Kristen Bell’s acting versatility makes her one of the most recognizable names in movies and TV shows. Her upbeat persona, ability to embody her characters, and her earnest style of acting makes Kristen Bell an actress that we look forward to watching in any project. Whether taking on dramatic or comedic roles, Kristen Bell creates a memorable character.

Bell’s signature parts have built her a legacy of great character work. Very few actors can claim that they have created multiple iconic fictional personas, but Kristen Bell falls on that short list of elite actors—and she has achieved this in both the television and film realms.

We ranked the selected films based on Kristen Bell’s overall performance, the character’s pop culture significance, and the character’s overall importance to the TV show or movie. This is not a ranking of her best films but a celebration of her best characters. *This article contains some spoilers about the movies and TV shows mentioned. *

10. Gracie Thompson (Gracie’s Choice)

In this 2004 TV movie, Kristen Bell plays sixteen-year-old Gracie Thompson, a teen who wants to become the legal guardian of her younger brothers. Her mother, Rowena (Anne Heche), has a drug addiction that creates an unstable environment for Gracie and her younger siblings. Gracie tries to balance the normal daily problems of a sixteen-year-old, school and relationships, with the life altering responsibility of raising children.

Anne Heche and Kristen Bell both bring passion and sincerity to their performances and this elevates Gracie’s Choice to a profound movie about a broken family and a determined teen. Gracie’s Choice is one of Bell’s first major roles. Her performance as Gracie highlights the potential that eventually grows into a full-fledged Hollywood powerhouse. In Gracie’s Choice, Kristen Bell creates a vivid portrait of Gracie’s emotional turmoil. Gracie’s Choice is available to stream on the free streaming service Tubi. Stream Gracie’s Choice HERE.

9. Elle Bishop (Heroes)

Kristen Bell joined the cast of Heroes during the second season. She then had a 13-episode arc from Heroes Season 2 through Season 3. Bell played Elle Bishop, an enhanced human who grew up knowing about her powers. Her father’s treatment and quest to understand and harness them turned Elle into a grade-A sociopath.

Bell’s role as Elle was her first major TV role after Veronica Mar’s cancellation--taking Bell from damaged good girl Veronica Mars to damaged bad girl Elle Bishop. Kristen Bell brought many layers to a character that could have easily been a one-dimensional villain. At any given moment, you found yourself hating Elle and sympathizing with her. Sylar (Zachary Quinto) cut Elle’s time on the series short, but Kristen Bell left an electric impression on Heroes fans. A cable subscription and NBC's website -- at least until NBC launches its own streaming service -- gains you access to all four seasons of Heroes and the spinoff series Heroes: Reborn. Stream Heroes HERE.

8. Sarah Marshall (Forgetting Sarah Marshall)

In Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell) dumps her boyfriend Peter Bretter (Jason Segel), so he heads to Hawaii to forget about her, but surprise, she’s also on the same resort with her new lover, Aldous Snow (Russell Brand). Peter must watch his ex-girlfriend frolic around Hawaii while also trying to nurse a broken heart. Lucky for him, a beautiful resort employee Rachel (Mila Kunis) occupies his attention.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall allows Kristen Bell to create a self-absorbed actress that also has real moments of sincerity and heart. Bell makes it easy to dislike Sarah, but adds some character depth that makes it also easy to understand some of her behavior. Kristen Bell’s performance becomes even stronger because of Forgetting Sarah Marshall’s prestige ensemble of comedians that include Bill Hader, Jack McBrayer, Jonah Hill, and Kristen Wiig. Forgetting Sarah Marshall is available to rent or purchase on various streaming platforms, like Amazon Prime Video. Rent or buy Forgetting Sarah Marshall HERE.

7. Gossip Girl (Gossip Girl)

Major spoiler alert if you’re just discovering Gossip Girl through a streaming service. Kristen Bell narrates Gossip Girl, a gossip column that Dan Humphrey (Penn Badgley) secretly writes to expose the secrets going on at the Upper East Side.

Kristen Bell isn’t technically a character in Gossip Girl, she’s just a voice-over, but she delivers the perfect inflections, tone, and vocal character to deliver some snarky, witty, and ominous lines. Kristen Bell narrated Gossip Girl through all six seasons and she plans to send some more xoxo to the Gossip Girl reboot. All six seasons of Gossip Girl are available on Netflix. Stream Gossip Girl HERE.

6. Ingrid De Forest (Parks And Recreation)

Kristen Bell plays Ingrid de Forest in Parks and Recreation Season 6. She appeared in three episodes overall. Parks and Recreation fans will recall that Ingrid was a councilwoman from Eagleton, Pawnee’s rival town. The Eagleton citizens are described as being upper-class snobs.

Throughout Parks and Recreation, Eagleton becomes a character of its own with Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler)’s constant disdain for it and its citizens. Ingrid’s subtle terribleness completely explains and justifies Leslie’s hatred for Eagleton. Ingrid comes off as a snob in a very passive way: she makes her wealth known but acts modest about it. Kristen Bell delivers one of her funniest character portrayals as Ingrid. Netflix has all seven seasons of Parks and Recreation available for your streaming pleasure. Stream Parks and Recreation HERE

Throughout Parks and Recreation, Eagleton becomes a character of its own with Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler)’s constant disdain for it and its citizens. Ingrid’s subtle terribleness completely explains and justifies Leslie’s hatred for Eagleton. Ingrid comes off as a snob in a very passive way: she makes her wealth known but acts modest about it. Kristen Bell delivers one of her funniest character portrayals as Ingrid. Netflix has all seven seasons of Parks and Recreation available for your streaming pleasure. Stream Parks and Recreation HERE

5. Kiki (The Bad Mom Movies)

In Bad Moms and A Bad Moms Christmas, Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis, and Kathryn Hahn play mothers who decide to stop trying to be perfect moms and just enjoy life again. They get into fun antics along the way.

Kristen Bell gives a standout performance as Kiki. Kiki seems constantly on the brink of a breakdown, while coming off like a Stepford Wife. By the end of Bad Moms, Kiki finally grows a backbone and stands up for herself. In A Bad Moms Christmas, Kiki evolves but still keeps many of the traits that made her so hilarious in the first film. Kristen Bell, we daresay, might be the funniest thing about these movies. Bad Moms and A Bad Moms Christmas are both available to rent or purchase on Amazon Prime. Buy or rent both films HERE and HERE.

4. Jeannie Van Der Hooven (House Of Lies)

House of Lies follows Marty Kaan (Don Cheadle) and his management consultant team, which includes Jeannie (Kristen Bell), Clyde (Ben Schwartz), and Doug (Josh Lawson). The series is about the ruthless practices that the team exhibits to make money and win clients. Jeannie needs to bring extra cunningness to play in the same sandbox as Kaan & Associates and their rival firms.

While creating a sex loving, swear like a sailor, merciless female character, Bell also had to give her vulnerability that would make viewers want to root for her, and especially to root for her to end up with Marty. Don Cheadle is a superb, Academy Award nominated actor, so Bell had to step up her acting abilities to match his talent, and she definitely succeeds in House of Lies. House of Lies not being as family friendly as many of her other projects shows that she isn’t afraid to take on any role. All five seasons of House of Lies are available through an Amazon Prime Video subscription. Stream House of Lies HERE.

3. Eleanor Shellstrop (The Good Place)

In The Good Place, Eleanor (Kristen Bell), along with Michael (Ted Danson), Janet (D’Arcy Carden), Tahani (Jameela Jamil), Jason (Manny Jacinto), and Chidi (William Jackson Harper), often have to discover new schemes to protect themselves in the “good place.” In later seasons, she must work to ensure that everyone (as in humans in general) stays away from ending up in the bad place.

For four seasons, Kristen Bell created a lovable garbage person with Eleanor on The Good Place. While alive, most of Eleanor’s behavior justified her ending up in the bad place. However, in the afterlife, Eleanor has become the best version of herself. Bell often shows Eleanor doing terrible things, but gives such a hilarious performance that you almost don’t mind all of the bad things that she’s done. Kristen Bell is such a likable actress that characters like Eleanor instantly become more tolerable and charming because of her. Unfortunately, The Good Place ends in 2020 and we’ll have to say goodbye to Eleanor and the gang, but Kristen Bell’s lovable terrible person will be missed. Stream the first three seasons of The Good Place on Netflix, and catch the most recent episodes of season 4 on Hulu. Stream The Good Place HERE.

2. Princess Anna (The Frozen Movies)

After Frozen, Kristen Bell had everyone uttering the words: “do you want to build a snowman?” The enthusiastic, fun, brave, romantic Princess Anna (Kristen Bell) was a cute companion to her serious sister Elsa (Idina Menzel). Their sisterly bond took them to new heights in both Frozen and Frozen II.

Princess Anna is one of Disney’s most likable princesses, because she’s so sweet, excitable, and enjoyable to watch. Like with her Gossip Girl narration, Kristen Bell excels at giving the right vocal characterization and tone to bring Anna to life. Frozen is a global sensation and one of the reasons for the film’s popularity is the charm of the characters, especially Elsa and Anna. Stream Frozen on Disney+ and catch Frozen II in theaters.

1. Veronica Mars (Veronica Mars)

Kristen Bell played teen P.I. in Veronica Mars from 2004 to 2007, as the title role, this has to be her best character. She revived the character for a 2014 Kickstarter funded movie, and then she returned again for the fourth season of Veronica Mars. Veronica Mars was the P.I that just wouldn’t die—but other characters did.

Veronica Mars was the sharp-tongued P.I. who dealt with her best friend being murdered, abandonment from her mother, and a public shame for her family. It makes sense why she closed herself off from the world, but through the course of Veronica Mar’s four seasons, we watched her go from a cynical traumatized teen to a less jaded, loving, intelligent adult. Veronica Mars has become a timeless fan favorite character that many people would easily sign-up again for another season, book, or movie in the Veronica Mars world. Stream the Veronica Mars movie and series on Hulu.

See how Kristen Bell concludes one of her memorable characters, Eleanor, when The Good Place returns on January 9 to air the final episodes of the series.

When it comes to awesome actresses who DGAF, Kristen Bell sits delightfully in a mighty throne. Bell has been on a roll lately in the storytelling department, and she recently offered up one tale that not many people would share in common with her. When asked about her weirdest on-screen sex scene, Bell says it all started when she and Dax Shepard had to wait at the courthouse for a while to get married. And then...

Now how about that? A lot of people, upon getting married, will end up spending some point in that day having sex with their now-legally-binding significant other. (And it's certainly possible that happened here, too, just after the work day was done.) But making a living in Hollywood provides some pretty wild situations that, you know, occasionally make it to where you're faking intercourse with someone who just celebrated the nuptials you'd made happen with a legitimate lover earlier in the day. Everybody has different hobbies, right?

For five seasons, Kristen Bell played the strong-willed Jeannie van der Hooven on Showtime's House of Lies, and it was back in the Season 3 episode "Boom" that Ryan Hansen made his guest-starring appearance as Johnno, her softball-playing lover who works at Applebees. Naturally, that wasn't a relationship that was meant to stand the test of time, but even if Johnno wasn't the most memorable fling for Jeannie, the fake sex with Hansen has definitely lived on in Bell's memories.

Here's what else Kristen Bell had to say about it during her appearance on The Talk.

Of course, Kristen Bell and Ryan Hansen's relationship goes just a bit further than just sharing Dax Shepard as a husband and best friend. The two were core cast members of Veronica Mars, both the original TV series and the follow-up movie (and hopefully a future return), and that relationship led to other temporary team-ups on projects such as Burning Love, Party Down and the actor's new YouTube Red series Ryan Hansen Solves Crimes on Television. Granted, none of those shared projects required anyone to get down and dirty, so they don't get brought up as often.

Side note: during that same appearance on The Talk, Kristen Bell also shared that her children Lincoln and Delta had somewhat recently walked in on her and Dax Shepard having sex. And her solution was to ask the what they needed, and then to declare that "Mommy and Daddy are just going to take a nap for a few minutes." Kids understand naps.

Kristen Bell can currently be seen on the big screen in A Bad Moms Christmas, as well as on the small screen in NBC's excellent comedy The Good Place, which airs on Thursday nights at 8:30 p.m. ET. To see when everything else is still yet to debut in primetime and beyond, head to our fall TV premiere schedule.

Summer used to be a time when there was a dearth of TV, but now there are new TV shows popping up on nearly every date on the calendar. If you are looking for good dramas, new comedies or even programming that you can stream on Netflix or Hulu, we've put together a list of all of the great new programs--as well as the not-so-great ones--that will be hitting the schedule during the summer months. For your convenience, we've also included this spring's April dates.

The schedule is a work in progress, and dates are subject to change as the weather heats up. In the meantime, if there's a new or returning show you don't see on here, feel free to leave a comment and we'll see if we can dig up the date for you! We’ve also listed shows that haven’t been given official return dates and stuff that is expected to premiere later this summer, so if your favorite show doesn’t have a date, yet, take a look at the end of the list first! (Please note: listed times are in EST/PST.)

