just get new writers, considering how rocky this episode was in terms of its story, characters, and dialogue. Matthew Carnahan, a writer and executive producer on Dirt, wrote this episode. Dirt may have been cheeky fun, but I certainly don’t remember it for its cutting social satire.
Let’s start with the story. Big banks suck! They gleefully steal from poor people! And they spin crap in order for people to keep buying what they’re selling! Yeah! Or as Showtime says, “Armed with sharp suits, quick wit and a remarkable skill for persuasion, Don Cheadle and Kristen Bell are twisting the facts, spinning the numbers and playing corporate America for everything they’ve got in the outrageous new comedy series, HOUSE OF LIES.”
Oh come on. Why not just give the corporate executives big black mustaches that they can twist between their fingers as they tie fainting damsels to train tracks? It’s just such an obvious approach to an easy target. Not to keep bringing up The West Wing (*cough I love bringing up The West Wing cough*), but it would have been so easy to cast the federal government in an antagonistic light. Instead, Aaron Sorkin chose to portray it with more subtlety and fairness, appropriately balancing cynicism with hope, bulls*** with earnestness. Right now, someone needs to take a step back and reexamine their approach with this show if they want it to be compelling from episode to episode, instead of a mere weekly "F*** You!" to corporate America.
Furthermore, someone needs to insert some fresh jokes, less on-the-nose dialogue, and more interesting relationships into the script. We already have the nerd who name-drops his Harvard education into conversations inappropriately that everyone finds annoying. That is definitely clever and original, except for every other character ever that has ever fictionally attended Harvard. We also have the guy who flirts to get his way around but has no game. Hot damn, show, how did you think of such a character? What’s worse is you give this guy Clyde to the awesome Ben Schwartz (see below), who plays Jean Ralphio on Parks and Recreation, and you are just begging for disappointment by comparison.
Some of the relationships have potential. I'm excited by the dynamic between Marty and his drugged-up ex-wife/biggest competition, especially when the opening scene shows us just how complicated their relationship still is. Yet I was already groaning when I saw Marty needling Kristen Bell’s Jeannie about how probable it is that they will sleep together (87% likelihood). I’m surprised that Marty didn’t turn to the camera and directly state “We have mad sexual chemistry. I am absolutely going to have sex with her. At some point. When it will happen depends upon how many seasons Showtime gives us.” Great. Very exciting stuff. Nothing like watching two snarky, self-important people pretend not to be attracted to each other for a couple years before they have secret sex and break up painfully, since that is clearly where they are headed (aka the Jeff/Britta game, before the writers of Community discovered that theirs was the least interesting relationship within the study group and split them up to be with other people and to greater effect).
In short: A complete re-write might do the trick. Or keep it simple and bring in some fresh blood to the writers room. (Could I suggest Rob Thomas? Aaron Sorkin is a little busy working on his own show, but otherwise he would be better, too.)
BUT WAIT!
I am not prepared to abandon this show entirely just yet. Mostly because of the affection that I have for the actors in the series, both the leads and the guest stars. First off: DON F***ING CHEADLE. He’s just so cool. Even if his character isn’t written terribly well (he’s pretty confident in the conference room and in the bedroom, but watch out! He’s got mother’s-suicide issues!), Don Cheadle plays him in such a chill way without forcing it. Next is my girl Kristen Bell, of two of my all-time favorite shows, Veronica Mars and Party Down. She can do snarky, vulnerable, prickly, cute, and bad-ass, all in the same scene. And Ben Schwartz is just so charming, I know he could make his character much more engaging than he did in the pilot. Guest star Anna Camp? She can do no wrong. She was actually able to wring a laugh out of me when she jumped on and slept with the stripper in the bathroom.
Well, it seems as though there is work to be done, but I’m hoping that the show runners are just using this episode as a chance to experiment. Though if this episode indicates the future of the show, then I think it’s going to be in trouble.
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