The story
Four Republican senators share a rented house in Washington, D.C., where re-election fights, primary challengers, scandals and the frictions of shared living all compete for attention. John Goodman leads as a former college basketball coach turned senator, with Clark Johnson, Matt Malloy and Mark Consuelos as his housemates, while a parade of real politicians and famous faces drop by in this send-up of life on Capitol Hill.
Why it matters
Alpha House was an early test of Amazon's then-new pilot scheme: the pilot streamed in April 2013 and won a full series order weeks later. Amazon gave away the first three episodes free and released the rest weekly to Prime members, building an audience for a political satire from the creator of the comic strip Doonesbury.
Notable facts
- It was created by Doonesbury cartoonist Garry Trudeau and inspired by real Democratic senators who shared a row house in Washington. (source)
- Amazon offered the first three episodes free, then released the rest weekly to Prime members. (source)
- Bill Murray appears as Senator Vernon Smits, and real politicians such as Chuck Schumer turn up as themselves. (source)