Alpha House: Season 1

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 18 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 35 Ratings

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6.8

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6.8	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 35 Ratings

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Alpha House: We Can't Coordinate

Now Playing: Alpha House: We Can't Coordinate

Season Details & Credits

Amazon Instant Video | Prime Video | Amazon Prime Video | Season Premiere Date: April 19, 2013

Starring: Matt Malloy, John Goodman, Mark Consuelos

Summary: Amazon's first original series is a political comedy from Doonesbury cartoonist Gary Trudeau about a group of U.S. senators who share a Washington, D.C. rental house. John Goodman, Clark Johnson, Cynthia Nixon, Wanda Sykes, Matt Malloy, and Amy Sedaris star. Episodes after the first three will be exclusive to Amazon Prime members.

Creator: Garry Trudeau and Gary Trudeau and Gary Trudeau

Genre(s): Comedy, Drama

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Season 1 Episodes

tbd
S1:E11. In the Saddle
Air Date: January 10, 2014
tbd
S1:E10. Showgirls
Air Date: January 3, 2014
tbd
S1:E9. The Rebuttal
Air Date: December 27, 2013

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

TV Guide Magazine Matt Roush

Nov 15, 2013

Alpha House is satire at its most blistering and biting, delivered by a master of the trade: Doonesbury's Garry Trudeau, whose contempt for political cynicism, venality and hypocrisy doesn't keep the jaded protagonists of this bawdy, brazen comedy from being great company. Read full review

Brian Lowry

Nov 14, 2013

Amazon’s Alpha House is a polished comedy--not a game-changer, but the kind of show a premium service should be happy to have. Read full review

Ellen Gray

Nov 15, 2013

A very funny political comedy from "Doonesbury" creator Garry Trudeau and journalist Jonathan Alter that could hold its own with HBO's "Veep." Read full review

Alessandra Stanley

Nov 14, 2013

Mr. Trudeau has a feel for not just political hypocrisy but also character, and this cast manages to bring life and even some charm to these Capitol Hill caricatures. Alpha House is not yet as sharply honed as “Veep,” but it could get there; it certainly has plenty of material to work with. Read full review

Rob Owen

Nov 20, 2013

Another of those amusing but not necessarily laugh-out-loud funny sitcoms that are so popular on premium cable channels. Read full review

James Poniewozik

Nov 15, 2013

The best reason to stick with Alpha House so far is that its ideas are stronger than its execution.... If Trudeau wants to argue, say, that today’s GOP is hypocritical, extreme, or dangerous, that’s fine--that’s satire--but it would be stronger and funnier if it engaged with a non-caricature version of the party. Read full review

Erik Adams

Nov 27, 2013

Alpha House hits a few notes of inspired satire--like the bowl of American flag lapel pins the senators keep on the kitchen counter--but Trudeau’s been more biting and much funnier elsewhere, past TV efforts like Tanner ’88 and the malaise-infected Doonesbury Special included. Read full review

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User Score

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6.8

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User Reviews

Jecht_342

May 4, 2014

This show is certainly dry in it's humor, but it is hilarious. John Goodman and Clark Johnson are absolutely hilarious. The show is also very liberal. If you are a liberal and a political junkie, you'll probably like it. I can't imagine many conservatives would like it, and I wonder ifThis show is certainly dry in it's humor, but it is hilarious. John Goodman and Clark Johnson are absolutely hilarious. The show is also very liberal. If you are a liberal and a political junkie, you'll probably like it. I can't imagine many conservatives would like it, and I wonder if that is affecting the user score for this show.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

cavmpc

Oct 12, 2014

This series is brilliant satire. What makes it so effective, very funny, and yet absolutely interesting, is that it is very close to the truth in depicting the political class. The actors are perfect; the dialogue is witty, clever, and, frequently they deliver a perfect caricature of theThis series is brilliant satire. What makes it so effective, very funny, and yet absolutely interesting, is that it is very close to the truth in depicting the political class. The actors are perfect; the dialogue is witty, clever, and, frequently they deliver a perfect caricature of the speech, attitudes, and unwitting hypocrisy of so many politicians. Highly recommended.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

