It feels like decades ago since the likes of Tony Soprano, Carrie Bradshaw, and James McNulty roamed the cable television landscape, hiding bodies, sipping martinis, and taking down drug lords in an attempt to win over our collective hearts and minds. Let’s face it; today Don Draper is king. But with a slate of new shows both large in scope and budget, HBO is on the verge of a renaissance. But before Scorsese moves from the big screen to the small with Boardwalk Empire, and the team behind The Wire takes us behind New Orleans’ post-Katrina shutters in Treme, HBO is ushering in the new guard with notably lighter fare.
How To Make it In America is the cherry on top of HBO’s brand new sundae, a rolicking romp through the streets of New York’s voguish downtown scene . Created by Mark Wahlberg and the rest of the team that brought us Entourage, and chock-full of that same youthful energy, this show is still markedly different. Whereas Vince an the gang are reaping the spoils of success, HTMIIA’s heroes spend their days looking for it in the deathly gallows of the city’s seemingly inpenetrable fashion world. Ben (Bryan Greenberg) and Cam (Victor Rusak) are the quintessential New York underachievers; young, handsome, charming, talented and living in a city where less is never more. They have direction, they have ambition, all they need is a plan. We watch as they beg and borrow their way towards the top of the denim food chain (there must be a better name for their line than Crisp), and if they ever get there, we may just have to tune out. You see HTMIIA is all about the struggle, about negotiating one’s way through the new American economic minefield. In a day and age where television grasps at the tailcoat of high art, HTMIIA does just the opposite. It takes a bunch of handsome people, places them in the epicentre of cool, and just lets the wheels turn. It may not reveal any sacred truths on the human condition, but it’s a helluva lot of fun to watch. How To Make It In America airs Sundays at 10 on HBO.
-Daniel Barna
