I didn’t know this, but apparently House of Lies is based on a fabulously titled book–House of Lies: How Management Consultants Steal Your Watch and Then Tell You the Time, written by the former real-life Booz Allen Hamilton management consultant Martin Kihn.
Perhaps that’s part of what gives the series its ability to be so unapologetic in its portrayal of “the 1%” and the (almost) larger-than-life characters who will stop at nothing to beat them at their own game (and then send them the bill). Leading this group is, of course, the charming anti-hero Marty Kaan, a role for which Don Cheadle achieved popular and critical acclaim. (Rounding out the main cast are Kristen Bell as Jeannie, Ben Schwartz as Clyde, and Josh Lawson as Doug.) Over its five-season run, the series collected thirty-one award nominations and five wins (including the Primetime Emmy for Art Direction in 2014 and Don Cheadle’s Best Actor Golden Globe in 2013). The show has been celebrated for tackling the difficult issues of interracial relationships, police brutality, gender identity, and the wealth gap in America–and remember, this is not only just a half-hour show, but a comedy. Such attempts are not for the faint of heart.
In the fifth season, viewers see the characters dealing with the challenges of raising a baby, navigating political and personal relationships, doing business in a communist country, and giving a TED Talk. When Kristen Bell signed on to star in NBC’s The Good Place, viewers began to wonder if this would be the final season. It was eventually announced that there would indeed be no sixth season, and fans said goodbye to “the pod” when the final episode of Season Five (and of the series) aired on June 12. (Fun fact: that episode was shot on location in Havana, Cuba, and thus made history as this the first American scripted series to be shot in Cuba since the US agreed to re-open diplomatic relations.)
Season Five is currently available for free streaming to both Showtime Anytime and Amazon Prime members. Individual episodes can also be purchased on Amazon and iTunes for $2.99 per SD episode or the entire season for $27.99 / $25.99 respectively. The DVD is available for pre-order on Amazon and will be officially on sale November 29.