April

Friday, April 1

12:01 a.m. PT - THE RANCH - Netflix

12:01 a.m. PT - Lost & Found Music Studios -Netflix

10:00 p.m. - Banshee - Cinemax

10:00 p.m. - Wynonna Earp - Syfy

Sunday, April 3

8:00 p.m. - Call the Midwife - PBS

Monday, April 4

6:00 p.m. - Powerpuff Girls - Cartoon Network

Wednesday, April 6

6:00 p.m. - The Real Housewives of New York City - Bravo

Thursday, April 7

8:30 p.m. - The Odd Couple - CBS

Friday, April 8

? p.m. - Catastrophe - Amazon Prime US premiere

Saturday, April 9

9:00 p.m. - Outlander - Starz

Sunday, April 10

?:00 p.m. - MTV Movie Awards - MTV

8:00 p.m. - The Girlfriend Experience - Starz

9:00 p.m. - House of Lies - Showtime

9:00 p.m. - Fear The Walking Dead - AMC

9:00 p.m. - Shahs of Sunset - Bravo

9:30 p.m. - DICE -Showtime

Monday, April 11

9:00 p.m. - Jackie Robinson - PBS

9:00 p.m. - THE DETOUR - TBS

10:00 p.m. - HUNTERS - Syfy

10:00 p.m. - The Real Housewives of Dallas - Bravo

Tuesday, April 12

10:00 p.m. - GAME OF SILENCE - NBC

Wednesday, April 13

8:00 p.m. - THE LAST PANTHERS - Sundance

10:00 p.m. - STRONG - NBC

Thursday, April 14

8:00 p.m. - Bones - Fox

9:00 p.m. - American Grit - Fox

10:00 p.m. - Orphan Black - BBC America

Friday, April 15

12:01 a.m. PT - Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt - Netflix

12:01 a.m. PT - Kong: King of the Apes - Netflix

Saturday, April 16

12:01 a.m. PT - CONFIRMATION - HBO

2016 Netflix Premiere Schedule: New and Returning Shows

Monday, April 18

9:00 p.m. - 12 Monkeys - Syfy

9:00 p.m. - CLASS DIVIDE - HBO documentary

Tuesday, April 19

9:00 p.m. - CONTAINMENT - CW

10:00 p.m. - THE NIGHT MANAGER - AMC

Wednesday, April 20

? - Deadbeat - Hulu

10:30 p.m.. - Time Traveling Bong - Comedy Central

Thursday, April 21

10:00 p.m. - Inside Amy Schumer - Comedy Central

Sunday, April 24

9:00 p.m. - Game of Thrones - HBO

9:00 p.m. - Rebellion - Sundance miniseries

10:00 p.m. - Silicon Valley - HBO

10:30 p.m. - Veep - HBO

Monday, April 25

8:00 p.m. - Reign - The CW

8:00 p.m. - Mike & Molly - CBS

10:00 p.m. - Turn: Washington’s Spies - AMC

Friday, April 29

12:01 a.m. - SPECIAL CORRESPONDENTS - Netflix Movie

12:01 a.m. - TEAM FOXCATCHER - Netflix documentary

May

Sunday, May 1

8:00 p.m. - Young & Hungry - Freeform

8:30 p.m. - Baby Daddy - Freeform

10:00 p.m. - Penny Dreadful - Showtime

Monday, May 2

9:00 p.m. - HOUDINI & DOYLE - FOX

Tuesday, May 3

9:00 p.m. - Below Deck Mediterranean - Bravo

10:00 p.m. - Person Of Interest - CBS

Wednesday, May 4

9:00 p.m. - Maron - IFC

Friday, May 6

12:01 a.m. PT - MARSEILLE - Netflix

12:01 a.m. PT - Grace and Frankie - Netflix

Monday, May 9

? - Every Brilliant Thing - HBO documentary

11 p.m. - HELLO GOODBYE - Travel channel

Wednesday, May 11

12:01 a.m. PT - CHELSEA - Netflix

Sunday, May 15

9:00 p.m. - Undercover Boss - CBS

Monday, May 16

9:00 p.m. - Wicked Tuna - NAT GEO

Wednesday, May 18

10:00 p.m. - Royal Pains - USA

Friday, May 20

12:01 a.m. PT - LADY DYNAMITE - Netflix

Saturday, May 21

8:00 p.m. - All The Way - HBO

Sunday, May 22

10:00 p.m. - PREACHER - AMC

Monday, May 23

8:00 p.m. - The Bachelorette - ABC

Monday, May 23

8:00 p.m. - The Bachelorette - ABC

8:00 p.m. - The Price Is Right - CBS nighttime special

Wednesday, May 25

9:00 p.m. - Wayward Pines - Fox

Thursday, May 26

8:00 p.m. - 500 Questions - ABC

9:00 p.m. - Red Nose Day - NBC

Friday, May 27

12:01 a.m. PT - Chef’s Table - Netflix

12:01 a.m. PT - Bloodline - Netflix

Monday, May 30

? p.m. - ROOTS - History, Lifetime, A&E

8 p.m. - So You Think You Can Dance - Fox

9 p.m. - TOP GEAR - BBC America

9 p.m. - The Dresser - Starz

10 p.m. - Mistresses - ABC

Tuesday, May 31

8:00 p.m. - America’s Got Talent - NBC

10:00 p.m. - MAYA AND MARTY IN MANHATTAN - NBC

10:00 p.m. - Scream - MTV

June

Wednesday, June 1

8:00 p.m. - American Ninja Warrior - NBC

10:00 p.m. - Cleverman - Sundance

Thursday, June 2

9:00 p.m. - Beauty And The Beast - CW

Friday, June 3

9:00 p.m. - OUTCAST - Cinemax

9:00 p.m. - Marriage Boot Camp - WETV

Sunday, June 5

8:00 p.m. - Legends & Lies: The Patriots - Fox News

10:00 p.m. - FEED THE BEAST - AMC

Monday, June 6

9:00 p.m. - Rizzoli & Isles - TNT

9:00 p.m. - Devious Maids - Lifetime

10:00 p.m. - UnReal - Lifetime

Wednesday, June 8

8:00 p.m. - CMT MUSIC AWARDS - CMT

11:00 p.m. - Big Freedia - Fuse

11:30 p.m. - Transcendent - Fuse

Saturday, June 11

9:00 p.m. - O.J.: MADE IN AMERICA - ABC

9:00 p.m. - Hell On Wheels - AMC

10:00 p.m. - THE AMERICAN WEST - AMC

Sunday, June 12

8:00 p.m. - 70th Annual Tony Awards - CBS

9:00 p.m. - The Ride with Norman Reedus - AMC

9:00 p.m. - STILL THE KING - CMT

Monday, June 13

9:00 p.m. - Guilt - Freeform

10:00 p.m. - BRAINDEAD - CBS

10:00 p.m. - Major Crimes - TNT

Tuesday, June 14

8:00 p.m. - TO TELL THE TRUTH - ABC

9:00 p.m. - UNCLE BUCK - ABC

9:00 p.m. - ANIMAL KINGDOM - TNT

10:00 p.m. - WRECKED - TBS

Wednesday, June 15

?10:00 p.m. - Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee - Crackle

10:00 p.m. - Jay Leno's Garage - CNBC

Thursday, June 16

9:00 p.m. - Aquarius - NBC

Friday, June 17

12:01 a.m. PT - Orange is the New Black - Netflix

Sunday, June 19

9:00 p.m. - The Last Ship - TNT

10:00 p.m.- TOP SECRET SWIMMING HOLES - Travel

11:00 p.m.- 7 WATER WONDERS - Travel

Monday, June 20

8:00 p.m.- The Fosters - Freeform

10:00 p.m.- Odd Mom Out - Bravo

Tuesday, June 21

8:00 p.m. - Pretty Little Liars - Freeform

10:00 p.m. - GREENLEAF - OWN

Wednesday, June 22

8:00 p.m. - Big Brother - CBS

10:00 p.m. - AMERICAN GOTHIC - CBS

10:00 p.m. - The Jim Gaffigan Show - TV Land

Thursday, June 23

8:00 p.m. - Battlebots - ABC

Cancelled or Renewed? The Network Rundown Of What Shows Are Coming Back And What Are Not

Sunday, June 26

8:00 p.m. - Celebrity Family Feud - ABC

9:00 p.m. - Ray Donovan - Showtime

9:00 p.m. - THE $100,000 PYRAMID - ABC

10:00 p.m. - ROADIES - Showtime

10:00 p.m.- Murder in the First - TNT

Tuesday, June 28

9:00 p.m. - DEAD OF SUMMER - Freeform

9:00 p.m. - Zoo - CBS

Thursday, June 30

10:00 p.m. - Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll - FX

July And August

Friday, July 1

9:00 p.m. - Killyjoys - Syfy

10:00 p.m. - Dark Matter - Syfy

Sunday, July 3

10:00 p.m. - Island Explorers - Travel

Wednesday, July 6

10:00 p.m. - Tyrant - FX

Sunday, July 10

9:00 p.m. - THE NIGHT OF - HBO

Monday, July 11

8:00 p.m. - Penn & Teller: Fool Us - The CW

9:00 p.m. - Whose Line Is It Anyway? - The CW

10:00 p.m. - Running Wild With Bear Grylls - NBC

Wednesday, July 13

8:00 p.m. - The 2016 ESPYS - ABC

9:00 p.m. -Suits

- USA 10:00 p.m. - Mr. Robot - USA

Friday, July 15

12:01 a.m. PT - STRANGER THINGS - Netflix

12:01 a.m. PT - Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru - Netflix

Sunday, July 17

9:00 p.m. - Power - Starz

10:00 p.m. - Survivor's Remorse - Starz

10 p.m. - Ballers - HBO

10:30 p.m. - VICE PRINCIPALS - HBO

11:00 p.m. - LIFE'S A BEACH - Travel

Tuesday, July 19

10 p.m. - SHOOTER - USA

Friday, July 22

12:01 a.m. PT - Degrassi - Netflix

12:01 a.m. PT - BoJack Horseman - Netflix

Sunday, July 24

? p.m. - Survivor's Remorse - STARZ

Thursday, July 28

10 p.m. - Ripper Street - BBC America

Friday, July 29

12:01 a.m. PT - Tallulah - Netflix

Sunday, July 31

8 p.m. - Sharknado: The 4th Awakens - Syfy

Tuesday, August 2

8:00 p.m. - Bachelor in Paradise - ABC

Wednesday, August 3

12:01 a.m. PT - BEAT BUGS - Netflix

8:00 p.m. - CMA Music Festival - ABC

10:00 p.m. - Paranormal Witness - Syfy

Friday, August 12

12:01 a.m. PT - THE GET DOWN - Netflix

Sunday, August 21

9:00 p.m. - Fear The Walking Dead - AMC

Monday, August 22

10:00 p.m. - Cheer Squad - Freeform

Tuesday, August 23

9:00 p.m. - Halt and Catch Fire - AMC (will air at 10 in subsequent weeks)

10:00 p.m. - The Profit - CNBC

10:00 p.m. - BETTER LATE THAN NEVER - NBC

Wednesday, August 24

10:00 p.m. - Cleveland Hustles - CNBC

10:00 p.m. - Gomorrah - Sundance

Friday, August 28

? - MTV VMAS - MTV

10:00 p.m. - The Strain - FX

Wednesday, August 31

10:00 p.m. - You're The Worst - FX

Other Potential Summer Premiere Dates

Masters of Sex is getting a fall premiere date

Andrew Zimmern’s Driven By Food

Switched at Birth has been pushed back to 2017.

Continue To Fall Schedule >

When the sun rose this morning, none of the major broadcast network schedules look anything like they did just two short weeks ago, as this week’s upfronts presentations caused the usual panic before sacrifices were made quickly and viciously. Tons of huge shows were laid out and lifeless when the smoke cleared after the first wave of cancellations hit last week, and then more dropped like low-rated and over-budgeted flies over the next few days.

Here are 10 more unfortunate series that did not survive to make it to their respective networks’ next fall or midseason premiere slates. They’ll all be replaced in a few months, and unless another network or streaming service steps in to offer a second chance – you’ll be hearing those words again later – this could be the very last time you hear about them.

Rush Hour, CBS

Remaking one of the top action comedy film franchises would seem like a safe bet for a network getting in on the film-to-TV trend. Unfortunately, CBS chose Rush Hour, whose big screen success was based largely on the exclusive-to-them talents of stunt-maestro Jackie Chan and the decibel-imploding mania that is Chris Tucker. Actors Jon Foo and Justin Hires just couldn’t compare, and the dynamic of a Chinese cop partnered with a black cop doesn’t have the on-screen exoticism it once did. Mediocre stories couldn’t make up for any finer points, and the below-5 million weekly audience did not compute with CBS’ execs, and the show was cancelled without a chance for Season 2.

Undateable, NBC

Undateable was quite the odd duck on NBC, debuting in the midseason in 2014 to low ratings and middling reviews, but still outlasting other comedies debuting in that season. The second season got shifted to Tuesday nights, where the ratings and word of mouth grew, and the success of a live episode inspired the creative team to make the show live each week, which opened up a slew of possibilities for how the cast could interact with fans via social media as the show was airing. Unfortunately, NBC put Season 3 on Friday nights, where the ratings once again plummeted, and the announcement that Season 4 wasn’t happening was unsurprising.

Heartbeat, NBC

Heartbeat is one of the entries on this list that is most likely to make you tilt your head to the side and say “That was a show?” Debuting just under two months ago, Heartbeat stars Melissa George as a heart-transplant surgeon at a research hospital where progress is a frequent occurrence, and they do things like give stem cell treatments to car accident victims who talk backwards. Dipping ratings and critical panning sealed this series’ fate right out of the double doors, but NBC did let eight episodes pass before officially calling the time of death on the medical drama.

Minority Report, Fox

Understanding that small screen adaptations of movies don’t always have to be down-the-middle remakes, Fox let Godzilla scribe Max Borenstein put together a serialized sequel to Steven Spielberg’s 2002 sci-fi actioner Minority Report that took place a decade later. Unfortunately, a lot of this show was a slog to go through to get to the legitimately cool science fiction moments. But there could have been an endless stream of award-worthy scenes and it still wouldn’t have gotten a second season with dismal ratings that only sometimes got above 2 million viewers during the live airing. No one needed any prediction powers to figure out this was ending soon.

Crowded, NBC

Crowded was created by Suzanne Martin, who created TV Land’s Hot in Cleveland, co-created The Soul Man and created Lifetime’s The Client List. And the comedy level here certainly reflected that more broad approach. The solid cast was headed by Carrie Preston and Patrick Warburton, who wasn’t able to even consider reprising The Tick for the upcoming Amazon series because of this show, and the plot centered on their temporarily peaceful home being taken over by their adult daughters and Warburton’s father (yeah, Stacy Keach!) and stepmother. Despite a rise in the ratings thanks in part to a Betty White cameo, Crowded was never going to draw big audiences, and NBC once again excised a freshman comedy before all of its episodes had aired.

The Mysteries of Laura, NBC

The Mysteries of Laura admittedly seemed like it had all the elements to last a decade on the air, from having a popular lead in Debra Messing to the police procedural aspect to the mildly comedic family drama. Not that combinations of good things automatically equal good things, and Mysteries of Laura was the target of quite a bit of negative criticism in its two seasons on the air. The show drew in big audiences, and although Season 2 definitely dipped overall from the first year, the now-series finale was watched by more people than Season 1’s capper. Weird way to make a decision, NBC.

Second Chance, Fox

Second Chance is a modernization of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein tale – strike one – centering on a former sheriff who finds a new lease on life when his youth is restored, complete with super-strength that wasn’t there the first time around. The show was first called The Frankenstein Code when it was first picked up as a last-minute choice, and it then became Lookinglass – strike two – before Second Chance was landed on. Also, it went through months of delays before finally getting dumped on Wednesdays in the midseason for two episodes before getting shoved to Friday nights, where it was buried beneath its ratings in a shallow grave. I think we’re at strike five now.

Telenovela, NBC

It’s such a shame that Telenovela didn’t work out on NBC, though the show can hardly be the biggest source of faults here. Created by Steel Magnolias writer Robert Harling and Cougar Town writer/producers Jessica Goldstein and Chriss Pietrosh, Telenovela was a return to form for Eva Longoria as the non-Spanish star of a Spanish soap opera produced in Miami. The comedy was a playful take on the show-within-a-show structure that for once didn’t involve a talk show or a sketch series. Unfortunately, not even sweaty muscles and well-lit living rooms were enough to keep audiences tuning in on a weekly basis, and NBC said no mas.

