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March 15, 2007
Yo! Tony's Back—But So's Vinnie
Tube Stake: Programming reviews by Seth Arenstein
Most of the HBO hype for next month will center on a certain infamous New Jersey family that apparently will take its final bow on April 8 at 9pm, kicking off nine shows that technically comprise the second half of its sixth and final season.
But just across the river, a quartet hailing from Queens will premiere the second half of its third season that night, following The Sopranos at 10pm, and the foursome is in fine form. It’s as if the gang hadn’t left at all. Of course with reruns and VOD, it hasn’t. Still, the story has moved forward while we weren’t looking (how dare they).
So, first, a recap is in order. When we last saw our lads, Vince Chase (Adrian Grenier) had just fired his neurotic but effective agent Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven). Move ahead a few months (as we said above, without us) and Vince has dumped Ari and hired the attractive Amanda (Carla Gugino) as his agent. [Don’t worry, Ari is not out of Vince’s life. Far from it, in fact.]
Jeremy Piven and Adrian Grenier in Entourage
Cleverly, Amanda and Ari show two ways to be agents in Hollywood. Both are ultra-confident. But Amanda is calm and moral, Ari's not. Or at least, they have their own moral code. Oh, and Amanda is slightly older and darned sexy. Need we say that there might be some sparks between the Queens bunch and their new queen?
But love on Entourage exists on a deeper level than on most TV shows. In fact, it’s not romantic or sexual love that makes Entourage work. This is a rare love, a love between boyhood friends who’ve stayed together for years and now as men (OK, that’s debatable) who work and live together.
Naturally when romantic love intrudes on the thick Entourage relationship, things become difficult. Fortunately the series plays on these strains to hilarious effect. Particularly enjoyable in the new episodes is the push-pull between E (aka Eric, played by Kevin Connolly) and Amanda.
We haven’t mentioned the last two members of the entourage: Turtle (Jerry Ferrara) and Drama (Kevin Dillon). This latter day Rosencrantz and Guildenstern duo continue their antics this season, with Dillon’s tour de farce as a D-list star approaching, ironically, a tour de force.
There is also the usual buffet of Hollywood cameos in this half season, including Pauly Shore, Edward Burns, UFC champ Chuck Liddell and Shelly Berman, aka the actor who plays Larry David’s father on HBO’s other series about New Yorkers in Hollywood, Curb Your Enthusiasm. Speaking of which, when is that gem returning with a new season?
• ALSO COMING UP
Friday, March 16
* Intervention, 10pm, A&E. In yet another blurring of the lines between A&E and HBO, the Home Box is running its excellent series on addiction just as A&E begins a new season of doc/reality series Intervention with a gripping story about a suburban teen from an upper middle-class California family who’s addicted to OxyContin.
Saturday, March 17
The New Yankee Workshop, 8:30 and 9pm ET, DIY. Norm Abram returns to the small screen every Saturday night to teach us how to make furniture. The one-two punch continues as Bob Villa’s Home Again runs every night on DIY at 8pm ET.
Sunday, March 18
Galapagos, 8pm, National Geographic Channel. When some of your subs think of National Geographic Channel they most likely ruminate on great photography of exotic places. That’s the basis of this delicious 3-course meal, whose opening night lingers on the unusual and gorgeous wildlife of the Galapagos, with a bit of an ecological message for depth.
Monday, March 19
'Till Death Do Us Part, 10pm, Court TV. An interesting business choice results in pretty good television. Court foregoes an acquisition of a big-time series and instead produces its own scripted entrant. In this case it's one that profiles marriages ending in murder, although there's usually a twist. And instead of using name actors, it fills the screen with unknowns of varying talent and wraps each ep with director John Waters making like a svelte, sleazy Hitchcock, telling viewers at each episode’s end: "I'm off to another wedding. Hope it's not yours."
Tuesday, March 20
The Whitest Kids U'Know, 11pm ET, fuse. This sketch comedy series will not be to everyone’s taste. It's sometimes crude and bigoted. But we're guessing the young males who bond with fuse nightly won't mind much. But don't think it’s a respite from fuse's music videos. In fact, Whitest's best shtick is its music video parodies, although one in which Hitler stars has the potential to disgust all demos.
Style Inn, 10:30pm, Oxygen. Not a bad series, and it just might provide inspiration and education, too, since Tori Spelling and hubby Dean McDermott are trying to start a business as proprietors of a B&B in California's wine country. On the other hand, we'll tune in just to find out: 1. Why Tori's dad Aaron left her only $800K? 2. Why Tori must liquidate the contents of her home to pay for the wine country inn that she and her hubby plan to open? 3. Why Oxygen thinks America wants to watch Tori’s ultrasound?
Wednesday, March 21
'Net Impact, 6pm ET, Comcast SportsNet West. A decent magazine show that this month includes stories about Chicago Bulls’ Luol Deng and his dedication to improving life in his native Sudan and an inspiring piece about an inner city high school rugby program. The weak link is a softball about former Temple U basketball coach John Chaney and his new addiction to golf. You have to wonder whether Comcast SportsNet agreed not to even mention the incident in 2005 when Chaney instructed a player to hurt an opponent that resulted in a broken arm for an opposing player. And why did SportsNet include footage where Chaney, after a round of golf, mocks the 1994 incident where he threatened to assault opposing coach John Calipari during a news conference? Note: this show also runs on: Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia (March 16, 11pm ET); Comcast Local Detroit (March 16, 5pm ET); Comcast SportsNet Chicago (March 18, 12:30pm CT); and SportsNet NY (March 24, 7pm ET).
Thursday, March 22
* This American Life, 10:30pm, Showtime. Good for Bob Greenblatt and Showtime, proving they can expand their scope beyond Hollywood with this series of quirky, semi-doc stories about ordinary people. What was that old tagline? No Limits?
* Highly Recommended
All times ET/PT unless otherwise noted.
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