On TV: House of Lies, starring Don Cheadle - hard-core fibbing from world of management consultancy
Black comedy based on Martin Kihn's book plays like an Entourage-for-city-suits
When I was a boy, my mother always knew when I was lying. Whether I was nonchalantly fibbing or attempting to sell a whopping pork pie, she was uncannily adept at seeing through my deceit. Now I'm older and uglier, I get to call her out on bending the truth - but her "little white lies", she claims, are meant to prevent the truth from hurting someone.
Still lies, though, Mum. Still lies.
If there is a smidgeon of truth to Showtime's black comedy drama House of Lies (FX, tomorrow at 9.30pm) then I'm grateful I didn't choose a career in the big-money world of management consultancy, because I wouldn't have lasted a day.
Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda) plays Marty Kaan, the brilliant but ruthless leader of the "pod", a team of manipulative, fast-talking consultants high on profits and low on ethics who assist the filthy rich in getting richer and filthier. With the motto "screw or be screwed", Kaan's cutthroat team include spin doctor Clyde, number-cruncher Josh and Marty's protégé, Jeannie (Kristen Bell; Veronica Mars). They ferociously fire off complicated business jargon to convince their deep-pocketed clients that only they can fix an assortment of financial problems.
Thankfully, for those who, like me, aren't fluent in the language of the 1 per cent, Kaan frequently translates the terminology direct to camera.
Cheadle plays Kaan with oodles of charisma, but these are not loveable rogues. The competing management consultancy firms (one is run by Kaan's ex-wife) are just as shallow as the corporate fat cats they are trying to fleece. Much of the humour comes from their hedonistic and fruitless search for happiness.