Game of Silence

Not something you’d want to play with a room full of toddlers, NBC’s Game of Silence is a drama based on the Turkish series of the same translated name, itself based on a true story of three children who spent years in prison for stealing a dessert. The U.S. narrative picked up with the past-sharing lads as adults, when two of them threaten to expose the other, who is in a much more powerful position than they are. How will it all end? I have no idea. NBC canceled the show with four episodes in the first season still left to air. As of now, that’s still happening, but don’t be surprised if further drooping ratings get it pulled altogether.

House of Lies

Lookie, lookie! We got ourselves a cable series over here with all the lowly broadcast network output. Unlike everything else on this list, House of Lies has been given a just and mostly deserved number of seasons, with Showtime deciding that the currently airing Season 5 will be the last. Not that this had nothing to do with ratings, since there are far fewer people watching this season’s episodes as compared to seasons past. It’ll be a shame to see a split happen between stars Don Cheadle, Kristen Bell, Ben Schwartz, Josh Lawson and the plethora of recurring actors, but hopefully bigger and better things are coming.

To see what else got put on the chopping block before these shows, check out the list here.

To see how all of your other favorite shows have fared, head to our network rundown. But if all this cancellation news has got you bummed and in need of something to ogle your woes away, check out our summer premiere schedule to see everything that’s coming to your TV over the next few months.

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With cancellations of everything from Agent Carter to Nashville, scripted television has experienced a bona fide bloodbath recently. The past week has seen an insane number of cancellations from all the major networks, like CBS and NBC. However, primetime cable series don’t seem exempt to this chopping block either, and we’ve just learned that after five seasons on the air, Showtime’s House of Lies will soon come to an end.

According to TVLine, House of Lies has been officially cancelled by Showtime, and will not return for Season 6. The hit comedy series ran for five seasons, and featured Don Cheadle and Kristen Bell in starring roles. Focusing on a group of coldhearted management consultants, House of Lies follows its central ensemble as they navigate their personal and professional lives while attempting to profit through ruthlessly pragmatic business practices.

For the last five years, the show has provided audiences with razor-sharp satire, and an unflinching willingness to broach some fairly touchy subject matter, such as race, police brutality, and gender disparities. In addition to its willingness to take risks, House of Lies also became incredibly popular for its frequent use of fourth wall breaks, and monologues by Don Cheadle – not unlike Netflix’s similarly titled House of Cards.

Whether you’re new to the show or a longtime fan, check out the scene below to get a strong sense of the tone and style of the popular Showtime series:

Showtime president David Nevins spoke out about the show and its cancellation. In his statement he fondly referred to it as innovative and ahead of its time in the way that series creator Matt Carnahan put the narrative together.

Of course, we do have to note that cancellation after five seasons on the air isn’t exactly a bad way to go. House of Lies leaves behind a strong legacy of high quality, and we have a sneaking suspicion that everyone involved in the series will land on their feet after this. Don Cheadle continues to play a prominent role in the wildly successful Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Kristen Bell has just signed on to the upcoming NBC comedy The Good Place, which will make its debut this fall. And Ben Schwartz should just join every other show on TV.

We will keep you up to date with any and all information related to the upcoming finale of House of Lies as it becomes available to us. The series will take a bow later next month on Sunday, June 13. To see what else you can put your peepers to in the coming months, check out our summer TV schedule.

The CSI universe has been a staple of CBS programming for the better part of two decades, but things aren’t looking too great for the franchise thanks to some terrible news coming from the big name behind CSI: Cyber. Ted Danson will be jumping ship from the crime drama to star opposite Kristen Bell in a new NBC sitcom called Good Place that, frankly, already sounds more entertaining than CSI: Cyber.

Good Place will follow the story of a New Jersey woman named Eleanor (Bell) who decides to turn over a new leaf after realizing that she hasn’t been a terribly good person. She sets out to learn what it means to be good and bad, then works to make up for her past behavior. Danson will play Michael, who will be an invaluable resource as Eleanor’s guide through her self-designed course of self-improvement.

Danson’s new sitcom has only been ordered for 13 episodes at this point, according to Entertainment Weekly, so there’s not necessarily any reason why he shouldn’t be able to drop by CSI: Cyber in the future or possibly even return if Good Place flops. Still, Danson returning to his comedy roots to play opposite Kristen Bell, on a comedy produced by Mike Schur of Brooklyn Nine-Nine and The Office fame, means the odds aren’t half bad that Good Place has a long future ahead of it. Danson’s departure from the already-struggling CSI: Cyber may be the last straw for what relatively few viewers are still tuning in each week.

Of course, CSI: Cyber didn’t exactly start pulling in record numbers once Danson jumped from the end of the cancelled CSI to join the crew for Season 2 of the last remaining spinoff in the franchise, but Cyber might not have held on as long as it has had Danson not come on board when he did.

Danson’s show might not be the only one to lose a cast member to Good Place. Kristen Bell has starred on Showtime’s comedy House of Lies for five seasons. Although Season 5 has yet to air, the possibility of the initial 13-episode order for Good Place being boosted up to a standard network season order of 20+ episodes could make working double duty tough on the actress.

Still, it is possible that Bell is doing the same thing as Danson and getting ready to jump from a sinking ship. Funny as it has been over four seasons to have aired thus far, House of Lies has never been Showtime’s highest-rated series, and Season 5 was the first in the show’s history to have its order cut down from twelve episodes to ten.

Ted Danson and Kristen Bell signing on for Good Place may not bode too well for CSI: Cyber or House of Lies, but it could mean great things for NBC. Danson still has some time left on Cyber so be sure to tune in to CBS on Sunday nights at 10 p.m. ET if you want to catch the rest of his appearances. If CSI: Cyber isn’t your cup of tea, check out our list of midseason premiere dates to see when your favorite shows are hitting the airwaves in 2016.

It feels like just yesterday that Showtime first teamed up with Don Cheadle and Kristen Bell for a new series about management consultants. In actuality, it was quite a bit longer ago than that; Showtime has announced this week that House of Lies is actually being renewed for Season 5. That’s right, Season 5.

The news comes just a couple of days after House of Lies finished out its Season 4 run of 12 episodes. The last season saw some crazy plotlines come together. Marty went to white collar prison, leaving his firm to attempt to function in his wake and leaving Jeannie pregnant with his child. Back at home, Marty’s family was dealing with issues, as has been par for the course on the series, and this time around Roscoe got into plenty of trouble. Despite the drama, the Season 4 finale aired just a couple of days ago, ending on a shockingly happy note, but those calm waters cannot last for long.

I’m not sure if House of Lies wrapped up in a happy-ish way in case the series did get cancelled. After all, House of Lies isn’t the highest-rated program on the subscription cable network. The show does less than a million eyeballs when it airs live each week, and in fact, Season 5 will see the comedy’s total number of episode cut down from 12 for the first time. Ten episodes of the dark comedy will be produced for 2016. In fact, the comedy could be getting another renewal based on its critical merits, which include the Golden Globe and Emmy nominations Cheadle frequently receives.

A shortened season order can sometimes mean a final season for a TV show, but Showtime is staying mum about whether or not Season 5 will be House of Lies’ last. The network stayed positive with its press release, and social media was equally as pumped about the renewal order.

Obviously, we don’t know a ton about where Season 5 is headed at this point, but we do know that the ensemble cast is expected to return and that new episodes should not hit the schedule until midseason next year. House of Lies has also been known for having quirky actors pop up over the years, including Adam Brody, Jenny Slate, Eliza Coupe, John Carroll Lynch, Mekhi Phifer, and in Season 4, Demetri Martin. We’ll likely be getting a boatload of new names for Season 5, and we’ll keep you posted as the new episodes begin to move forward.

In the meantime, Showtime is currently airing episodes of Shameless and the network’s new show, Happyish, is expected to hit the schedule this month.

For all the quality upgrades that cable series have in comparison to broadcast networks, it’s always a bummer to have to wait eons for news about the next season. Thankfully, Showtime has gone public with the premiere date for the upcoming seasons of Shameless, House of Lies and Episodes. To be expected, we’ll have to wait until next year, as all three series will start up again on Sunday, January 11, 2015.

Showtime also provided some brief synopses for each of the series to let fans know the general direction of where things are headed. Season 5 of Shameless, the comedy drama based on the British series of the same name, will see the offbeat Gallagher family trying to clean up its act in a neighborhood shifting towards gentrification. The family “begins to reconcile their chaotic past in the hopes of building a better future,” according to the press release. Is Frank (William H. Macy) even capable of providing a positive future for anyone? Stopping by this season in guest-starring roles are Dermot Mulroney, Steve Kazee and Sasha Alexander.

House of Lies is headed into Season 4 facing the aftermath of Season 3, which saw Jeannie (Kristen Bell) totally getting Marty (Don Cheadle) in trouble with the Feds. Here’s how the press release puts it.

Nobody can keep Marty down for the count. (Except maybe the Emmys.) Season 4 will see Mary McCormack, Demetri Martin, Alicia Witt and Valorie Curry guest starring, with Larenz Tate returning as Marty’s brother Malcolm.

And then we have Episodes, which kicks off its nine-episode fourth season with Matt (Matt LeBlanc) in the middle of a financial crisis, one that he likely won’t come away from unscathed. Sean and Beverly are caught between the terrible Pucks! and The Opposite of Us, and a new network head is destined to create problems for everyone involved. (We can also expect a sex tape or two.)

So remember, Showtime has set Sunday, January 11 as the debut date for Shameless (9:00 p.m. ET), House of Lies (10 p.m. ET) and Episodes (10:30 p.m. ET). Which are you most excited about?

In what is likely an effort to whet viewers’ appetites for some of their returning original programming (and entice people to subscribe), Showtime has made the season premiere episodes of Shameless, Episodes and House of Lies available for free online ahead of their planned premieres this Sunday night. This should help curb some of the anxiety TV watchers may be experiencing in anticipation of next Sunday night, which piles the Golden Globes, HBO premieres, Showtime premieres and some other great programming into one small block of hours, forcing fans to decide what to watch and what to save for later. I suppose there are worse problems, but getting to watch three season premieres ahead of schedule does alleviate some of that stress. If there’s a downside, its that Showtime tends to edit the online versions, which means swearing and other adult content will be at a minimum.

Above is the Season 4 premiere of Shameless, an underrated dramedy based on a British series, which stars William H. Macy and Emmy Rossum and centers on a dysfunctional working class Chicago family. Showtime just aired a marathon of the first three seasons of the series, to catch viewers up or offer a refresher for everything that’s happened leading up to Season 4. The fourth season premieres at 9:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 12 on Showtime.

Next up, we have Episodes, which stars Matt LeBlanc as a humorous version of himself, the star of a struggling TV comedy based on a BAFTA-winning UK comedy created by characters Beverly (Tamsin Greig) and Sean (Stephen Mangan). Sean and Beverly are not only having trouble adapting their TV series for a U.S. audience, they’re also having trouble adapting themselves to Hollywood life, which has put their marriage in jeopardy. Season 3 is set to officially debut on Sunday, January 12 at 10:30 p.m., following the return of House of Lies…

Also on its third season, House of Lies stars Don Cheadle as Marty Kaan, the leader of a “Pod” of management consultants. Also among the cast is Kristen Bell, playing Jeannie, one of Marty’s team members and also a love interest (kind of). Ben Schwartz and Josh Lawson also play members of Marty’s team, while Dawn Olivieri plays Marty’s ex-wife and mother to his child. House of Lies is set to return for Season 3 on Sunday, January 12 at 10:00 p.m.

As mentioned, this Sunday is a busy night for television, between the Showtime and HBO premieres (Girls and True Detective) and the Golden Globes. There’s also regularly scheduled programming including Fox’s Animation Domination line-up, The Good Wife, Revenge, Downton Abbey, The Mentalist and Betrayal. So Showtime releasing these three premieres early online really does take some of the weight off viewers who might actually try to watch everything. (Good luck with that!)

So you’ve heard all about how amazing-funny-dramatic-unpredictable Showtime’s Shameless is and you’ve been meaning to marathon through the first few seasons to get caught up for the Season 4 premiere? Or maybe you’re just looking for a refresher course. Either way, you’re in luck! Showtime has a full-series marathon lined up this weekend, beginning with the pilot episode, which airs at noon today. Yeah, no one promised you a whole lot of notice on this. The premium cable channel is also set to marathon House of Lies and Episodes next weekend.

Based on a U.K. series, Shameless stars William H. Macy as patriarch to the Gallaghers, a working class family living in Chicago and more or less run by Frank’s eldest daughter Fiona (Emmy Rossum). The series focuses mainly on Fiona’s efforts to keep her household functioning, while also trying to maintain a job and whatever semblance of a social and romantic life she can manage. The series gets better and better with each episode, largely due to the fact that the Gallaghers are an incredibly likable family, despite their questionable morals and choices sometimes. In addition to Macy and Rossum, the cast also includes Justin Chatwin, Ethan Cutkowsky, Shanola Hampton and Steve Howey, not to mention the excellent Joan Cusack, one of the Gallaghers’ neighbors.

Showtime’s schedule has the Shameless marathon set to start at noon today (January 3) and it’ll run through Sunday, January 5 (airing from noon to midnight each day).

Season 4 will premiere on Sunday, January 12 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT. Here’s the brief description for the new season:

Also set to return on January 12 are House of Lies and Episodes. House of Lies stars Don Cheadle as Marty Kaan, an elite consultant leading a team of eagerly ambitious consultants, among which is Jeannie (Kristen Bell). Ben Schwartz, Josh Lawson and Dawn Olivieri are also among the cast. The marathon starts at 2:55 p.m. on Saturday, January 11.

As for Season 3, Showtime has it set to air on Sunday, January 12 at 10:00 p.m. Here’s the description for the third season:

And finally there’s Episodes, which centers on a British couple (Stephen Mangan and Tamsin Greig) trying to acclimate themselves to Hollywood life when they move out there to adapt their BAFTA-winning TV show for U.S. television. Nothing goes as planned. Matt LeBlanc plays himself in the series, and star of show-in-progress. The Episodes marathon will air Friday, January 10 starting at noon, and Season 3 will premiere Sunday, January 12 at 10:30 p.m. Here’s what’s ahead when Episodes returns:

With DVRs, streaming and many other ways to view our favorite programs, the allure of live TV has become a compelling way for networks to lure in audiences. This means sports are still a big draw, but it also means that networks have found success airing other sorts of live programming, including NBC’s recent Sound of Music Live! ratings winner. In an attempt to get in on that magic, House Of Lies has decided to roll with an improvised special in front of a live studio audience. It won’t air as it’s actually being filmed but assumedly, it won’t be cleaned up in anyway to fix screw-ups. So, if nothing else, it’s pretty on trend.

