Entourage (American TV series)

Entourage
Genre	Comedy-drama
Created by	Doug Ellin
Starring	Kevin Connolly Adrian Grenier Kevin Dillon Jerry Ferrara Jeremy Piven Debi Mazar Perrey Reeves Rex Lee Rhys Coiro Gary Cole Emmanuelle Chriqui Scott Caan
Opening theme	"Superhero" by Jane's Addiction
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	7
No. of episodes	88 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Doug Ellin Mark Wahlberg Stephen Levinson Larry Charles Rob Weiss Denis Biggs Ally Musika
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	22–30 minutes
Original release
Network	HBO
Release	July 18, 2004 (2004-07-18) – present

Entourage is an American comedy-drama television series that premiered on HBO on July 18, 2004 and is now in syndication around the world. The series was created and is largely written by Doug Ellin and chronicles the acting career of Vincent Chase, a young A-list movie star, and his childhood friends from Queens, New York City, as they navigate the unfamiliar terrain of Los Angeles, California.

Mark Wahlberg and Stephen Levinson serve as the show's executive producers, and its premise is loosely based on Wahlberg's experiences as an up-and-coming film star. The series deals with themes of male friendship and real-life situations in modern-day Hollywood. The show is famously known for its array of guest stars, usually featuring at least two celebrities per episode. It is also heavily credited on the ability of its leading actors to form the male bond of friendship, which is a leading theme on the show.

Entourage has completed its seventh season and has been renewed for an eighth and final season which will air in summer 2011. A film is also planned after the series ends.

Development

According to Mark Wahlberg, Entourage was initially conceived when his assistant asked if he could film Wahlberg and his friends, calling them "hilarious." Other reports credit Eric Weinstein, a long-time friend of Wahlberg's, with the idea of filming the actor's group of friends. In order to be more satirical of the Hollywood lifestyle, a fictional approach was chosen rather than a straight documentary in order to keep the content light, and avoid directly depicting Wahlberg's violent past.

Vincent Chase was envisioned to be more similar to Wahlberg, but it was decided that some of his and his friends' activities (particularly some elements of their criminal past) would not work well on television. A lighter approach was subsequently decided upon.

However, according to Donnie Carroll, who was the inspiration for the Turtle character, the idea for a show involving an actor and his friends had come from him. It had originated as a book idea, centered on Carroll's own life and his experiences with Wahlberg, titled From the 'Hood to Hollywood, A Soldier's Story.

My dick is large

"Gay men be on it" - Whitman strikes again Pranav Groves

Cast and characters

The main characters of Entourage. From left to right: Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven), Eric "E" Murphy (Kevin Connolly), Vincent "Vince" Chase (Adrian Grenier), Turtle (Jerry Ferrara) and Johnny "Drama" Chase (Kevin Dillon).

Entourage revolves around Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier). His best friend and manager is Eric Murphy (Kevin Connolly). "E," as his friends call him, is based on Mark Wahlberg's friend and executive producer Eric Weinstein. He's also been reported to be inspired by Stephen Levinson, Mark Wahlberg's manager.

Vincent's older half-brother Johnny "Drama" Chase (Kevin Dillon), is Vince's personal chef, trainer and bodyguard. Johnny is a C-list actor who was in the fictional show Viking Quest during his younger days. His role in the new fictional hit show Five Towns has begun to resurrect his fame and career, although he still receives less acknowledgment than he would like for it. This character is based on Johnny "Drama" Alves (cousin of Mark Wahlberg), whom Donnie Wahlberg had hired to keep his younger brother out of trouble.

Rounding out the entourage of friends is Salvatore "Turtle" Assante (Jerry Ferrara), who is another of Vince's old friends from childhood. Turtle's official role is as Vince's driver and assistant, though his value as such is often brought into question. This character is based on Mark Wahlberg's former "gofer" Donnie Carroll aka "Donkey." Carroll auditioned for the role, but the Boston-native was turned down when it was decided the actors would have to be New Yorkers. Carroll died on December 18, 2005, after an asthma attack.

Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven) is Vince's abrasive but lovable agent. The role has led to several nominations and Emmy Awards for Piven. Ari is based on Wahlberg's real-life agent Ari Emanuel.