rubizzy

Jan 28, 2014

This is a great show, with 2 major let downs. The first is that each episode is much too short. Politics is a lot more involved than 20+ minutes can allow for. Second would have to be the poor attempts at tying all of the episodes together. We get it, you are supposed to take more than oneThis is a great show, with 2 major let downs. The first is that each episode is much too short. Politics is a lot more involved than 20+ minutes can allow for. Second would have to be the poor attempts at tying all of the episodes together. We get it, you are supposed to take more than one episode to run for and win elected office but surely we can spend some time doing a little more political fighting. Other than those two small complaints its a brilliant and thanks to John Goodman funny show.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

tvnewsguido

Sep 2, 2014

I was late to the party on this one. Thanks for the snub Emmy voters, the coverage put it on my radar.

There's a heavily left-wing political agenda at play here but the show relies on logic (instead of snide cheap shots) to make its point. It's a very likable and funny cast ofI was late to the party on this one. Thanks for the snub Emmy voters, the coverage put it on my radar.

There's a heavily left-wing political agenda at play here but the show relies on logic (instead of snide cheap shots) to make its point.

It's a very likable and funny cast of characters and almost every single thing about it works on multiple levels.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

RokuGuru

Mar 12, 2016

The big problem with this show is that it's not very funny. It's supposed to be a parody of right wing politics, but like left wing talk radio, the so-called jokes are boring. The episodes are short also, so there's not as much content as expected.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Rewrite

Jan 16, 2014

I had high hopes for this show, hoping for a lighter 'House of Cards' driven by Gary Trudeau's talent. Those hopes quickly crashed.
There were moments in this show that were good that were drowned in the larger cringe-worthy abyss. The scenes that featured Clark Johnson were oftenI had high hopes for this show, hoping for a lighter 'House of Cards' driven by Gary Trudeau's talent. Those hopes quickly crashed.
There were moments in this show that were good that were drowned in the larger cringe-worthy abyss. The scenes that featured Clark Johnson were often interesting and felt like they were realistic. John Goodman is capable of being very funny when he is well directed (Inside Llewyn Davis) but when he is not as in this show he's too over the top. The scenes involving Marc Consuelos and especially Matt Malloy were like actors trapped in a bad Saturday Night Live sketch.
The writing for this show is awful. There is little subtlety and little wit of a good Doonesbury comic strip, just cheap laughs and retread pokes at cardboard politicians, something even Doonesbury lapses into at times. The politicians happen to all be Republican, and as ThinkProgress points out, "One of the dullest decisions in the original pilot of Alpha House was to make all members of the house Republicans, and to make them all risible." But the bigger mistake is not to make the characters actual people. That doesn't mean they have to be likable (again, see Llweyn Davis), just flesh them out some.
If you're the kind of person who laughs at any joke that makes fun of Republicans or Conservatives is funny then this show might be for you, but if you're the kind of person who is empathetic to diverse viewpoints and appreciates intelligent comedy then don't waste your time.… Expand

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

Lienoone

Jan 27, 2014

Just now I suffered through the first episode, and I really like political tv shows, drama and comedies, but this one is just in every sense boring and not funny at all !

0 of 4 users found this helpful04

SEE ALL 10 REVIEWS

Seasons & Episodes

68

Series Overview
Season 2

tbd
- Season 2 Overview
  Air Date: October 24, 2014
Season 1

68
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: April 19, 2013
- tbd
  S1:E11. In the Saddle
  Air Date: January 10, 2014
- tbd
  S1:E10. Showgirls
  Air Date: January 3, 2014
- tbd
  S1:E9. The Rebuttal
  Air Date: December 27, 2013
- tbd
  S1:E8. Ruby Shoals
  Air Date: December 20, 2013
- tbd
  S1:E7. Prayer Brunch
  Air Date: December 13, 2013
- tbd
  S1:E6. Zingers
  Air Date: December 6, 2013
- tbd
  S1:E5. Hippo Issues
  Air Date: November 29, 2013
- tbd
  S1:E4. Triggers
  Air Date: November 22, 2013
- tbd
  S1:E3. All Weapons Red
  Air Date: November 15, 2013
- tbd
  S1:E2. No Shame
  Air Date: November 15, 2013
- tbd
  S1:E1. Pilot
  Air Date: April 19, 2013