Once Cuba’s diplomatic ties with America were re-established last year, it was only a matter of time before the entertainment industry would make its return there. Showtime’s hit comedy House of Lies will pave the road back, shooting its Season 5 finale on the Caribbean island.
“Marty and the Pod have traveled the world to land clients,” said Don Cheadle, who stars as the unscrupulous management consultant Marty Kaan, in a statement. “But this historic trip to Cuba is definitely Kaan & Associates’ biggest and wildest adventure yet. It’s sure to be one for the record books, for both our characters and for our cast and crew. We’re grateful to Showtime, our production team and everyone who worked so diligently to make this trip happen.”
Havana, Cuba’s capital, was a hotspot for American entertainers, high rollers, and mafiosos until Fidel Castro’s socialist revolution in 1959 led the United States to cut off all trade and diplomatic ties with the country. Since these ties were restored last year, Discovery Channel has filmed its reality series “Cuban Chrome” on location and Conan’s team traveled there to film an episode of his late night show. But House of Lies will be the first scripted production to shoot in Cuba.
Given that Havana is essentially stuck in the 1950s aesthetically and technologically, it should make for a fascinating television setting.