THE WRATH OF KAAN! DON CHEADLE'S 'HOUSE OF LIES'

Big fish! Don Cheadle and the cast of HOUSE OF LIES. Images: SHOWTIME.

In today's modern world with all its boom or bust mentalities, no company bosses out there seem to be able to make and take critical business decisions without guidance from that mysterious and elusive domain belonging to the management consultant-the territory of the smarmy, well-dressed egos, who, for the most part, do very little for a great deal of money, which makes their advantageous "it can't happen here, but it does!" world of profit earning and low-risk enterprise easy pickings in becoming a fine black comedy satire, of which the new SHOWTIME series HOUSE OF LIES, created by Matthew Carnahan (and based on the book 'House of Lies: How Management Consultants Steal Your Watch and Then Tell You the Time'!), looks set to critically fulfil that function and provide us with some razor sharp storytelling and characterisation taking things up a notch in the growing genre.

He's got all the aces! Don Cheadle as Consultant Marty Kaan!

Be honest, could you resist Kristen Bell?

Film star Don Cheadle, already mixing comedy and drama in past projects like the OCEAN'S ELEVEN saga (I've forgiven him for his terrible attempt at a British accent!), and more recently opposite Brendan Gleeson in the quirky Irish cop themed THE GUARD, may be in one his smoothest and savvy roles yet as the likably ruthless, take-no-prisoners big shark in the fish pond management consultant/spin doctor Marty Kaan, who'll do anything above and below the law (that they can get away with!) to makes sure that outside multi-national companies and their mostly weak-willed bosses know that they need his advice in order to survive and thrive. Along for the ride and the lucrative commissions, Kaan has an equally competitive and no less goal reaching team to assist him, including the lovely ex-HEROES/VERONICA MARS star Kristen Bell-no stranger to dipping her toes in both high drama and high comedy, as the devious blond temptress Jeannie Van Der Hooven. Outside his hire 'em and fire 'em world of enterprise and mind games, Marty also has a continuing battle royale on his hands with his fiery wife, Monica (THE VAMPIRE DIARIES Dawn Oliveri)-his major business rival- and has to content with his opinionated and psychoanalyst father, Jeremiah (Glynn Turman), who helps keep the peace where possible between the separated duo and helps look after their son, Roscoe (Donis Leonard Jr.), a smart kid who's proving to be just as inventive and adaptive in his growing pains as his old man. As they say, "like father like son!"

Trailer: House of Lies - House of Lies Trailer - YouTube

Garnering mostly prositive reviews, the 12 episode season run, which has just started States-side and includes in its guest cast THE WEST WING's Richard Schiff, will be airing on the UK's SKY ATLANTIC channel from the Summer.