“I look like I make jeans to you, pal?” – Butcher dude
I’m finding it challenging to get a solid read on How to Mait It in America.
The confusing part to me is that I get what it’s going for: kind of an urban, gritty version of Entourage with New York City hustlers scrambling to make something of themselves, with antics and parties and a gloriously chaotic and frenetic city as its backdrop. I get what it’s going for, but it’s not quite getting there yet. So I found myself disappointed from nearly the first scene, and that feeling didn’t really let up throughout the half hour.
Entourage takes a lot of flak for a number of reasons, but I’ve always disagreed. I find it to be an easygoing, fast paced, and often hilarious show with great characters and an engaging cast. And right now my takeaway is that How to Make It in America is proving how hard it is to achieve Entourage-like heights.
Luiz Guzman as Rene is a standout (as he often is) but his scenes have a different feel than the relatively lighter scenes with Ben (Bryan Greenberg) and Cam (Victor Rasuk). Perhaps a Carlito’s Way to an Entourage-lite? Perhaps as the series matures the two sides will interact more (and on a final Entourage note, Rene is the Ari Gold figure, right?) and things will gel overall. And get funnier, too!
From Around the Web: How to Make It in America, “Crisp”
- TV Fanatic: We like the writers ability to show that stepping into this world wouldn’t be a piece of cake. This brought in a sense of realism to the show that we like. We want to see our main characters struggle and have a hard time making their dreams come true. This is one element that Entourage is missing.
- TV Overmind: All in all, the shortcomings of the episode were made up for by character development, which seemed to develop with the two, perhaps a result of getting to know the two of them. Now all they need to do is be less stupid.
Some stats and info about How to Make It in America, “Crisp”
TV SHOW – How to Make It in America
SEASON/EPISODE – Season 1, Episode 5
AIRED ON – March 14th, 2010
NETWORK/STREAMING SERVICE – HBO/Max
GENRE – Comedy, Relationship Shows
CREATED BY – Ian Edelman
CAST – Bryan Greenberg, Victor Rasuk, Lake Bell, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Kid Cudi, Luis Guzman
This review originally appeared on TV Geek Army.