Kevin Connolly, Adrian Grenier, Kevin Dillon, Jerry Ferrara, and Jeremy Piven have been credited in every episode in the opening credits since season 1. Debi Mazar who had a recurring guest star role as Shauna in season 1 began to receive opening credits billing in season 2. Her appearances in season 3 were limited due to her pregnancy and Mazar made her final regular appearance in episode 42. Mazar has made appearances in seasons 4, 5, 6, and 7 and was credited as a special guest star. Mrs. Ari (Perrey Reeves) and Lloyd (Rex Lee) had recurring roles in the first two seasons. Starting in season 3, Reeves and Lee were credited as "starring" in the end credits in the episodes that they appeared in. After Debi Mazar left on maternity leave, Reeves replaced Mazar in the opening credits starting with season 4. Rex Lee was added to the opening credits starting with season 5. In season 4, Rhys Coiro's recurring character Billy Walsh was given a bigger role in the storyline, and Coiro was credited as "starring" in the first six episodes of the season. However, when his character returned in episode 52, he was again credited as a guest star. Gary Cole guest starred in three episodes of season 5 as agent Andrew Klein, beginning with season 6 he was credited as "starring" in the end credits, with season 7 he is credited as a guest star. Emmanuelle Chriqui has portrayed E's on-again, off-again girlfriend Sloan McQuewick (daughter of Malcolm McDowell's character Terrance McQuewick) as a recurring guest star from season 2 to 5, beginning with season 6 she was credited as "starring" in the end credits. Scott Caan guest starred in two episodes of season 6 as Scott Lavin, beginning with season 7 he was credited as "starring" in the end credits.

Recurring characters

Main article: List of recurring Entourage characters

Entourage features many recurring characters. Some are fictional, such as Malcolm McDowell as Terrence McQuewick while other actors, such as Bob Saget, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Mandy Moore, Sasha Grey and Seth Green appear as fictional versions of themselves.

Guests and cameos

Main article: List of celebrities appearing on Entourage

Entourage typically has at least one celebrity guest per episode; such as actors, film directors, film producers, musicians and professional athletes. Appearances include Christina Aguilera, Mark Wahlberg, Kanye West, Tom Brady, Chuck Liddell, Jessica Alba, Gary Busey, Larry David, Scarlett Johansson, James Cameron, Dennis Hopper, Martin Scorsese, Matt Damon, Eminem, and many others.

Plot

See also: List of Entourage episodes

First season

The first season chronicles Vincent Chase's adventures as he climbs the celebrity ladder after his first successful film: Head On. At the forefront of the first few episodes is the conflict between Vince's best friend "E" and his agent Ari, who are both working to get the best for Vince, but often differ on how to accomplish this.

Vince's next project is decided halfway through the season: Queens Boulevard. Signed on is indie director Billy Walsh (Rhys Coiro), who comes into immediate conflict with E. Eventually their differences are put aside and the season ends with the crew leaving for New York to start production on Queens Boulevard, with E having become Vince’s official manager (with salary).

Running subplots include: Turtle's laziness and quest for marijuana; Drama's struggle to follow in his younger brother's footsteps; E dating Ari's assistant Emily (Samaire Armstrong); and Vince's many and varied girlfriends.

Second season

The second season focuses on Vince's proposed role in the film adaptation of Aquaman as the eponymous hero. Ari's inability to close the contract leads to trouble, but Vince manages to convince the film's director, James Cameron, that he is right for the part. However, new problems arise when the role of the leading lady goes to Mandy Moore, Vince's ex-girlfriend, for whom he still has feelings, but who is engaged to be married. Mandy and Vince resume their romance after Mandy's engagement shows signs of problems, but she eventually returns to her boyfriend. Initially devastated, Vince finds the will to go on with the film in the end.

However, Ari has his own problems in the form of his boss and partner, Terrence McQuewick (Malcolm McDowell), who is trying to steal Vince away from him. Near the end of the season, their conflict reaches a head and Ari is fired from the agency after another agent, Adam Davies, leaked information suggesting that Ari may be plotting against Terrance. E, meanwhile, begins dating Sloan (Emmanuelle Chriqui), McQuewick's daughter.

Meanwhile, Drama continues to try to become a star, even considering getting his calves augmented. He is eventually dropped by his agent, Adam Davies, after Vince decides to stick with Ari after Ari is fired. Turtle starts a career of his own, as manager of rapper Saigon.

Third season, part 1

File:EntourageAquamanAd.jpg

An advertisement promoting Aquaman's box office success appeared in Variety on June 19, 2006, to coincide with episodes from Entourage's third season.

The third season continues with the Aquaman plotline as the film premieres and becomes a huge hit, attaining the highest-grossing opening weekend in movie history. Problems arise however when Medellin, Vince's dream project about the life of Pablo Escobar, conflicts with the schedule of Aquaman 2. The end result is that Vince is unable to star in either and is fired by Warner Bros.

E's relationship with Sloan comes into question when he has a threesome with her and her friend Tori (Malin Åkerman), to whom E is attracted. Tensions rise further when E is confronted with Sloan's stalker Seth Green.

Near the end of the season, Drama finally lands his big break as he's signed on to the new series Five Towns. Turtle's career as a music manager ends unceremoniously when he is forcefully bought out by Saigon's original manager. Ari meanwhile has to juggle his new, initially failing, business with keeping Vince happy. Even though Ari manages to set up a successful new agency with the help of Barbara Miller (Beverly D'Angelo), it leads him to neglect his star client. In the season finale, he is fired as Vince's agent after his abrasive methods result in failure to secure a film about punk band The Ramones.

