It’s a day of domestic pickups at Showtime, as the premium cable network has ordered “House of Lies” and “Homeland” to series.
The two 12-episode orders are the first new series orders under David Nevins’ watch as Showtime Entertainment President.
A half-hour dark comedy, “House of Lies” comes from writer/producer Matthew Carnahan, with a pilot directed by Stephen Hopkins (“Californication”). Oscar nominee Don Cheadle stars as Marty, a cutthroat consultant, willing to do anything for his clients. The pilot also stars Kristen Bell (“Veronica Mars”), Ben Schwartz (“Parks and Recreation”) and Josh Lawson (“Romantically Challenged”) as members of Marty’s team, with Dawn Oliveri, Glynn Turman and Donis Leonard Jr. as members of his family.
Based on the Israeli format, “Homeland” was written by Howard Gordon, Alex Gansa and Gideon Raff and focuses on Claire Danes’ Carrie Anderson, a CIA agent who becomes convinced that a newly freed POW and hero (Damian Lewis) may be part of a terrorist plot. Mandy Patinkin also stars.
“On the heels of successfully launching our four freshman series in the last 8 months, we”re excited to introduce the next wave of Showtime shows,” Nevins states. “‘Homeland’ and ‘House of Lies’ are audacious in both their concept and their casting. They build upon the network”s successful pedigree and expand the definition of what a Showtime series can be.”
Both “House of Lies” and “Homeland” will go into production this summer.
Check out the first image from “Homeland”:
And also the first image from “House of Lies”: