The List: #33 Entourage

#33
Number of Seasons (To Date): 4
Years Active: 2004 - Present
Network: HBO

There will be some people who will wonder why I put this show so far down the list. Others may wonder why I ranked Entourage at all. To anyone who hasn't seen the show, it seems to be nothing more than a bunch of rich pretty boys in Hollywood doing whatever (and whoever) they want and whenever they want. But that assessment is wrong. They're not all pretty boys. But also, the show is a little deeper than it lets on.

Entourage starts right after Vincent Chase's, Hollywood's newest A-list-to-be man candy star, new movie opened to huge box office receipts. The reviews were fair, but with Chase and Jessica Alba in the starring roles, along with lots of good action scenes, Head On drew in the crowds. With success came excess. Vincent invited his friends from New York to come to LA to live the high life with him. Chase's half brother Johnny "Drama" and Turtle (real name unknown) came right away, believing that they would now be on easy street. Eventually, the more sensible Eric Murphy showed up and became Vince's manager, much to the chagrin of Ari God, Vince's pit bull agent.

The first season is very much about the four friends finally living as they always dreamed. They play golf on their roof, have sex with beautiful women (just because they know Vince) and meet every star they ever dreamed of. But as the series goes on, there are certain... complications that arise from the lifestyle of the rich and famous.

Make no mistake, there is plenty of hedonism in this show, which certainly can be fun to watch (most of E!'s viewership is made up of people wanting to see how celebrities have it made), but the real world rears its ugly head every now and then to keep most of the entourage humble. Granted, some of them get worse doses of reality than others, but part of the reason is based on the way they conduct themselves (Drama tends to get more than his fair share of shit, but it is mainly because of his tendency to sabotage himself).

At the same time, it often seems like things come to easily to people like Vince, which is why Entourage is in the position it is on my list. For example, an entire episode deals with trying to figure out who is going to get left behind when there isn't room on an airplane for all of them. And then a silly deus ex machina occurs and the day is saved. Still, in spite of that, the show is certainly entertaining and worth a look.

Up next: #32...