Watching repeats of Entourage for the last several months, however, might provide the answer to which show will assume the role as the next first-stringer. 

A series that began as a light comedy is morphing into one with a bit more depth.  Hollywood’s sordid side – a topic of interest as difficult to shake as a smoking habit – has gradually risen to become the show’s true spotlight character, its Tony Soprano.  Though certainly avoiding the themes other Hollywood dramas have tackled (such as organized crime), the greed and cutthroat nature of the movie “business” is on full display, without apology.  It is the driving force behind the show’s every detail.

But Entourage never shocks its audience, and never attempts to, either.  There are no murders, let alone any blood.  No graphic sacrifices are made for work the way hopeful starlets are rumored to land roles in real life.  The worst thing that happens to Vincent Chase, the show’s movie-star character, is the failure to play Joey Ramone, or being forced into the title role in “Aquaman” to maintain his career’s upward trajectory.  The show attempted a romance between Vincent and Mandy Moore one season.  But whether it was the acting talents of Adrian Grenier, who plays Vince, or the impossibility that his character would entertain such a serious relationship, one thing was clear: it didn’t work.  Since then, thankfully, he has returned to the cozier role of a womanizer.  As fans, after all, we don’t like to think of our movie stars as domesticated.

The rising strength of Entourage has been the way each main character handles, or is handled by, Hollywood.  Central to the show’s success, in fact, is that all 5 main characters carry equal relevance.  A show as light and easy to swallow as Entourage requires small, quick drama, which is best served as Tapas as opposed to one main course.

Ari Gold, the lecherous talent agent, amuses us with his insatiable appetite, though the aims of that appetite aren’t always clear.  After all, it’s not merely money that drives Ari.  He wants to run Hollywood (a concept as easy to grab as a cloud) the way Tony Soprano runs the tri-state mafia ring, albeit without the broken legs and body bags.  He’s a Hollywood player, yes, but his true role as a servant is always on full display whenever his boy Vince enters the room.

And Vince’s entourage – his manager Eric, half-brother Johnny Drama, and driver/dope source Turtle – have developed into more than a single entity at their celebrity friend’s beck and call.  Eric’s a short redhead that no Hollywood heavyweights want to – but have to – listen to because of his role in Vince’s career.  He balances his friendship with Vince and his business interest in creating a movie star in an increasingly fragile manner. 

Johnny Drama, the out-of-work Hollywood has-been, is showing signs of reemergence as he landed a part on Edward Burns’ new pilot near the end of last season.  And Turtle, always donning hip-hop’s hottest clothing lines, has begun his career as a music producer. 

The squad is coming along.

Looking at HBO’s current lineup, knowing The Sopranos will soon drop off the slate, is like Michael Jordan’s final years in the NBA when you knew his inevitable departure would leave a league as worthless to watch as the Kansas countryside.  There are, of course, some excellent shows.  Curb Your Enthusiasm is a classic, The Wire is painfully underrated, and Extras offers the world of Ricky Gervais, always a good thing. 

But there’s no main attraction.  Will Entourage assume the top spot?  The answer begins on Sunday.

 
Scott Goldberg