House of Lies is typically a scripted comedy program that airs on Showtime on Sunday evenings. The show is currently off the air, with the third season slated to hit the schedule on January 12, 2014 at 10 p.m. ET. The Live! special has been positioned to air a littler earlier, giving fans the opportunity to tune in around the holidays. The House of Lies Live! event will first be available on December 30, on platforms that include Sho.com, the House of Lies Facebook page, and the House of Lies YouTube page. If you are more of a traditional TV watcher, the special will air on the subscription cable network itself the following night at 10 p.m. ET.

Here’s the premise: Ben Schwartz, Josh Lawson, Don Cheadle, Kristen Bell, Lauren Lapkus, Ryan Gaul and Eugene Cordero all headed to the Upright Citizens Brigade theater in Los Angeles where an audience showed up to see something unusual outside the box and potentially amazing. Then, the cast put on an improv show in front of the live audience whilst still portraying their TV characters. The results are a little weird, and look something like this…

In the clip, an audience member hollers about a pregnancy and cast members Cheadle and Schwartz act out a sketch about a pregnant man. House of Lies is typically a show about a management firm called the Pod that consults for large corporations across the United States, so this sketch is quite a bit outside the norm for the series, but ideally, the larger special will maintain some cohesion by forcing Bell and company to remain in character as best as possible and ideally, not randomly obsess about sloths.

If this attracts the right number of eyeballs and gets a little online buzz, it’s quite possible it may start a trend in which many of our favorite characters work outside the box to drum up a little publicity. If it quietly comes and goes without much conversation, expect the trend to stop before it even starts.

House of Lies is gearing up for its third season return to Showtime, and as we learned in the finale, things have changed. Things are…complicated. And those complications are laid out perfectly in the new teaser trailer and promotional image released by the network on Tuesday. If you loved the tangled web Don Cheadle and Kristen Bell wove into the second season of the fast-paced consultant dramedy, ready yourself for even more high-stakes shenanigans, because the two would-be lovebirds scorned are now rivals. Galweather-Stearn has no idea what’s about to hit them.

The image's tagline "outgunned... but never outdone" feels like a nod to the calamities that have plagued the show's production schedule, with the show's high-stakes attitude weaseling its way into the off-screen antics as well. Recently, the show came under literal gunfire, after filming a scene on location at the Nickerson Gardens housing project in South Central Los Angeles on November 15th. The production (naturally) drew a large crowd, interested in what was surely a big to-do. It just so happened that those onlookers included members of rival gangs. An argument began — apparently over a lack of respect the gang member perceived the production had for the neighborhood — and cast members T.I., Cheadle, and Bell were forced to take cover after shots were fired. (See? They were literally out-gunned! So clever, these management consultants are, so cheeky.) Some media outlets even went as far as to proclaim Cheadle as gravely injured or possibly dead — a claim Bell was quick to dispel on her Twitter account.

Season three jumps off in the aftermath of Marty's decision to launch his own firm — without the help of his trusty go-to pod members, including Clyde (Ben Schwartz) and Doug (Josh Lawson). With the holy quartet disbanded, chaos splits the pod in several fractured directions. But while Marty is “preoccupied with hustling up new clients, his former mentee Jeannie is channeling her inner Kaan and making big moves in his absence,” according to a synopsis from Showtime. And oh, will there ever be guest stars. This season sees the introduction of Eliza Coupe (from the gone-too-soon Happy Endings), Mekhi Phifer, and sees the return of rapper-actor T.I.

House of Lies returns to Showtime on January 12 at 10PM.

Showtime's dramedy trio Shameless, House of Lies and Californication had cause to celebrate earlier this month when all three series returned with new seasons to higher numbers. I'm sure Showtime's free preview weekend didn't hurt in that regard, but there's even more cause to celebrate as Showtime has decided to renew all three shows. And that includes Californication, which means Hank Moody will follow in the footsteps of Dexter Morgan as a Showtime character that's surpassing six seasons of existence.

While the three mentioned series are really only just getting going this season, fans of the pay cable's comedies will be happy to know that 2014 will bring even more Californication, Shameless and House of Lies. For those keeping track, that's a fourth season for Shameless, a third for House of Lies and a seventh for Californication. All three shows will start production for their new seasons in Los Angeles later this year.

The three series are described as comedies, but each of them boasts enough drama to be considered a little of both. Shameless stars Emmy Rossum and follows a working class family living in Chicago, House of Lies stars Don Cheadle follows a team of greedy management consultants, and Californication stars David Duchovny as Hank Moody, a reckless author who's trying to balance his career and family with his love of drinking and womanizing. I watch all three shows when they air on Sunday nights, and right now Shameless is at the top of my list and arguably at the top of its game. House of Lies isn't really sticking for me, though I'm still trying to stay with it. And Californication has begun to show it's age, but is still great for those of us who love Hank Moody's rollar-coaster ride. And - like Weeds - I'll probably stick with it until it eventually wraps up, whenever that may be.

The Golden Globes is an exciting ceremony for a TV fan, as we get to see the stars and producers of some of our favorite TV shows honored with awards for their efforts. It's always good when we, the viewers, agree with the Hollywood Foreign Press on their choices for the past year's best of the best. But it's not always easy to predict which way they'll vote and whether or not they get it right is certainly subject to opinion and debate. And sometimes our picks don't line up with the HFPA's choices.

We came up with our biggest reactions to this year's results among the TV categories.

Girls!

By Katey Rich

It wasn’t just that Lena Dunham snuck in and took the Best Actress in a Comedy statue away from the likes of Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Zooey Deschanel and co-hosts Amy Poehler and Tina Fey. And it wasn’t just that she was back upstage again an hour later, accepting the award on behalf of her entire cast and crew for Best Comedy Series. It was that she looked so genuinely excited the entire time. There’s an inherent cynicism about the Globes, which are voted on by about 85 mysterious press people and happen months after the Emmys and about a month before the Oscars-- most of the winners have won before or will win again, and in contests considered much more prestigious. But last night was the first time Dunham had ever gotten to accept an award on behalf of Girls, and her excitement was infectious. Watching the show’s new season premiere later that night was all the sweeter, knowing that last night, for once, things finally turned out pretty well for Hannah.

Homeland sweeps dramas but no statue for Mandy Patinkin?!

By Kelly West

While many may argue that Homeland's second season didn't quite live up to its first, it's still one of the best dramas on television, so I certainly won't complain that the show cleaned up last night. In fact, for the drama-specific nominees, it swept the genre. The Hollywood Foreign Press got it right in awarding Homeland the Best Drama series, and for honoring Claire Danes (again) for Best Actress and Damian Lewis (who was nominated but lost to Kelsey Grammer last year) for Best Actor. But where's the love for Mandy Patinkin? To be fair, he was nominated this year, which is more than we can say about last year. But the Actor in a Supporting Role category is a lumped together category that includes comedies and miniseries. And it was Game Change's Ed Harris who took that award. Given Game Change. Harris is certainly great, but it would've been great to see Homeland snag that fourth award, particularly because of just how much Patinkin brings to the series as the patient but intense mentor to Danes' Carrie. Maybe next year!

Kevin Costner wins for Hatfields & McCoys!

By Jessica Rawden

Kevin Costner didn’t speak as if he had expected a win the award for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Movie at the Golden Globes tonight. When you look at the competition in his category and Costner’s track record with acting in the years prior to the success of History Channel’s Hatfields & McCoys, it’s easy to see why he may not have perceived himself to be a high- ranking candidate. Fighting against the well-liked Woody Harrelson in Game Change, which did quite well at these awards, as well as Benedict Cumberbatch’s performance in Sherlock, arguably the best show on television, as well as Clive Owen and Toby Jones, Costner’s portrayal of the head of the Hatfield Clan had stiff competition. I can’t say enough great things about Hatfields & McCoys, so I won’t even try, but seeing Costner earn a win at a comeback point in his career and watching him graciously accept with a throwback speech in the twilight of his professional life, was the most subtle and most endearing surprise of the night.

Don Cheadle beats Louis C.K. and Alec Baldwin?!

By Jesse Carp

When the Golden Globe nominations were announced one particular nominee stood out in the Best Actor in a television series, musical or comedy and it wasn't just because Don Cheadle was a newcomer (or movies star) in a category filled with familiar TV faces. The nod wasn't a head-scratcher due to any lack of talent on the Academy Award nominee's part, Cheadle shines in pretty much any role he's given (required he doesn't have to put on a cockney accent), but because the show in which he stars is an absolutely terrible. And then the surprise nomination for the lackluster (at best) series turned into an unwarranted win during last night's ceremony.

House of Lies shouldn't have been rewarded with a second season let alone any awards, but Cheadle somehow managed to beat out the likes of Louis C.K. and Alec Baldwin. The leading man does a pretty decent job with the dreck, sorry, material he's given but it's hard to praise the work when connecting with the character (or supporting the series in general) is pretty much impossible. Oh well, only more defeatist fuel for Louis when he decides to return to FX and Baldwin's got to bag it next year as 30 Rock wraps.

Did Maggie Smith deserve to win over Archie Punjabi?

By Mack Rawden

I’ll be the first to admit that Maggie Smith is the most enjoyable part of Downton Abbey. Her Dowager Countess is always ready with a hysterical, passive aggressive quip or the second best flowers in the surrounding area, but there is a difference between being a great character and being a challenging character to act. Smith is an absolute treasure and an incredible actress, but more often than not, she’s not really asked to do much on Downton other than act offended and cut the legs out from underneath people with biting retorts. A strong case could be made that she’s not even the best supporting actress on her own show let alone in the entire world. The Good Wife’s Archie Punjabi’s Kalinda, on the other hand, is consistently required to straddle the line between being a loving sounding board for Alicia and a badass investigator required to use both her brains and her strength to gain information. She simply has more depth than the Dowager Countess, and in my estimation, Punjabi was more deserving of the award than Smith.

Read the full list of TV winners here.

Hot off a couple of explosive episodes of two of their original dramas and in anticipation of the premieres of some of their comedies, Showtime is giving non-subscribers a glance at the goods next month with a free preview weekend. The premium cable channel has timed it to coincide with the premieres of Shameless, House of Lies and Californication.

Showtime's offering a little something for everyone in their free preview weekend, which starts Friday, January 11. Here's what they have lined up:

Friday, January 11

8:00 p.m. ET/PT - The Iron Lady will premiere. The feature film stars Meryl Street as British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The performance earned Streep an Oscar and a Golden Globe.

11:15 p.m. ET (delayed on the West Coast)- ShoBox: The New Generation will feature undefeated 22-year-old Ronny Rios, who will face off against Rico Ramos in a 10-round featherweight match.

Saturday, January 12

8:00 p.m. ET/PT - The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 makes its TV debut on Showtime, for those Twi-hards who haven't gotten their fill of the first part of the two-part final installment in the feature adaptations of Stephenie Meyer's popular vampire series.

10:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast)- STRIKEFORCE welterweight Champion will defend his titled against Tarec Saffiedine. There are four additional bouts set to air leading up to the main event and four preliminary fights set to air on Showtime Extreme starting at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Sunday, January 13

9:00 p.m. ET/PT - Shameless premieres Season 3.

10:00 p.m. ET/PT - House of Lies premieres Season 2.

10:30 p.m. ET/PT - Californication returns for Season 6.

Showtime will also have every season of Dexter, Homeland, Shameless, Californication, Nurse Jackie, The Borgias, Episodes, Weeds, The Big C, House of Lies, Inside Comedy and Oliver Stone's Untold History of the United States, all of which will be available on Showtime On Demand and Showtime Anytime.

I'm pretty sure it's mathematically impossible for anyone to watch all of even most of those series in one weekend, so those non-subscribers will have a choice to make. Dexter's recent Season 7 was pretty fantastic, and I'd advise anyone to watch as much Homeland as possible. Then again, Weeds is also pretty great, particularly in the earlier seasons, and I have nothing but good things to say about The Big C, so I may not be much help in telling viewers how to narrow down their options. Needless to say, Showtime has a lot to offer and it looks like they're going out of their way to make all of it available to potential subscribers next month.

"What does a management consultant do exactly?" This is a question posed throughout Showtime's dark comedy series House of Lies, which stars Don Cheadle as Marty "The Con Man" Kaan, a "mad genius" at the consultant game who heads up a pod of cutthroat and kooky acolytes. Set in a world of luxury, fast dealings and unchecked depravity, the show seems like a modern-day Mad Man with Cheadle as its smooth and sexy Don Draper. However, while House of Lies is full of swagger and style, it's light on substance. In short, it's a show about sharks that never delves deep, instead staying in the shallow waters of shocks and sex.

Let's return for a moment to the question of what a management consultant actually does. In the show, they are brought in to a company to help smooth out crises, like a scandal over audacious holiday bonuses, sorting out controversial mergers or plans to expand a mega-church into a mega-mega-church. But Marty and his posse are at every turn opportunists, who care less about their unscrupulous clients and more about how to squeeze more money out of them. They are deplorable people who frequently dabble in double-dealing, sexual favors and flat-out lies to get what they want. But this is sort of the fun of House of Lies. It's flashy and slick with a devilish and comically oversexed audacity that makes it a scintillating delight.

The show is stocked with wild characters. There's Marty, who is fast on his feet whether he's wooing a client or romancing a stripper. Then there's his team, made up of Jeannie, a secretive and sharp ballbuster who only rolls her eyes at Marty's flirtations (Kristen Bell), Doug, an easily flustered kiss-ass (Josh Lawson), and Clyde, a crass and quipping bro-dude played by consummate scene-stealer Ben Schwartz (AKA Parks and Recreation's Jean-Ralphio).

At home, Marty lives with his retired psychiatrist father (Glynn Turman), who urges him to have patience with his 10-year-old son, Roscoe (Donis Leonard Jr.), a sweet boy who confounds his father with his penchant for wearing skirts, glittery tops, and pink flip flops. Though Roscoe's gender bending is a recurring plot point of the show—with Marty being fiercely protective of his son while still being confused by him—the boy is shown to be warm and well-adjusted. This is a welcome surprise since his dad is a duplicitous and his mom, Marty's ex-wife Monica (Dawn Olivieri), is introduced as a sociopathic pill-popper who not only still has occasional hate sex with her ex, but also is his top business rival.

As you can imagine, with characters like these, the plotlines should get pretty wild. They do, veering from Marty and Monica's love-hate relationship to the sexual skeletons in Jeannie's closet to Roscoe's fight for acceptance at school and attention at home. Unfortunately, these emotional arcs are often undercooked, as the weekly plot of business in crisis dominates each episode. Worse yet, these biz-centered stories are laden with jargon and fast turns that make them pretty hard to follow. To try to keep us up to speed with the fast-paced series, Marty often freeze frames the action and directly addresses the audience to fill them in on the whos, whats, whys and slang. However, when it comes to the plots resolution, this device is forgotten, and I apparently I lack the business savvy to understand the details of how the pod sank or swam in most ventures.

