House of Lies is a sharp, fast-moving dramatic comedy that follows the high-pressure world of management consulting through the eyes of Marty Kaan, played by Don Cheadle, a partner whose talent for persuasion is matched only by his willingness to bend and sometimes break every rule in the book. Originally airing on Showtime, the series blends corporate satire with character-driven storytelling, exploring how far people will go to win in an industry built on selling confidence, certainty, and results at any cost.
House of Lies Cast and Characters
The show centers on the team at Galweather & Stearn and later Kaan & Associates as they navigate demanding clients, internal politics, and the personal fallout of a career defined by constant travel and relentless competition. Marty’s dynamic with Jeannie van der Hooven, played by Kristen Bell, becomes one of the show’s core threads, balancing ambition, loyalty, and the blurred lines between professional and personal lives. Clyde Oberholt and Doug Guggenheim, played by Ben Schwartz and Josh Lawson, round out the group, adding humor and highlighting the different ways consultants adapt to the pressures of the job.
When Marty is not working he is navigating life at home with his son Roscoe, played by Donis Leonard Jr., and his father Jeremiah, played by Glynn Turman. Roscoe’s mother Monica, played by Dawn Olivieri, is a recurring presence as well. She is a fellow management consultant and an addict who manages to be both a co-parent and a competitor at the same time.
Across its five seasons, House of Lies explores themes of power, manipulation, corporate culture, and the cost of success. The show uses stylistic elements like fourth-wall breaks and rapid-fire explanations to pull viewers into the mechanics of consulting, while its character arcs reveal the emotional and ethical compromises behind the scenes.
House of Lies on Showtime
House of Lies originally aired on Showtime from 2012 to 2016 and is based on the nonfiction book House of Lies: How Management Consultants Steal Your Watch and Then Tell You the Time by Martin Kihn. The series also had a digital spinoff Fridays at Galweather, expanding the world with additional character-focused content.
