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It's More 'Lies' For Showtime: Orders Second Season of Consultant Comedy

Premium Net Also Renews 'Shameless,' 'Californication' For Third, Sixth Campaigns

Mike Reynolds -- Multichannel News, 2/1/2012 2:49:23 PM

This is no con: Showtime has renewed its current Sunday night lineup of original comedy series.

The premium network ordered a second season of House of Lies, starring Don Cheadle as Marty Kaan, who is leading a band of consultants looking to play corporations, for a second season, and picked up third and sixth campaigns of Shameless and Californication. Production on the new seasons of the three series will begin in Los Angeles later this year.

The pick-ups follow strong Nielsens for the trio, which have produced double-digit gains for the returning series and record numbers for the freshman entry.

Shameless, featuring William H. Macy and Emmy Rossum as the leaders of the highly dysfunctional Gallagher family, has averaged 4.75 million watchers across its linear debut and encores, as well as on-demand and DVR viewing -- up 30% from its first season. That delivery ranks second only to serial killer skein Dexter in Showtime's ratings realm.

For its part, House of Lies debuted as Showtime's second highest-rated freshman premiere night ever and is on track to be the network's highest-rated comedy. The series, which also showcases Kristen Bell as part of Kaan's pod, has averaged 3.98 million weekly viewers.

Both shows performed particularly well this past Sunday, with Shameless tallying 1.37 million viewers in the 9 p.m. hour and 1.88 million for the night. House of Lies grew 41% from the prior week to 1.02 million in its 10 p.m. to 10:30 timeslot premiere, and counted 1.35 million on Jan. 20.

The fifth season of Californication, starring David Duchovny as the combustible, sex-magnet writer Hank Moody, has averaged 2.96 million viewers across platforms, up 10% versus its prior season.

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