Another element that doesn't quite click is the sexual chemistry between Cheadle and Bell. While both are undoubtedly attractive and seductive—especially when shown in their undies—anytime they flirt, it feels forced. The series seems to be setting them up to be its Sam and Diane, but the dynamic just doesn't work. As destructive and demented as she is, Olivieri's Monica is far more electric with Cheadle's Kaan, so I found myself rooting for them to reunite, if only for the liveliness of their severely fucked up sex scenes. (Amsterdam!)

Ultimately, House of Lies' first season shows some interesting avenues and intriguing characters, and offers plenty of panache and punch lines. But its business plotlines aren't written for the average viewer to follow and its character arcs are underwritten, leading to climactic moments that don't always land. Still, the cast is staffed with solid performers who are undeniably entertaining in full-on swagger mode. In short, Season 1 is a good show, but not a great one.

When it comes to the attributes of the DVD set itself, the picture and audio quality is great, but the special features are lackluster. There are brief interviews with Cheadle and Bell, featurettes exploring the character of Marty Kaan and his mysterious boss Marco "The Rainmaker" Pelios, cast bios, and a photo gallery. None of these are terribly interesting or insightful. There are also two commentary tracks—one for the pilot and one for the finale—feature Cheadle, Lawson, and Schwartz (but no Bell) as well as writer Matthew Carnahan and executive producer Jessika Borsiczky. These are more jovial than informative, with the commentators jokingly overhyping their contributions to the show's creation and teasing each other. But be warned, you won't find these tracks in the special features portion of the menu. Oddly fitting, it's far more convoluted than that. Instead, go to the Setup option, select the commentary track in the audio setup menu. Then return to the Episode Selection menu and select the corresponding episode. You're welcome.

Rating:

Length: 347 minutes

Distributor: Showtime Ent.

Release Date: December 18, 2012

Starring: Don Cheadle, Kristen Bell, Ben Schwartz, Josh Lawson, Dawn Olivieri

Directed by:Stephen Hopkins

Created by: Matthew Carnahan

While the cast of House of Lies may be a bit skewed toward males, what the Showtime series does have in the way of female actors is pretty great, with Kristen Bell and Dawn Olivieri among the leads. So Lisa Edelstein will be in good company when she joins the comedy for a multi-episode arc of the series' second season.

House of Lies stars Don Cheadle as Marty Kaan, the leader of a team of management consultants based out of Los Angeles who travel around the world helping their wealthy clients handle their issues. The series is set to return for Season 2 on January 13 and, according to TVLine, Lisa Edelstein will be appearing in Season 2 for multiple episodes, playing the role of Brynn, "a smart and sexy political consultant whom Marty encounters on one of his assignments." Will she get along with Marty or will she be at odds with him? Maybe both? He seems to have the most fun with people who fall under the "both" category (most notably, his ex-wife).

This is great news for House of Lies, not only because I'm sure I'm not alone in having missed Edelstein since her departure from House last year, but also because the actor's demonstrated range makes her a fantastic fit for a series like this, which mixes drama with comedy, something Edelstein's familiar with in her career. In addition to playing Cuddy on House, her TV credits include Felicity and The West Wing, and she also voices the role of Sharri Rothberg on American Dad. While we have her appearances on House of Lies to look forward when the show returns next year, Edelstein fans will want to tune in for tomorrow night's Elementary (Thursday, 10:00 p.m .on CBS) as she's expected to guest star in the episode ("The Long Fuse").

Despite the early renewal, Showtime's House of Lies is still not a good show. Last week's "Our Descent Into Los Angeles" was an interesting moment for the series, marking a significant transition from entertainingly awful to boringly run of the mill. I guess that's an improvement? But since a lot of series aren't outstanding in their first seasons, it is at least a little bit promising that the creators recognize and are actively trying to solve a lot of the show's problems. "Bareback Town" was another arguably 'better' show for the series in its desire to develop some actual characters and conflicts and yet it was even less enjoyable to watch.

"Coco was a she you fucking bitch. That dog meant everything to me."

First, I don't think it's a good sign when the Doug and Clyde storyline is arguably the week's strongest. But with a title like "Bareback Town" - which instantly reminded me of "Microphallus," my least favorite episode so far - I don't think I should have had high expectations. The bromance continues with Clyde's story about his dog Coco during her dying moments before the not so surprising realization that he still doesn't have a heart and that Coco is made up to ensure that he's always be penis deep in lady vajayjay. Of course, Doug is impressed and then uses the story on his date with the counter girl, something that doesn't sit so well with a surprisingly cock-blocking Clyde, who's been tailing the couple ever since he spotted them in the hotel lobby.

And even though I think they wasted another opportunity for some compelling conflict by having the girl apologize and run away (?), I did like how for once there was actually another layer to the in-fighting. This time it actually wasn't about the girl but about their relationship and the possible trouble at work with the impending merger. Clyde didn't like Doug stomping on his territory (you see, Doug crunches numbers and Clyde makes models) and it's nice to see that there is something else on boys' minds except scamming girls.

Although, not to shower too much praise, I was saddened to see the usually sweet and incompetent Doug resort to using the sleazy Coco trick when his lack of charm was working so well. He's should be used a counter to Clyde, not simply his bumbling sidekick, especially since they are both already sidekicks to the main members of the Pod. But I did like the joke about two white guys in handcuffs. One laugh.

"Now that we've moved on to awkward drinks in my bosses room..."

Jeannie role in "Bareback Town" is both moral compass and the character forced to get into this week's embarrassing sexual exploit. Satisfying the client is especially important with the impending merger because it could all but ensure security for Marty and his team even with the takeover. However, as much as the MetroCapital cloud has been hanging over the series, I haven't for one second felt they were actually a legitimate threat to Marty and therefore Jeannie suddenly agreeing to hop into bed with this CMO seems completely unearned. Plus, she seems too smart to be so easily conned, talked into it from Marty (oh right, daddy issues).

I will give them credit for solving the procedural aspect in a slightly different way this time - Jeannie drugging the slutty CMO was clever as was Marty selling her out - but the Pod's success was never really in doubt, so again there was very little tension. I'm waiting for the first time they don't have the answer because that might actually help create some real suspense and compelling drama.

However, when Jeannie wasn't busy trying to extricate herself from the awkward sexual situation, she was forced to play stand-in for the audience on this week's bit of self-righteous posturing. You see, House of Lies still very much wants to be a social satire and have something biting to say about the current corporate and consumer driven culture so this week the show has to take a few minutes to explain to us that, even though the product is potentially harmful, money is ultimately the bottom line. Surprised?

So, despite Jeannie's indignation (unbelievable despite Bell's great acting), the Galweather and Stearn strategy is to do whatever it takes, at whatever cost, to ensure that they are rolling in the green. Too bad the show has real trouble balancing tone, so these moments just come across as oddly out of place and preachy in a show that spends most of its time talking about using dead dogs to get laid.

"Okay, well, you're going to be eating so much crow when I come back here with blueballs you're going to have feathers coming out of your ass."

The episode's terrible title refers to the blueball inducing conundrum that Marty finds himself in before heading out on the road to Tampa, sorry, D.C. A change that I think is supposed to suggest the immediacy of this week's procedural aspect but like every thing else, it's executed in such a way that the urgency or importance doesn't come across at all. The show is far too cool and casual for that, except for a few moments of over the top drama or self serving righteousness.

Marty makes a promise to his new girlfriend, yes girlfriend, April that he won't sleep with anyone on this roadtrip, hence the blueballs and as a reward, if he succeeds, she agrees to let him have sex with her without a condom. High stakes! But this inability to fornicate on the road does cause a chain reaction of unfortunate events for Marty and the members of Galweather and Stearn. Who thought abstinence would create so many problems?

You see, the CMO at the pharmaceutical company that G&S is called in to help is a horny lady (aren't they all?) and since Marty can't possible cheat and/or lie to his new stripper girlfriend, he passes the fuck, sorry, the buck to Jeannie. Oh, and Monica is also on the prowl in D.C. so he has to avoid her unhealthy advances. It's weird to argue this but perhaps Marty is actually becoming too safe too fast. Showing too much sudden restraint that his development feels anything but genuine. In fact, it almost feels like they are trying out a new starting point, erasing everything that happened in the three episodes between the pilot and episode 4 by planting an endless amount of new narrative seeds - the reappearance of April, the constant cloud of MetroCapital, the budding conflict with Brenda, Jeremiah's Parkinson's (WTF?) and Monica's new found interest in Roscoe. This late world, story and character building may be part of the reason why the show feels boring, because it's simply way behind where it should be and playing catch up.

"I am trying to be serious right now. Is there anything that you won't do? Anything? Not a rhetorical question girls. Is there a line that you won't cross?"

It's sad that the evolution of Showtime's House of Lies is perhaps more interesting than the resulting show, especially since a lot of the creative changes should be for the better. The overbearing style has been replaced by a much more subtle and palatable delivery and yet, now, well, it's just boring. And full of unlikable people who are also, unfortunately, seriously underdeveloped. Actually, it's not just the characters that are underdeveloped, everything in the series seems to happen 'just because' and then, when the conflict is finally reaching a point of being engaging, the series manages to deflate all the tension and the promise by having no consequences or sometimes even no resolution at all - what happened to that guy April killed?

Problems pop up out of the blue and are solved or shelved just as fast. Or there are just an endless stream of set-ups with no payoffs. Just stringing us along but with uninteresting bait or constantly playing reboot in an attempt to find an engaging program amongst the mess. I know it sounds odd but at least when the show started it was so bad you could at least get a kick out of watching the aggressively irritating, showy and faux risqué train wreck. To their credit, a lot of the issues are being addressed and yet, all these 'improvements' have resulted in House of Lies flat-lining. Can it be resuscitated?

House of Lies airs Sundays at 10 p.m ET on Showtime. It stars Don Cheadle, Kristen Bell, Ben Schwartz, Josh Lawson, Dawn Oliveri, Glynn Turman and Donis Leonard Jr. It was created by Matthew Carnahan.

Last week, the Galweather and Stearns 'Pod' went to con(sult) a hotel chain in "Utah" and, even though it was far from good television, it was still an improvement on House of Lies' previous episodes. The two minor stories didn't find much success - Clyde's run in with the technical virgin as well as the Mother and Son bonding break and enter - but the narrative that focused on Marty, Jeannie and the week's procedural aspect wasn't too bad. The series has been paying attention to its own shortcomings and trying to pick up the slack, mostly by cutting down on the bullshit when it comes to the visuals and amping up the entertaining bullshit when it comes to watching the consultants at work. A procedural comedy.

"THURSDAY"

After the Law & Order-esque titles, Episode 6, "Our Descent Into Los Angeles," opens aboard an airplane with the team's literal descent into L.A. And in case you haven't been watching "Fridays at Galweather," the Showtime web series focusing on the exploits of Doug and Clyde back at the offices during the one day of the week they're actually there, don't worry, Marty fills you in on their schedule right after he wakes up and checks out Jeannie's ass. She doesn't seem to mind. On the contrary, she seems quite happy when Marty expresses how 'not bad' it is, and it's becoming more and more clear that the show is building towards them ending up in bed together. For now, the team is home in Los Angeles, ready for work in the office on Friday morning and it seems like this week won't have a procedural aspect. So, the only part that worked last week won't be featured this episode. I want some of what Marty is smoking.

"FRIDAY"

The team is home for the end of the week and weekend so the storylines obviously stray towards their personal lives and since Doug and Clyde's character aren't really flushed out at all, that means they are relegated to the sidelines. Marty has dual threads this episode, first having to deal with the return of the stripper from the premiere named April. The last time we saw April, she was busy contributing to the divorce of the Norberts, therefore she's obviously a less than welcome visitor to G&S. And yet, the scene where Norbert burst in on her under Marty's desk giving him a blow job is a perfect example of how this show struggles because not only are the events unoriginal and poorly executed but it actually betrays it's own premise - the scene's conflict comes from Marty stuck in the sticky situation (especially given the circumstances of the other players and their previous dinner table history) and then, the phone rings and... nothing. The show just moves on the the next scene. Zero resolution. It just ends and deflates everything it had built.

Oh well, on to Marty's other problem at home. Friday began with a young boy kissing Roscoe at school and, presumably confused and embarrassed, the boy blames it was the young Kaan which causes some problems. Marty, The Monster (Monica) and Jeremiah are called in for a meeting and the principal has decided to expel Roscoe. For some reason, Marty is the only one who seems to care and he forces them to schedule another meeting to continue to discuss the same things, only, uh, later. Yeah, not much in the episode makes sense but Sunday at 4, Roscoe's fate will be decided. Oh, that's why.

Now we have the week's procedural element after all, the team will have to come in on Saturday and help Marty fix the situation with Roscoe and the New Pacific School. A solution that, if you've been watching the series then you probably guessed it, involves blackmail. However, not all of the team is coming in to help as Jeannie, after getting hit on by Norbert (presumably another 'thing' for he and Marty to fight over), declines the order and ventures off for a weekend free of G&S.

"SATURDAY"

Her weekend is free of G&S because she's busy further developing this mysterious dual life thing she's got going on all of a sudden. It started with the introduction of her fiancé a few week's ago (out of the blue) and now Jeannie is again showing her cold feet while out looking for the cake. In the show's usual overstated manner, they are anything but subtle with showing Jeannie's obvious discomfort in the marriage arena, first with the creepy twin pastry chefs shocked that she didn't have everything picked out and then reinforced by bringing in another perfect couple who has everything planned. To her credit, he dude seems like a great guy, too bad she runs out on him and the rest of the episode. She continues to be one of the few interesting things about the show but I wish they give us a few insights as to why Jeannie is this way.

Of course, as I mentioned earlier, it doesn't take long for Marty, Doug and Clyde to find something out of place with Roscoe's school (they're fudging test scores) which means they quickly and conveniently have enough leverage to use against the principal at the hearing the following day. Good thing too because Doug has to catch that performance of Wicked and Clyde, well, who knows, Ben Schwartz had all but four lines this week (and even though I like the actor, this is not bad thing for the show).

Marty decides to catch up and have passionate sex with April who, more than three quarters of the way through an episode, decides to tell Marty that she's into some hot water for second degree murder of an off-duty cop. Wow. Just tossed in there nonchalant. While you might think this storyline will unfold over the remainder of the season, House of Lies manages to (possibly) dispatch of the problem in two scenes and maybe a handful of lines. Pretty impressive.

"SUNDAY"

Okay, to be fair, I'm sure this isn't the last we'll hear of April and the second degree murder storyline but they treat it so casually it's hard for me not to do the same. And this is before mentioning that the soon to be law student and all her lawyers couldn't come up with this pretty simple suicide defense. But hey, he is the best. He's Marty Kaan and his mom committed suicide so he was able to make that connection when others couldn't.

