What Happened to Entourage?

First of all, I don't want to come off like that guy who's bashing something just because it's popular. I hate the hipster douche pontificating about a band/tv or film series along the lines of "their first album was so much better" or "that new stuff is so mainstream, maaaaaaan". A lot of times it's unwarranted and reserved for the people who hate when their little indie whatever gets big. BUT in some cases it's true. Especially with tv series. Once things become popular more is made just because it's profitable, not because it fits the story. Look at Family Guy. Granted, not a story driven show, but before they started making new ones it was the big underground phenomenon. Then the network recognized they were retarded for canceling it and ordered a torrent of new episodes. Now the market is flooded and the show just isn't funny anymore. Another example is The Office. For a while there, it was a really funny show, not as good as the BBC version, but it was quite good. Now we're in an awfully unfunny season 6 with no end in sight. Michael Scott's awkwardness isn't funny anymore and I'm about ready to kill Jim and Pam (but 0ddly Dwight's role has been reduced). Their wedding episode was so horrible I was hoping it would end like Beatrix Kiddo's nuptials. Ricky Gervais is really a genius for knowing when to end his shows. He always leaves his viewers wanting more and ironically enough the american version of his show can't seem to get that. On the other hand, look at a show like Battlestar Galactica. The writers came in with a 4 season gameplan and stuck to it. That show could have ran for 7+ seasons with the ratings it was pulling, but it ended when it made sense to. This is something pretty rare for popular tv shows, as most tend to be overextended because of success. The most recent

example is Entourage.

Entourage was a great show through season 4. It was obviously filled with tits and laughs, but there was a really cool satirical/behind the scenes look at Hollywood filmmaking. The story hangs on the career of Vincent Chase and his buddy's shenanigans. Sure, the side characters are much more interesting, but the show revolves around Vinny's career. It started off really logically and naturally; Vince's rise to the top, a season of success, then gave his career a nosedive. The next logical step in story is the comeback and of course the inevitable Oscar. This is how the story goes. About 6 seasons, culminating in Vinny getting a statue and achieving his dreams, yadda yadda. But around season 5 it took a really odd turn. The comedy and Hollywood satire were gone (but the tits stayed, yay). Instead it became a middling drama with horrible storylines regarding these characters. It felt like it was becoming the Eric Murphy show, and while he's a great character, it's not his show. He works as a strong side character to Vince. Nobody gives a shit about his relationship with Sloan. The quintessential 'jumping the shark' moment came in season 6's finale. Eric and Sloan got engaged. What?!?!?!? This is a show about 4 bachelors living a debauched life and now you're gonna marry off a character? It worked giving them girlfriends every now and again but marrying off E was a terrible move. I'm dreading the inevitable marriage episode, complete with overly dramatic piano playing over cheesy vow recital. Separating these characters is the single worst thing that could happen to this show. I know characters have to evolve and change (case in point, Turtle), but radically changing the tone of the show is suicide.

From the hilarious character of Billy Walsh to the entire Aquaman saga, Entourage had a unique position to poke fun at Hollywood. And they did quite often. But it suddenly stopped. Now with the downpour of "gritty re-imaginings", absolute whoring of 3D, and the out of left field comeback stories (Robert Downey Jr/Mickey Rourke), there's tons for this show to work with. Who wouldn't love to see Ari try to pitch Vince on an unnecessary, shitty remake of something like Lawrence of Arabia? Or watch E fight to keep the movie from being converted to 3D? Entourage stood as the voice of the common moviegoer taking shots at the stupidity of Hollywood. It can't be any more obvious to give Johnny Drama either an FX/AMC style comeback tv series or film. He's the guy everyone forgot about and his character is begging for a comeback. It feels like this show is still on only because people like it. Of course it's become the favorite of every asshole fratboy to say how much like Vince he is or calling one of their "bros" a fag for being sensitive like E. That alone is enough to end the show, but more importantly the story has run dry. This season has been filled with "dark, gritty" storylines with the characters dressing in all black and doing dangerous things. If this season ends with Vince in rehab I'm gonna bite somebody. When I saw the fake shock and concern on the boy's faces when Vince did his own stunt I wanted to punch my tv screen. First of all, there's no way in hell they'd kill off the main character so don't even try to make it seem so. And second, nobody cares. "Ooooh Vince is looking for some danger and excitement in his life, so he's skydiving and fucking Sasha Grey"; "oh no E broke an expensive dinosaur fossil"...WHO GIVES A SHIT?!?!? Really makes me wonder what the hell goes on in the writer's room, I'm guessing something like this.

Of course the show's got another 6 episode season and then is going to be concluded with a film. I'll bet now that the last season and consequent film will end with Vince getting a statue and everything being ok. There's no other way to end this show, but it should be happening this season. Season 5 should have been about Vince having to do shitty, mainstream, studio movies (where the Hollywood parody is endless) in order to be seen as a legit actor again. It's seemingly random that the satire stopped. Could it be because the show doesn't want to piss off studios by making fun of them? I hope not. If so then this show has become the very thing it used to make fun of. The indie circuit was the butt of countless jokes, but there never was the head-up-the-ass studio head to counter the artistic, indie, "maaaaaan" character of Billy Walsh. On a positive note, Ari and Turtle have been developed really well. That's about it. The rest of the story and characters have gone to absolute shit. It's obvious popularity has stretched this show beyond it's natural means and the writing has really suffered. Hopefully it can turn it around with the shortened 8th season and concluding movie, but I'm not very optimistic. In the meantime, enjoy the 30 minute douche chill called Entourage and feel free to hide your boiling hatred whenever some vapid fratboy goes on about how his "bros" are just like E, Vince, Turtle, and Drama. God help us all.