House of Lies returns for its third season Jan. 12 and the management consultants' lives are more complicated than ever.
The Don Cheadle-Kristen Bell starrer left off season two with things nothing short of disastrous for Marty (Cheadle): He and Clyde (Ben Schwartz) are fighting, Jeannie (Bell) has just poured out her heart out to him and his son, Roscoe (Donis Leonard Jr.), decides to move in with his mom, Marty's rival, Monica (Dawn Olivieri).
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With the characters starting off in such different places this season, The Hollywood Reporter caught up with the cast and creators at a recent table read to get the scoop on what's ahead in the upcoming third season.
"We’re all in recovery mode in the beginning of season three," Bell told THR of how the characters are adjusting to the substantial plot changes. "It’s full of land minds as to how to get along again."
Here's five things to expect in season three.
1. New characters. "The show attracts very talented people to it," Cheadle told THR. "Everybody wants to come play." Among this season's new additions, Happy Endings star Eliza Coupe joins the cast as Marissa, a wild-child Internet company head and heir to a rich media family. ER alum Mekhi Phifer jumps on board to play Dre, a successful business entrepreneur and clothing company founder who hires Marty to help expand his empire. Brad Schmidt adds a handsome devout Christian to the cast as JC Butterman. Genevieve Angelson joins the show as Caitlyn, a love interest for Doug (Josh Lawson).
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Messy relationships. Given Jeannie's feelings for Marty, it's no surprise that the dynamic between the show's leading duo becomes particularly complicated. "The relationships become so intertwined," executive producer Matthew Carnahan says. "One person betrays another and another betrays that person. It’s a comedy but it has an almost Greek tragedy structure to it."
3. More of Marty's personal life. With the merger that carried most of season two dead, the new seasonlong arc will focus less on Marty's work life and more on his personal life. "We get to see more of how he functions, both at home and as a boss," writer Taii K. Austin says. "Instead of railing against the man as he was in the first two seasons, now he is the man and has to deal with a lot of issues he didn't see coming."
4. Nonlinear narrative. Keeping viewers on their toes, the series continues in its nontraditional storytelling fashion. In fact, the season premiere kicks off with a dreamy scene involving a flirtatious encounter between Marty and Jeannie but quickly cuts to Marty sitting next to a different girl on a turbulent plane at night.
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5. More wreckage. In addition to developing the new faces, season three will dig deeper into the existing characters, furthering delving into their psyches. The theme of wreckage will also continue to explored, the writers say, as it has in the previous episodes. As Cheadle told THR, "Expect a doubling down of what was going on in season two."
House of Lies returns Sunday, Jan. 12 at 10 p.m. on Showtime.