Speaking of suicide, the meeting with the principal once again turns into a psychoanalytic gang up on Marty - even after he pulls out the blackmail card, Monica and Jeremiah continue to go after him and ignore the expulsion - until Roscoe himself interrupts with the problem solving confession from his accuser. Does Marty go ballistic and rub it in like we all expect? Nope. He just goes on a date with April, tells her his brilliant new defense and lets us know that next week, he'll be back traveling to consult with another company. No big deal. Business as usual.

House of Lies is so casual, it's just about as interesting as its episode titles. This week was theoretically another improvement for the series but I can't help but feel like it's even less enjoyable to watch. While it's undoubtedly better both stylistically and narratively, actively trying to develop the characters and rely less on the visual flair and sexual gimmicks passed off as story, the creatives have managed to turn what was a fascinatingly bad show (entertaining to gawk at) into a boringly not so terrible show. And while that's technically an improvement, it doesn't change the fact that House of Lies is now basically no fun to watch. At first I was at least laughing at it, now I'm not laughing at all. To tell you the truth, I'm not sure if the series is even supposed to be funny anymore. And I don't think it knows either.

House of Lies airs Sundays at 10 p.m ET on Showtime. It stars Don Cheadle, Kristen Bell, Ben Schwartz, Josh Lawson, Dawn Oliveri, Glynn Turman and Donis Leonard Jr. It was created by Matthew Carnahan.

Showtime’s House of Lies has clearly been trying to work its kinks over the first five episodes and, in doing so has improved significantly. Is it a good show? Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Last week's "Mini-Mogul" used Roscoe, the show's sole likable character to humanize the entire otherwise unseemly ensemble while the writers continued to tone down a lot of the fourth wall breaking and other goofy trappings. This week’s trip to “Utah” was another step forward for the struggling show, although it's still a long road ahead.

"When in Rome, Bitches!"

The episode titles continue to confirm that, even if House of Lies is confused about its storytelling and whether it's a comedy or drama (it struggles equally with both), it's most definitely written with a procedural structure in mind. This week, you guessed it, the Galweather & Stearn team are headed to the Beehive State but first we're quickly refreshed on the possible MetroCapital takeover and how much Greg Norbert hates Marty Kaan. Oddly though, we are hearing all this from 'The Rainmaker' (Griffin Dunne) and not Skip Galweather who is conspicuously absent. I thought that the budding conflict between Skip and Marty could be interesting, especially since they were going to have to continue to work together but apparently that's not the case. Instead, they'll just bring in this Rainmaker guy - who loves Marty - to tell him about this week's gig in Utah, where they're all so goddamn friendly. Kind of a waste no?

Marty takes the StayRite Hotel case to the team and we start to get a sense of how the episode is going to break down. Marty and Jeannie will be taking the lead on the Utah deal, the former handling a new CFO flexing his muscles and the latter the conservative and slightly racist CEO, and they'll most likely have to come in and make some arbitrary and unnecessary decisions for the currently successful company. However, it's this aspect of the show, highlighting the corporate greed and unbelievable things that these executives will do for even a touch more money or power, that should be further (solely) explored but instead we have Doug and Clyde's bro-centric "technical virgin" storyline taking up a third of the episode. It is by far the weakest of the week and that's in an episode where Roscoe and his monstrous mother Monica spend a little time breaking and entering together. More on that later, but first back to the anal sex.

"Actual virgin or technical virgin?"

Oh, Clyde and Doug. It's really a shame that these two are given the worst material to work with since I genuinely like Doug Lawson and Ben Schwartz. The two are even developing some great chemistry in spite of the writing but when your entire storyline - not a joke an entire story - is based around the prospect and pitfalls of anal sex, well, you may not be able to make all the beads, sorry, beats work (see... not funny).

The scatological humor begins when Doug decides to return from the airport washroom with hands unwashed to join the team squeezing in some final shots before heading to the land where they don't drink or swear or have premarital sex. Well, some women who want to remain virgins opt for 'rear entry' (hence the actual or technical debate) or, at least that's what Doug says when he, Jeannie and Clyde discuss the Mormon marketing girl. Despite all his big talk and unexplainable ability to pick up girls, Clyde is scared away from the prospect by some possible poop. You see, corn is never really owned just borrowed.

"Disturbing, right. Maybe even a little grotesque, Huh? But there's still some beauty in there, isn't there?"

Since Marty's in Utah and Grandpa Jeremiah also has to leave town, Monica, the worst mother on the planet, plans to watch Roscoe. And by watching her son, she ends up taking him to break and enter into her married lover's house while he's away on the vacation he promised to take her on. Yeah, the worst on the planet and I'm pretty sure she only exists in order to make Marty seem like less of a shitty parent/person. Or at least make sure he's not the most monstrous person on his own show.

Monica ends up swiping an expensive painting and in the show's attempt at subtext, her and Roscoe discuss the work titled "Sheila" and the possibility that there might be something more hiding behind her nasty exterior. I'm not so sure since the sociopath stares at the painting and smokes for four hours straight as Roscoe sneaks in some sleep before for school. Yeah, you better call a cab buddy. When Marty returns home from treating Jeannie like crap and getting wasted with the CFO we don't hate him as much because, well, he's still better for Roscoe than his despicable mother. And Roscoe knows it now too. How nice?

"I know you came all the way out here for Daddy to give you an 'atta girl, cupcake' but Daddy ain't giving you that, cause this is shit."

The main story this week was easily the most compelling and it's probably no coincidence that it saw Kristen Bell's Jeannie taking the lead. It's unfortunate that in order for House of Lies to have one of its most successful storylines to date it was at the cost of relegating the main character to the sidelines. It kind of confirms something I've been suspecting for some time, that the main problem with the series may be the main character.

Marty is even more vile and villainous in "Utah" than in previous episodes because he puts as much pressure on Jeannie as possible then craps all over her work all while walking in to save the day with the convenient pieces of information he obtained while gallivanting with the not so Mormon CFO. Again, it's another case solved, sorry, more afterwork secured with blackmail which seems to be the only way that the show can resolve any of its consulting narratives (and Jeannie's hard work, although we and Marty barely notice).

However, at least "Utah" used the bribery as the two punch, in the one, two combination of Jeannie and Marty. And, to their credit, perhaps it's a bit unfair of me to assume that this isn't how the consultant business (ie. the show) is supposed to work - meaning that it's their job to simply investigate the people as much as the business and then leverage every piece of dirt (coincidentally the title of Matthew Carnahan's last show) they can find in order to get the job done.

This week, since the CEO at StayRite has a healthy case of racism - a joke that I though worked surprisingly well - Jeannie quarterbacks the case while, like I said, Marty parties with the CFO. Jeannie is stressing out because StayRite is in such great shape that it's going to be hard to convince them they need G&S but her suggestion of a brand-expansion, although crapped on by Marty (who gets to save the day 'from Calvin and his ass'), wins over the CEO and the team secures yet another big win on the road. Jeannie's success also allows her to rip into Marty on the plane ride home, another good scene and their relationship could be one of the better conflicts for the series from here on out. Add Jeannie to Skip and Norbert/MetroCaptial and Marty's more compelling problems are adding up.

"Utah" is a very different show than "Gods of Dangerous Financial Instruments" (the pilot) and yet, even though it's a lot better, it might not ever realize the potential that it has with the fantastic cast. The problem is that everyone on the series are not just horrible people but also unlikable characters. And that's a big difference. I think about the other show I recap, FX's hilarious animated comedy Archer and its ensemble of deplorable characters (that do and say nothing but deplorable things) but they still manage to be likable.

Archer himself is a terrible human being but I love him. And don't for second think that it is something exclusively achievable in the animated realm because the very live-action Arrested Development was the same way. The Bluths, even Michael, were not good people but I liked every single one of them. So the fact that the employees at Galweather & Stearn and the clients they handle are all, well, assholes wouldn't matter as much (or at all) if they were at least likable. Or if either the jokes or attempts at sentimentality didn't fail more often than succeed. The 'subtext' of the "Sheila" conversation perfectly describes what the show perhaps aspires to be but unfortunately for House of Lies beauty really is skin deep.

House of Lies airs Sundays at 10 p.m ET on Showtime. It stars Don Cheadle, Kristen Bell, Ben Schwartz, Josh Lawson, Dawn Oliveri, Glynn Turman and Donis Leonard Jr. It was created by Matthew Carnahan.

With its Sunday lineup going strong, Showtime made the easy decision today to renew three of their current shows-- according to Deadline, Shameless, House of Lies and Californication have all gotten pickups for a new season. Add that to Homeland, which was renewed for a second season early in its premiere run last season, and Showtime is now sitting on a raft of hits, some new and some old, all of them at least moderately critically acclaimed.

Here's what Showtime's entertainment president David Nevins had to say about the pickup:

Shameless is up 30% from its season 1 weekly viewers, and is the second-most watched show on the network behind long-running hit Dexter. House of Lies is slightly less-watched but still the network's best-watched comedy, and Californication, even in its fifth season, is up 10% from Season 4. With Weeds and Dexter both looking close to the end of their runs, Showtime still appears to be in pretty good shape, with a wide variety of shows at different points in their runs to keep the network afloat-- and, in the case of Homeland, make the case that Showtime is putting out some of the best TV you can find. Way to go, everybody.

Showtime’s House of Lies is getting closer to being a show I could actually call not terrible. Unfortunately, at the moment, it's still wildly inconsistent, consisting of moments that we could call the good, the bad and the awful. The second episode, "Amsterdam," was immeasurably better than the premiere but unfortunately that trend did not continue in week three with “Microphallus.” The episode was a serious step back in quality and yet offered glimmers of hope for this week's “Mini-Mogul.” I think I used the words 'second pilot' and this followup made me believe those words even more.

"So, next thing you know, you're taking him to work with you. And there it is, case solved. Shit."

One of the bright spots of this week's episode was the relationship work and time spent with Roscoe. Allowing him to appear in a few extended sequences made him feel like more than just a network gimmick and his presence also managed to humanize the other, often inhuman characters. The episode opened with a Strangers on a Train-like close up on bustling feet, revealing two very different pairs of footwear - Roscoe's boots and Marty's shoes. This is where Marty lays 'The Case' on us and this is not only one of the episode's very few asides (hurray!) but also one that actually contributes to the entire narrative. These character's entire existence is about the case, and that's how they see their personal lives too, as extensions of the job and a case to be solved. And this week, a major part of the case, for Marty at least, is Roscoe.

While both Gramps and Roscoe's mom are off fornicating in some remote locale (a nice way to flash some quick T&A), the Kaan boys are headed to Frisco with the Team. This fish out of water narrative is a good use of the little Kaan because the trouble at school, or should I say continuing trouble at school seems to be the only real conflict they can drum up for Roscoe. That's still one of his central conflicts but with more time to explore it, it had its moments and I particularly liked his sequence with Doug. Then again, I like almost everything with Doug because, aside from Roscoe, he's easily the most likable character on the show.

First though, since it is bring your son to work week, Roscoe asks what exactly consultants do and Marty dances around the question, bringing it back to 'the case' and w.a.g.s (wild ass guesses). While the team discusses the case, Roscoe let's a few secrets about Marty slip - his troubles with Jenny Craig and his lovely new bracelet - and again, these benefit the whole show, humanizing our despicable lead and his crew of despicable bullshitters.

When Marty returns to the hotel he finds leftovers and a note from his son who is clearly better than he or his nasty ex-wife deserve. The phone calls/voice mails to let her know this works well until, when in typical House of Lies, is has to progress to the point of being way too in your face obvious and/or blunt in it' delivery - from the on the nose dialogue (the way too convenient "not available" answering machine outgoing message) to the final look in the mirror. Still, the boys makes is back at the Kaans and Marty even gets Roscoe to open up about his problems at school. He also apologizes that he didn't get to spend more time with him during the trip but since the no time the spent together was still better than leaving him behind, Roscoe was more than satisfied and let his dad off the hook. Best. Week. Ever. Well, that's just sad.

"You are the batteries in the great big dildo that is fucking this country in the ass."

The procedural aspect of "Mini-Mogul," the reason for the trip to Frisco (I keep saying that because I know I'm not cool) is to mediate a dispute between the board of a huge software company and its young, genius founder. The board is trying to muscle the young Alex out but before we can get his corporate shenanigans, and the all too convenient way this thread of the narrative unfolds, we first have to deal with the Galweather & Stearn ones.

Clyde and Doug are up to their usual comic relief, meaning they do their best to elevate the not always funny material and try to make it funny. For the most part they succeed because Ben Scwartz and Josh Lawson are a joy to watch, even if they are discussing something as stupid as their hook-up points and banging "everything with a giny." I did like how Jeannie asked for a copy of the flight attendant video. She is a mysterious and interesting cookie - or still was at this point of the episode. When the team actually arrives at the software developer it's painfully obvious that the client, as has been the case week by week, will once again be a caricature or stereotypical portrait of the position they hold. Exactly what you'd expect. How exciting.

Alex, the Ninja, is a computer superstar who's pretending to be anti-establishment while raking in as much money and trying to score with as many chicks as, well, the team at Galweather & Stearn. Besides the moments we get to spend with Clyde and Doug ("is that a dog with a d.a.w.g.?" or "What would Clooney do?"), the procedural narrative is incredibly lazy and uses a convenient blackmail solution that may become the staple of the series since this marks the second time in 4 episodes it has been used (and they tried and failed to use it last week).

The same way that G&S found the hidden hundred million in "Amsterdam," Marty uncovers Alex's dirty secret - a backdoor in his security software - and uses the fraud to ensure that they not only get to hand the board what they want but also convince the kid to keep them around for the afterwork. The scene when the actually string Alex along is quite entertaining thanks to the cast, each chipping in at the right moment with the right quip, but that doesn't make the solution any more satisfying.

"Now that would be cliché."

Did it actually say that out loud? And during the most cliché thread of the episode? Yikes. For weeks I have been hoping that House of Lies would devote more of its time to Kristen Bell's Jeannie. After tonight, I understand why people say be careful what you wish for. In the least subtle narrative thread of the show, we open with Jeannie suddenly engaged and debating whether or not to throw a party in its honour. Now, I'm not sure about you but doesn't this surprise engagement feel a little inconsistent with her sadness during the headhunter misunderstanding in "Amsterdam?" Did that episode not make it clear that she was painfully single? I guess not, she's just in a painfully boring relationship, one so boring that it takes a guy only twenty minutes and some sex to completely and correctly break down her entire psychology. Well, thanks for that because now we don't have to try and piece her character together over the rest of the season, instead they'll just tell us.

How many times did we hear "daddy issues" uttered aloud? We get it, the whole show is structured around flawed paternal relationships - the three male Kaans, Jeannie's past, the team even calls Marty daddy - that you don't need the sledgehammer to bring it home. Try a little subtlety for a change and maybe watching Kristen Bell for a third of an episode would be as rewarding as it should be (instead of dreadfully obvious, on the nose and the worst part of the show... except the dance, which was wow). And what's up with the ending? Jeannie is breaking the fourth wall now too? WTF? I guess that cements that this will really be a co-lead show but when one character speaking to the camera is frustrating, adding another does not bode well.

