Alpha House

This show was so much better than I had expected. Not a lot of big names but the writing and acting was amazing. I wish Amazon or someone else would pick this up for at least one more season. So many loose ends.

The comedy was a bit broad for me at the beginning but as far as political comedy goes this is really funny. And it's one of those shows that builds as it goes, it gets more funny with each episode. While the political angle doesn't favor republicans, the characters are actually very likable and the timing is always on point. It's a very different sort of comedy with no dull moment. John Goodman does a good job as the old school politician with major issues, Clark Johnson also pulls some amazing comic chops really effortlessly, Mark Consuelos is also really good but I think next to john Goodman, Matt Malloy has to be the other star here. His character is really complex ranging from outright craziness and socially ineptitude of his character to the Likability and empathy he brings to the characters personal struggles. If you are looking for a political statement this is not the show for that, it is just pure fun with an older age group in mind.

This amusing, well acted political satire by Gary Trudeau isn't quite up to the level of the often brilliant "Tanner 88" he created with Robert Altman. It lacks that earlier series' sharp edges and dark moments that made that now legendary show far more powerful and even painful between the chuckles.

None-the-less, this tale of 4 likable if goofy Republican senators sharing a house in DC has a good number of laughs, and a larger number of slightly rueful smiles. (Along with a trove of enjoyable supporting characters). And while Trudeau's gently left leaning sympathies are clear, you can be sure he shows his Republican protagonists' likable, human sides, and isn't afraid to make Democrats look as opportunistic and small minded.

With Netflix and Hulu quickly becoming production powerhouses, it would only make sense that Amazon would join in. Their first attempt is "Alpha House", created by Garry Trudeau, the man behind the Doonesbury comic strip. I haven't heard a lot about this series so far. At the time of me writing this, it doesn't even have a Wikipedia page. Nevertheless, the show is off to a good start.

"Alpha House" follows four United States Senators who live together in the same house. With rent so high in Washington DC, this is actually something that real life congressman end up doing. We see them go about their days with fund-raisers, committee meetings, lunches, and more. It appears a majority of this season will deal with re-election strategy as they try to hold onto their seats in Congress.

One of the most refreshing things about the show is that even though the four Senators are Republicans, the writers don't have people constantly belittle them and put them down in exceptionally well-written monologues. They instead parody the culture of the right-wing by cartooning the facades of it. I personally find the humor funny, but I hope the writers will do it to Democrats as well. Goodness knows liberals can have a sense of humor about their party too.

A lot of people have called this unoriginal and compared to "House of Cards". This isn't HOC, but it's not trying to be. It's a satirical comedy about the inner workings of the beltway. People crying 'Ripoff' seem to forget that HOC was a remake itself. I have a feeling once the show picks up, people will learn to like it. In the meantime, Amazon hasn't given a timetable saying when the next episodes will be released, but I can't wait to see them!

It's not easy to hear the voice of 'Doonesbury' cartoonist Garry Trudeau in the mouths of John Goodman and the other solid actors of Alpha House. The satire here is more subtle, and surprisingly affectionate. We tend to like these characters, even though they're ambitious, incompetent, self-serving and immoral. The show rarely goes for obvious one-liners. Instead, it gives Washington culture more of a slow-roasting.

Alpha House may be a deliberate attempt to create a US counterpart to such behind-the-scenes British political satires as Yes Minister and The Thick of It. Like those classics, Alpha House depicts politicians not as evil, or Machiavellian, but rather as very human products of a certain unique culture. These are people who wield great power, yet they're just as slow-witted as the rest of us, and just as unaware of their own blinkered viewpoint. Their priorities are shaped by the relentless pursuit of re-election; the needs of the populace hardly enter into it.

By letting us get to know these characters, and even to like them, Alpha House gives us a very different understanding of their world than we'd get from serious political commentary. It's a show you can't help thinking politicians themselves would enjoy, just as Maggie Thatcher was reputed to enjoy Yes Minister.

I hope the Daily Show/Colbert/Realtime audience discovers Alpha House, and gives its approach a chance. This is political humor that's a bit more subtle, but just as worthwhile.