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Just caught House of Lies and was disappointed. I like Don Cheadle and Kristen Bell, but the show's Entourage-like glorification of the corporate lifestyle and male-centric writing - a stripper-lesbian makeout scene, really? You know what demographic this show's after - made for a trying half-hour. It had some enjoyable moments like the "fuck you" video presentation to the corporate execs, but overall it fell flat. Don Cheadle's fourth wall-breaking where he explained every buzzword made the show feel like a business major's fantasy land.

The creator, Helen Hunt's husband Matthew Carnahan, was the guy behind Dirt, so I had low expectations going in. This is actually a step up, but that's saying practically nothing. Carnahan has no nuance or the writing chops for great cable TV. A really good writer is able to slip in the knowledge the audience needs without excessive narration or in this case, an actor directly addressing the camera. A really good, nasty show about a ruthless businessman could work well on premium cable, but this show ain't it.

Noiradelic wrote:A really good, nasty show about a ruthless businessman could work well on premium cable, but this show ain't it.

I haven't actually had a chance to watch it yet (so this really sounds kind of stupid), but isn't that what Boss is supposed to be? At least, based on what I've read about the show.

Boss is about a political boss, and the one episode I saw (perhaps not enough to judge the series) wasn't good.

Noiradelic wrote:A really good, nasty show about a ruthless businessman could work well on premium cable, but this show ain't it.

I think that's what Profit is usually built-up as by its brilliant-but-cancelled cult. Still haven't gotten around to it...

tarpilot wrote:I think that's what Profit is usually built-up as by its brilliant-but-cancelled cult. Still haven't gotten around to it...

Ruthless does not even begin to describe Profit's lead. His sociopathic behavior rivals Walter White and, unlike House of Lies, his manipulative behavior is raised to a level of ridiculousness where it's impossible to see him as anything but a walking condemnation of corporate America as he plays those around him like pawns. It's too bad the DVD is OOP, this was a great discovery for me.

Murdoch wrote:

tarpilot wrote:I think that's what Profit is usually built-up as by its brilliant-but-cancelled cult. Still haven't gotten around to it...

Ruthless does not even begin to describe Profit's lead. His sociopathic behavior rivals Walter White and, unlike House of Lies, his manipulative behavior is raised to a level of ridiculousness where it's impossible to see him as anything but a walking condemnation of corporate America as he plays those around him like pawns. It's too bad the DVD is OOP, this was a great discovery for me.

I thought Profit was quite an interesting show when it was around, though I was only able to catch a few episodes before it was cancelled. Unfortunately, its bizarre mood probably didn't allow it to really gain much of an audience.

Its unpopularity isn't surprising given the coldness of the show, with the male actors speaking in a raspy, Bale-Batman type voice and the sexual relationships being either incestuous or a means of manipulation. I think if it had aired today, alongside shows centering around despicable characters like Dexter, it would have had a better shot at finding an audience, oh well.