It wasn't all bad. I do like the set-ups for future conflicts, like her hidden relationship as well as her duplicitous nature (similar to Marty) where she doesn't see her work and home life as one and the same. This is again why I feel like the show is starting over and how, if I were to judge this as a second episode, I probably wouldn't be so harsh. However this is not the second, it is the fourth.

The series needs to realize that often, less is more and that allowing us to gradually learn things about our characters will provide much more interesting and believable layers than simply blurting out their issues or having them wear them on their sleeves. Oh, and "Microphallus" and now the "Mini-Mogul"... is this show only about making small dick jokes? Or is the show itself a small dick joke? I'll admit that most of the time it feels that way. All the flash and the amazing cast, it certainly feels like House of Lies is overcompensating for something. Perhaps a lack of depth, emotional value and any understanding of subtext. Cause it's certainly skin deep in that department, among many, many others. We'll see what happens for the team next week in "Utah" and despite all the vast improvements, the show is losing the battle and fast. House of Lies has come a long way in four episodes but it's painfully obvious that it is still desperate searching for itself and sadly, still has a long way to go.

House of Lies airs Sundays at 10 p.m ET on Showtime. It stars Don Cheadle, Kristen Bell, Ben Schwartz, Josh Lawson, Dawn Oliveri, Glynn Turman and Donis Leonard Jr. It was created by Matthew Carnahan.

Showtime’s House of Lies is a messy show. It’s not so much that the characters and the situations they get into are messy - even though they certainly are that too - but the series as a whole seems a little slapped together. It’s very tonally, thematically and stylistically inconsistent which leaves the final portrait muddled at best. The second episode was immeasurably better than the premiere but unfortunately that trend did not completely continue last night in “Microphallus.” While there were some structural improvements, overall the episode was a serious step back in quality while still offering glimmers of hope for episode 4 - “Mini-Mogul.”

The first clip has the Galweather team, sorry the ‘Pod’ (I keep forgetting), brainstorming in a coffee shop. Only this time, they have a fifth member of the team to provide a little ammunition against ‘Daddy’ - it’s a little odd in this scene because Cheadle’s Marty is both a literal and figurative ‘Daddy’ here - like his stint on Jenny Craig. Roscoe looks great as part of the actual action and we may finally get to see the little man act and express himself outside his scheduled ‘shock-the-audience’ appearances. It’s also worth noting that Kristen Bell’s Jeannie immediately spots guest star Nick Stahl as he strolls inside… I wonder if that will come into play at all in the episode?

And the second clip form the show takes us right from the previous strategy session to the actual meeting with this week’s client, the titular “Mini-Mogul.” In this look, you can see Marty’s plan to pull a power switcheroo (as discussed in Clip 1) within the client’s company including, uh, ousting him. How will Marty achieve this feat, well, as you can see in the clip, he’s going to make it seems like leaving is not only the best movie but actually the Mini-Mogul’s idea. I also really like Doug’s work in this brief excerpt. Actually, I like Josh Lawson’s work as Doug almost all the time. See what you think.

As always, those in the right region can also watch the full preview for “Mini-Mogul.” It gives a better overview of the episode and highlights that this week will pay extra special attention to Jeannie. It seems her fiancee (?) wants to meet the boys at G&S while she’s more interested in dancing in her undies for the mysterious musician played by Stahl. If you weren’t tuning in before, after you watch Kristen Bell dance, you will be. Wow.

House of Lies is set to premiere on Showtime, January 8, 2012 at 10 p.m. It stars Don Cheadle, Kristen Bell, Ben Schwartz, Josh Lawson, Dawn Oliveri, Glynn Turman and Donis Leonard Jr. It was created by Matthew Carnahan.

Official Synopsis via Showtime.

Showtime’s House of Lies improved significantly with the second episode of the series. "Amsterdam" succeeded when it stopped trying to be edgy - both stylistically and narratively - and instead just focused the four people who work at Galweather & Stearn. And it doesn't hurt that those four (Cheadle, Bell, Schwartz and Lawson) are great actors and great together. However, it does hurt when you don't give them anything to work with and almost all the positive second week growth was wasted in in the third with "Microphallus."

"Look. I'm going to smash your head in. Then I'm going to personally fuck your bashed-in eye socket."

The episode opens with Marty dreaming about his dead mother on the anniversary of her suicide. Cheadle does his best to make you try and feel sympathetic for his character upon waking but the whole scene rings false and tired. Roscoe is already awake and dancing when Marty enters the room and he immediately informs us of his latest temptation with taboo and boundary pushing - he's got a crush on a both a girl and a boy. It's sad that his character is once again used as a platform for shock instead of an actual exploration of a child growing up confused and looking for guidance. However, the next scene is oddly (and refreshingly) emotional between Marty and his father Jeremiah. Sure, it's almost as on the nose as everything else in the show - "it's what families do Marty" - but the two actors, Cheadle and Turman, are good enough to make it work.

As bad as a lot of this episode was, and it was bad, there were still improvements worth noting. There seems to be a desire to implement both an episodic and serialized mode of storytelling and even if the episodic was a major let-down, the serialized planted a few interesting seeds for the future. For example, "Microphallus" marked the return of Greg Norbert and MetroCaptial, the clients from the premiere, "Gods of Dangerous Financial Instruments." As much as I’ve been trying to forget that show, it now makes sense why it devoted so much of its time developing this Norbert character as it seems that MetroCapital will play a big part in the series after all. It’s actually one of the better elements of the episode and a smart move because it immediately adds conflict to counteract Marty’s apparent free reign at the firm. And it's not just promising because of the developing rivalry with Norbert but also since it hints at a wedge growing between Marty and Skip.

"Yeah, but you're not going to fuck her Marty. You're not going to fuck her Marty!?!"

However, the moments of promise - as well as the positive structural developments - were basically all erased by the more than lacklustre procedural part of "Microphallus." The part of the episode that involved, well, the titular tiny phallus was just about as inspired as the title itself. House of Lies seems to think that sexual 'edginess' will automatically translate into funny and or compelling television. It does not, and both the running gag - Doug's apparent encounter with a 'tranny' - and the dinner party - complete with the wife who loves 'black dick' as well as the husband's foot fetish and microphallus - were incredibly uninspired. I don't even want to get into how Clyde's ongoing joke with Doug completely undermines everything positive they are trying to with Marty's defense of his son's alternate lifestyle choices (even if they themselves seem there for the sake of being there) because it's already depressingly unfunny not to mention, been done before.

This week the procedural aspect of the show has the 'Pod' visiting yet another large corporation, however, this time the issue isn't about their image but instead about the implementation of a new ERP called Apache. Yeah, I don't really know what that means except that the CEO of this soft drink company wants to go ahead with the new development while both the CFO and middle management think it will have disastrous results. During the tour of the place, and our first and only Zach Morris-esque aside, Marty breaks down what is really going on, and that all that matters, as always, is leverage. Therefore, when the CFO's wife who "loves black dick" invites you and Jeannie over to the house for dinner, you go. And I guess when the wife wants you to have sex with her in her special room, you do that too. While Marty's side of the party was about as dull and unfunny as a sex romp can be, Jeannie's interaction with the CFO was a bit more compelling. And I don't mean that his foot fetish or the events were at all fresh but is was interesting to see that her character is willing to go as far as her boss.

"It is to me. It's personal, to me. And that's kind of what matters now, isn't it?"

There were a few good one liners that made their way into the script, like how Marty didn't want to 'put his foot in his mouth' when talking to the CFO. Too bad right after that, they have to go and spoil it when the CFO returns the barb by commenting on Marty's 'deep seeded issues' like we needed our mid-episdoe reminder that this is his mom committed suicide week. They do wrap up the procedural side of the show in a pretty interesting way, having Marty essentially make an honest recommendation only to turn around and unethically phone a competitor (Pepsi) to divulge secrets and land the account when they inevitably buy this sinking turd out. Again, too bad that was only a minute or so of the show when the rest is wasted being painfully not clever - like Clyde wrapping up his gag on the plane - but I'll take the glimmers when I can get them.

In a nice parallel with the first MetroCapital sequence, the closing scene with Skip plays up the coming conflicts at work and how they will challenge Marty not just as a consultant but as a person. As we saw in tonight's episode (even if poorly executed), Marty burns bridges and that's not good business when you're in the relationship business and it's definitely not good for your relationships. Skip adding trouble at work, the last place Marty was still seemingly in control, proved too much to handle and he calls up Clyde for a night on the town. They grab a few phone numbers at the bar and then Marty steals a car and goes comically suicidal. I think one of the biggest problems is the desire to do too much, too quickly. It's only been 3 thirty minute episodes and we already have ten or more recurring characters plus 3 or 4 guests each week. How else could they paint them all if not in broad strokes? And that's understandable for the procedural guest characters but trying to add depth to ten characters too soon just creates a cast of caricatures who are hard to care about.

If there was something positive to take away from this episode, it's that "Microphallus" almost feels like a second pilot. A lot of the better moments were spent planting seeds for the larger seasonal narrative for Marty, especially when it comes to the possible MetroCapital acquisition, the rivalry with Greg Norbert and the rocky relationship with Skip. However, these attempts are all for naught if the show (as a whole and within each particular episode) doesn't find a more consistent tone, some emotional weight and, well, a few laughs. I think I've said this three weeks running but House of Lies has potential but can it realize it before it's too late?

House of Lies airs Sundays at 10 p.m ET on Showtime. It stars Don Cheadle, Kristen Bell, Ben Schwartz, Josh Lawson, Dawn Oliveri, Glynn Turman and Donis Leonard Jr. It was created by Matthew Carnahan.

Showtime’s House of Lies didn't impress last week with its premiere "Gods of Dangerous Financial Instruments." Too much style and not enough substance. However, with a core cast (Don Cheadle, Kristen Bell, Ben Schwartz and Josh Lawson) this talented and usually so enjoyable to watch, the series has to improve right? "Amsterdam" was still far from something I'd recommend but if anything it was definitely a vast improvement. And not only that, the series' second episode even contained a truly great sequence. There's hope but first...

"You have to be willing to violate. Violate personal space. Violate manners. Violate the law. Hell, violate every molecule so all that is left is the yes."

It's fitting that in the opening recap Cheadle's Marty Kaan explains that every week his team, the Pod, will meet with a different client and try to bilk them out of their money. On the surface, that's rather interesting because, unlike the medical, police and law procedurals we're so accustomed to, a consulting procedural is seemingly new. It also offers a nice structure for not just the shows but the series. It appears that House of Lies will be both episodic and serialized, focusing on a new client each week as well as developing the character conflicts and relationships over time. Unfortunately for the show, neither seems to work all that well just yet.

The episode opens with a sequence as horrible as any of the worst parts of last week. Again, the stylistic trappings are annoying and weigh everything down. Marty's at lunch with a possible client and he plays up how dire the circumstances will be if they don't work with Galweather & Stern. However, the speech is so over-the-top, accentuated by the flashy visuals and too easy and obvious use of the gospel music, that I can't possibly see any savvy business man buying the bullshit. Despite my reservations, Kaan's a closer and he doesn't just finish the deal with the sweaty business head but also manages to finish with his ex-wife, consulting competitor and all-around horrible person. I'll admit, while not amused by the psycho-sex, I did laugh at the two them saying the safe word in unison. Amsterdam!

"They're close friends of mine. So, I'd like to see what you can do for 'em. I mean, don't undercharge them for God sakes."

The rest of the episode was considerably better. It was less concerned with being really cool and actually delivered some genuine(ly funny) moments for the main characters. Kaan arrives back at the offices of G&S smelling like a closer while the hapless Doug has taken to wearing vanilla or, as Clyde puts it, "after-shavey cookies" to impress the ladies. Marty is soon pulled away by a (weekly?) call from his son's principal. She is again very concerned with the other parents' concern over Roscoe's 'gender bending' and the scene plays like a complete re-hash of last week's events between the pair.

The Pod are sent to see their boss Skip (Richard Schiff) who, along with 'The Rainmaker' - introduced in one of those annoying, fourth wall breaking asides - in turn sends them to Phoenix to meet with this week's client. I wish I had more to say about the scene since there were so many great actors present yet it was pretty forgettable (save the one good quote above in bold). On the way to the plane, Jeannie receives a call from a former flame and the boys all follow her around listening intently. Any scene with Bell taking the lead is a good scene. At the airport, Cat Deeley - who was briefly mentioned before - sits down across from the vanilla smelling Doug and he does his best to pick her up. Unfortunately for Doug, mid-krump he spills coffee all over himself. Fortunately for Doug, Deeley steps in to pat him dry. Another enjoyable sequence, especially the way it's filmed to position his co-workers as another audience (a participating one in Clyde's case), even if it goes a step or two too far when Doug ultimately blows it. "Don't look at me."

They arrive in Phoenix and the week's procedural thread finally gets going. After a brief walk and talk bit of exposition to introduce the client to us - a sports franchise whose owners are a couple on the verge of divorce - the Pod are quickly ushered in to pitch. Cheadle shines during these fast talking monologues but I find it hard to believe that his disciples, I mean team, would be standing around in awe, talking about how good he is right in the middle of the meeting. Anyway, the briefing quickly breaks into bickering and the series confuses screaming vulgarities for comedy. They leave to prepare the next phase of the pitch while Jeannie excuses herself for her date. Too bad that her former man, a Joel McHale knock-off, is just a head hunter only there on business. Bell is really wonderful in the scene and her character might be the only one worth liking (not that the two cronies, Lawson and Schwartz, aren't entertaining).

"Just say yes."

Jeannie arrives back at the strategy session and the boys can't help but be curious as to why she'd be returning to work immediately after a date. Surprisingly, the tight lipped lone female member of the Pod decides to share her romantic woes and it turns into the best scene of the series thus far. Actually, that's an understatement. The scene seamlessly turns the focus from Jeannie to Doug to Clyde and it's incredible to watch Cheadle and Bell as they watch Lawson and Schwartz play out the can Clyde pickup Cat Deeley scenario. I knew Schwartz was funny (he's great as Jean-Ralphio) but I didn't know he could carry a scene this well and/or deliver the range that he displayed here. Actually, all four work very well together and just like last week, the show is at its best when the core cast bicker, banter and bullshit with each other. It was truly a great sequence and fosters hope that the series might actually have a lot to offer.

Doug knocks on Marty's hotel room door in the middle of the night having found the one hundred million dollars that the husband/owner had hidden away to keep from losing in the divorce proceedings. And, in a sadly predictable move, the consulting team convinces him (using their knowledge of the money as leverage) that the best recourse is a 'fakeconciliation' with his wife in order to keep from losing the team to the league. This ending was not just foreshadowed throughout the episode but painfully telegraphed. I think I can remember at least three times where it's mentioned that 'if they only would stay together, the team would be fine, or something to that effect.

