Two men who have at one time or another been punch lines in American politics have decided that they want to try slinging around some punch lines themselves, with Amazon’s help.
Former Congressman and New York mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner and former RNC Chair Michael Steele will both be appearing on the season finale of “Alpha House,” which is set to air on Amazon Prime Video this Friday.
Weiner, who is probably best known for botching his political career twice thanks to his tendency to share pictures of his genitalia, and Steele, who was Chairman of the RNC when a consultant expensed bottle service at a bondage-themed strip club to the committee’s account, will both be making guest appearances in the episode, alongside fellow guest stars Tom Brokaw, Bill Murray (reprising his role as disgraced senator Vernon Smits) and Jeffrey Toobin.
It’s unclear what sort of hijinks that motley group will get up to alongside Alpha House’s cast, which includes John Goodman and Mark Consuelos, though a summary of the episode seems to indicate that Steele and Weiner’s respective pasts may play some role in the plot.
In the finale of “Alpha House” season one, Senator Gil John Biggs (played by John Goodman) plans an unexpected event for a fellow Senator who passes away after an “encounter.” Meanwhile, Senator Louis Laffer (played by Matt Malloy) learns if he will represent Nevada for another term and Senator Robert Bettencourt (played by Clark Johnson) attempts to fend off rivals in his re-election bid.
While the show hasn’t been lacking for star power, it hasn’t received some of the rampant enthusiasm that has been the hallmark of Netflix’s competing original programming. Neither Alpha House or Betas, Amazon’s other offering, have received the sort of acclaim that has been showered on Orange is the New Black or House of Cards.
The show is available for free for Amazon Prime subscribers, and people who aren’t subscribed to the company’s service can watch the first three episodes for free.