The episode closes on Jeannie confronting Marty about the head-hunter and if he's the reason the job offer has suddenly been rescinded. Of course he is, and to the show's credit, Jeannie's reaction is quite complex and interesting. She plays like she's mad but soon reveals (only to us) a huge grin, suggesting that she's just happy to be wanted. How nice for a not-so-nice show. Overall the episode was a giant leap forward. Last week I noted that even the second half of the pilot seemed much improved on the first and that trend also continued this week. Perhaps somewhere down the line, once the kinks are ironed out, this could be an interesting (and recommendable) series. And at least we know for sure that the cast will always be great, even if the material isn't.

House of Lies is on Sundays at 10 p.m. on Showtime. It stars Don Cheadle, Kristen Bell, Ben Schwartz, Josh Lawson, Dawn Oliveri, Glynn Turman and Donis Leonard Jr. It was created by Matthew Carnahan.

House of Lies is Showtime's new half-hour comedy about wealth management con-sultants. Based on Martin Kihn’s book, “House of Lies: How Management Consultants Steal Your Watch and Then Tell You the Time, ” the series was adapted by Matthew Carnahan and stars Don Cheadle, Kristen Bell and Ben Schwartz. The pilot "Gods Of Dangerous Financial Instruments" was directed by Emmy award winning Stephen Hopkins. Now, if that came across as a laundry list, well, that was the point. There are a lot of talented people involved in this show so the fact that the first episode was, well, a bit of a train wreck doesn't mean the series won't get better.

The hardest genre to pull off is comedy. And satire - which I think was the goal - is Mount Everest. It's Dr. Strangelove. Or for television, it's Arrested Development. It's certainly no easy feat and House of Lies definitely struggled to find its footing. For the most part, any indictment of the system was buried under mountains of 'style' and it came across as playtime in the world of the one percent instead of any kind of scathing statement. However, it's worth keeping in mind that many first episodes aren't very good and perhaps have to establish the world our characters live-in before irreverently tearing it apart. So, on with "Gods of Dangerous Financial Instruments."

"Don't ever fuck your ex-wife."

This is probably where the show ran into the most trouble. It's the series opening. The first impression. And it played as my least favorite segment of the entire episode. It opens on Don Cheadle's Marty Kaan waking up in a naked ying-yang with a still sleeping woman. He's clearly not happy with the situation - it turns out it's because it's his ex-wife and business rival - and is unable to wake her up. At this point, I'm thinking she could possibly be dead so the ensuing physical comedy doesn't really work so well.

Okay, the butt-cheek to Cheadle cheek was amusing as was the following knowing glance break of the fourth wall but when he soon breaks into full on time-outs (I feel like this is the time I'm obligated to mention Zack Morris and Saved by the Bell) to explain management consultant terminology - even when the term is completely clear to the most mildly discerning audience ('counseled out') - it just falls flat and kills all the momentum. Oh, and I forgot about Kaan's son Roscoe. Or should I say the moment my doubts turned to full fledged fears. Was the series really going to kill itself with cliches and stylistic trappings all in the first two minutes? In fact, the first half of the episode is almost unwatchable.

House of Lies' only redeeming factor is the cast. Somewhat salvaged by good performances all around - and the cast was really entertaining - the style still complete overpowers everything else on screen. I don't think there was a moment in the first ten minutes that wasn't accompanied by some bombastic and annoying piece of music or the all too frequent asides. After Marty ushers his wife out of his apartment, he, his flamboyantly homosexual son and his sweet and sensible father Jeremiah (Glynn Turman) have breakfast together where we learn that Roscoe wants to play the part of Sandy in the school's production of Grease. The exchange between Marty and Jeremiah after the son leaves is the first that seems genuine and the show would do well to exploit more of these quiet moments.

"You're Kaan? You're the mad genius we're paying all this money for? Well, why don't you just tell us what you're thinking. Go."

The trappings carry as we meet the team at Galweather & Stearn including Jeannie (Bell), Clyde (Ben Schwartz) and Doug (Josh Lawson). During a very Sorkin like walk and talk introduction (one that manages to span the entire country) we get a little taste of each of the members of the team but not enough to make them feel like actual people. Bell gets a little more attention but merely as a banter paddle for Cheadle's Kaan. Luckily, all the actors have enough charisma to bring a little something to make their non-characters stand out at times. It doesn't help that most of these introductory minutes, especially the Jeannie and Marty exchange, are just heaps of exposition masked with swear words and sexual advances.

Soon the team arrive at the client's downtown skyscraper and we finally begin to see what a management consultant actually does, namely, crunching numbers and more bullshitting. The client this week is one of the nation's top fake financial firms (MetroCapital) who has recently taken a beating in public perception. Obviously. Enter Galweather & Stearn to consult them on how to still be able to gives themselves fat bonus checks while not looking like complete monsters. Being complete monsters, completely fine. Looking like complete monsters, completely unacceptable. One of the top executives in the firm is Greg Norbert (Greg Germann) and he actually gets more screen time in the pilot than the rest of the team. Norbert brings Marty into a strategy session and here's where I actually found myself getting a little excited at the prospect of what this show could be in the future.

While still heavy on the style, we get two good sequences back to back. I found the 'Management Consulting 101' segment to be really entertaining and provide actual insider insight on how the system relies on so much bullshit. This is what the series should be about. I'm not suggesting that you shouldn't have interesting characters too (you need them) but don't mistake outrageous or stereotypical for interesting or developed. Anyway, back to the positive, the boardroom sequence was quite good - flashcards and all - and even though Marty walked away defeated, he followed it up with a great phone call with his son's principal. And so is the ensuing exchange between the members of G&S... "Congratulations, that's one of the pink ladies right?" Unfortunately, all that good will kind of goes out the window in the next few scenes, first with the really on the nose discussion between Marty and Jeannie and then the entire strip club scene. I'll admit, I like watching Kristen Bell dance as much as the next guy (and Jean Ralphio with strippers is funny) but it seems to be lacking any sense of self-awareness, irony or, you know, humor.

"The moment when you have the guys who have the world by the balls, by the balls."

Soon Marty leaves the strip club with a particularly attractive and intelligent dancer to go share some breakfast and there he runs into Greg Norbert. A man easily impressed by trophies, Greg invites the Kaans - oh, yes, she pretends to be Marty's wife - out to dinner with the Norberts. That way they can also prep for the presentation, a tidbit Marty is happy to share with the rest of the team when he arrives smelling of booze and in the same clothes as the previous night. I loved Clyde with the two cans of Monster on top of one another. Again, the more time actually spent with the team bantering, the more enjoyable the show becomes. Bell, Schwartz and Lawson were by far the best part of the episode, if only they were given more to do. This isn't a knock on Cheadle, who was great with the group as well, but more on the needlessly outrageous scenes that Marty gets into on his own - or worse, ones like a lesbian encounter between two peripheral characters.

Sorry, before the dinner date goes off the rails, we first learn that Marty's ex-wife Monica (Dawn Olivieri) is also a management consultant. And not only that, she works at a better firm that's being brought in to bid on the same job. Oh, and did I mention that she, in only a few minutes of screen time, might be the most unlikable character on television? While her and her "cunties" go into the financial firm to likely steal the job away from G&S, Marty decides to have a little quiet time with the homeless lady living out front. Homeless thanks to MetroCapital. And now, back to dinner with his stripper-wife and the Norberts. While the boys talk shop at the table, the ladies decide to go and fool around in the bathroom. I'm not sure why either. The rest of the dinner is equally enlightening with the final eruption again, way over the top.

The next morning, the team watches Marty's Ex dazzle the room while we're forced to listen to another forced exchange between him and Jeannie. She tells him her diagnosis, that he's just a scared little man, before they go into the boardroom for their presentation. This part completely won me over. It showed why this group of people are able to bilk the people who bilk people out of their money. It's a pretty well executed sequence, showing how, with a little creativity and hard-work, you can have your cake and eat it too. Their advice to come clean and implement a (paper tiger) amnesty plan to divert public perception and allow them to cash in on their bonuses. After all the disqualified applicants, the firm will end up spending no more than a few image spots would have cost them, except this way they actually look good and get rich. That's the kind of sequences the show should be striving for, the kind that peel back facade and show how things really work. Leave all the stylistic trappings behind. I want the insider information and I want it presented as brutally as possible. Let comedy will come from the characters.

House of Lies is on Sundays at 10 p.m. on Showtime. It stars Don Cheadle, Kristen Bell, Ben Schwartz, Josh Lawson, Dawn Oliveri, Glynn Turman and Donis Leonard Jr. It was created by Matthew Carnahan.

This Sunday night is full of big premieres on Showtime. One of them, on the network constantly trying to compete with HBO and AMC, is an exciting new series called House of Lies. A half-hour, satirical comedy about a wealth management company full of fast-talking, spin-sters bent on influencing the rich on how to spend their money, while taking a hefty sum for themselves along the way.

Starring Don Cheadle, Kristen Bell and Ben Schwartz (Jean-Ralphio from NBC's Parks and Recreation) the new series should easily be any most anticipated list. Add Emmy award winning director Stephen Hopkins to the mix and it was no wonder it quickly got picked up for a full season after the the initial pilot order late last year. Based on Martin Kihn's book, "House of Lies: How Management Consultants Steal Your Watch and Then Tell You the Time," the show follow's Cheadle's Marty Kaan and his teams of consultants as the bilk the rich amongst some other lascivious activities.

What else is there to do when you're young, successful and "have the people who have the world by the balls, by the balls"? Showtime released two clips from this Sunday's premiere. In the first, appropriately titled "Trophy Wives," we get a taste of Don Cheadle's Marty Kaan and the kind of behaviour we should expect from him (galavanting with high-class, uh, escorts) and his exceedingly rich and desperately to impress clientele. Looks like a sticky situation. The second, introduces the rest of the team and the kind of awesome banter we should expect from the group as well as their (lack of) faith in Kaan, their definitely fearless leader. I love the double Monster cans. Ridiculous.

Showtime released the full pilot online last week, as well as the season openers of Californication and Shameless, but since all the good bits were edited out, waiting for the proper premiere this weekend seemed like a good decision. Okay fine, I watched the edited pilot but that doesn't mean I won't still be tuning in to watch the unedited version. Damn you, Showtime.

House of Lies is set to premiere on Showtime, January 8, 2012 at 10 p.m. It stars Don Cheadle, Kristen Bell, Ben Schwartz, Josh Lawson, Dawn Oliveri, Glynn Turman and Donis Leonard Jr. It was created by Matthew Carnahan.

Official Synopsis via Showtime,

In just a couple of weeks, Showtime will premiere their new series House of Lies, however you don’t have to wait that long to catch a look at the first episode. The series premiere showed up online last night and you can watch it here in its entirety.

House of Lies stars Don Cheadle as Marty Kaan, the leader of a team of management consultants who use the art of spin and fast-talking to dazzle their clients and score a hefty paycheck in the process. Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars, Forgetting Sarah Marshall) is also among the cast.

The video appears to be edited, which means in addition to bleeped out swearing, our eyes have also been shielded to nudity, which you’ll see within the first few minutes of the video. Awkward editing aside, TV is slow right now, and what better way to whet our appetites for something new and potentially great than to give us a glimpse of the series premiere? Thanks, Showtime!

Here’s the video, which will hopefully stay up and available for viewing between now and the official premiere (Sunday, January 8th at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT)

If you’ve been watching the trailers for Showtime’s upcoming new series House of Lies and wishing you had Showtime so you could see the premiere, you may be in luck. Showtime has conveniently (likely intentionally) set up the weekend of the premiere as a free preview weekend for the pay-cable channel. So, depending on your cable provider, you may have the opportunity to catch the premiere even if you aren’t a paying Showtime subscriber.

The information about the Free Preview Weekend, which is set to take place from January 6th to January 8th, came in the description of the preview video posted below, which gives us a look at Don Cheadle, Kristen Bell and the rest of the cast. House of Lies stars Cheadle as Marty, a “big-money earner” at a management consulting firm. You’ll get a good idea of what he and his “take the men with the world by the balls by the balls” mentality are all about in the video below.

There’s a bonus to this news. January 8th also happens to be the same night Shameless returns for Season 2, which means those who benefit from the Showtime free preview weekend will also get to see Frank Gallagher and his household of too-many-kids return for a new season.

Last week, Showtime released the key art for the second season of Shameless. Today we have some art for the upcoming new series House of Lies, which shows off some very sharp teeth, along with the series’ main cast.

House of Lies is set to premiere January 8, 2012, following the second season premiere of Shameless, the series if created by Matthew Carnahan and based on the book "House of Lies: How Management Consultants Steal Your Watch and Tell You the Time” by Martin Kihn. The half-hour comedy follows a “highly succesful and cutthroat consultant” who’s willing do whatever it takes to get things done. Among the cast is Kristen Bell and Don Cheadle, both of whom you’ll see in the poster below, which has them in the company of sharks, which is probably fitting...

The female lead for the Showtime pilot House of Lies has been cast. Set to star opposite Don Cheadle is Dawn Olivieri (Heroes, True Blood).

According to Deadline, Olivieri will play the “crazy, pill-popping ex-wife and biggest professional competition” to Cheadle’s character Marty. House of Lies follows Marty, who is described as a “self loathing highly successful management consultant form a top-tier firm who is never above using any means (or anyone) necessary to get his clients the information they want.” The series is a dark comedy, based on a book by Martin Kihn.

Olivieri’s previous credits include the role of Andie Star in an episode of The Vampire Diaries and the voice of Pepper Potts in The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. True Blood fans may remember her as Alcide’s sister Janice. She gave Sookie a proper make-under so she could blend in at the bar where Debbie’s engagement party was taking place. Olivieri’s also credited as playing Lydia/Maggie in Heroes.

Showtime network could be getting even more excellent acting talent, should things go well for their upcoming pilot House of Lies. Word is, Don Cheadle has signed on for the lead role.

When I read the Reporter’s news that Don Cheadle (Iron Man 2) was cast in Showtime’ s House of Lies pilot, I automatically thought of William H. Macy, who’s starring in Showtime’s upcoming new series Shameless (premiering in January) and how both actors starred in Boogie Nights together. As a fan of the film and both actors, it gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling to think of Cheadle and Macy on the same network together. Cheadle, like Macy, is a fantastic actor and would be an excellent addition to Showtime’s growing list of outstanding talent.

House of Lies is being put together by Dirt’s Matthew Carnahan. The series is based on a book called House of Lies: How Management Consultants Steal your Watch and Tell you the Time. I haven’t read the book but the title alone has be somewhat sold on the TV show. The reporter describes it as a dark comedy, which makes me think it’ll fit in nicely on the network, which plays host to Weeds and Californication.

The reported stated that the project will go into production in February.