Third season, part 2

The second part of the third season focuses almost entirely on Vince and Ari and the troubles surrounding Medellin. Attempting to get Vince back, Ari convinces him that he can secure the film after all. Vince's new agent, Amanda (Carla Gugino), tries to steer Vince towards a different film, but he ends up refusing. To compound their problems, Vince and Amanda both admit to a mutual attraction, and have a relationship. When Medellin once again slips Vince's grasp, he questions Amanda's motives. After proving her innocence, she drops him as both client and boyfriend. With the help of Ari, who is once again hired, Vince and E finally secure their dream project when they buy the rights to the film Medellin themselves. Billy Walsh is signed on as the director with E given his first shot at producer.

In the continuation of the previous part's subplot, Drama's star rises, and Five Towns becomes a hit. E moves in with Sloan.

Fourth season

The fourth season continues the Medellin plotline as production of the film finally begins. Conflicts quickly arise when E admits to being dissatisfied with the first cut after Walsh reluctantly agrees to a midnight screening. Vince and E subsequently clash over the creative direction and financing of the film in an arc which escalates through the season. There is much contention over the ending of the script, and Stephen Gaghan is brought in briefly, at which point Walsh comes up with what he believes to be a good ending.

When the Medellin trailer leaks to the public via YouTube, an opportunity is presented to leverage the resultant hype to broker a deal attaching Vince to a new big-budget project. The deal, however, is unexpectedly sold on the strength of not just Vince, but the "Medellin Dream Team" — also involving E as producer and Walsh as director — at the point when animosity between E and Walsh begins to come to a head. Consequently, E must decide between jeopardizing the deal, and the prospect of working on another project with Walsh, which he had previously sworn he would never do again.

Meanwhile, Ari contends with various complications in his personal and professional lives, including the incapacitating relationship troubles of his indispensable assistant, Lloyd, the uncertainty of his son's acceptance into the exclusive private school his daughter attends, and interpersonal conflicts between employees of his agency.

E navigates unfamiliar waters as he clumsily attempts to expand the representation of his fledgling management agency beyond Vince, his only client at the time. By chance he comes to meet and subsequently represent Anna Faris, but when his loyalty to Vince and his personal feelings for Faris are set at odds with one another and compromise his professional judgement, he is ultimately fired by Faris.

Drama and Turtle are featured throughout the season in various subplots that see them engaging in the type of antics typical of their characters, such as procuring marijuana and engaging in furry fetishes via Craigslist on a bet.

In the season finale, the entourage travel to the Cannes Film Festival to promote Medellin, and sign a distribution deal. However, the film bombs with the Cannes audience, and they are forced to accept an offer from producer Harvey Weingard (Maury Chaykin) of a mere one dollar for the film.

Fifth season

The fifth season begins with Vince and Turtle on a beach in Mexico, while Eric and Ari try to get Vince an opportunity to get his career back on track back in California. In the six months since the Cannes fiasco, Medellin has gone straight-to-DVD and made numerous worst-of-the-year lists, with Vince's performance coming under fire from critics as well. Drama is also in Hollywood, continuing production of Five Towns while maintaining a long-distance relationship with his French girlfriend, Jacqueline. Ari and E remain unsuccessful in convincing Vince to return to the States until Ari gets a sit-down for Vince with producer Carl Ertz about a new film titled Danger Beach. When Vince and Turtle return, they all realize that Ertz was not actually interested in Vince but was instead using him to secure Emile Hirsch for the role. Seemingly at a dead end, Vince returns to basics and begins reading scripts Ari claims are already taken. Eric, however, finds interest in a script sent to him directly from unknown screenwriters trying to get a break in Hollywood called Nine Brave Souls. Meanwhile Drama's nervousness about Jacqueline possibly cheating on him leads to their break-up and he works himself through a guilty frenzy that reaches its peak when he breaks down during a guest appearance on The View. Eric sees potential in Nine Brave Souls and approaches the writers to begin representing them. He gets Edward Norton and Amanda Daniels (Carla Gugino) interested, and they change the name of the film to Smoke Jumpers. When Ari finally reads the script of Smoke Jumpers he convinces Eric to start a bidding war for the film with Vince attached. Amanda refuses to participate and passes on it until later reconsidering and making an offer. However, Alan Gray (Paul Ben-Victor), the man who fired Vince from the sequel to Aquaman, outbids them.

Ari asks for the second lead in Smoke Jumpers for Vince but Alan Gray says no. Vince is offered a role in a new "Benji" film but after considering it he realizes that Smoke Jumpers is still the film he really wants. Ari, determined to get Vince the role he desires, challenged Alan to a round of golf for the part. Alan brings PGA Tour pro Phil Mickelson along as a coach and beats Ari. Venting his anger, Alan begins to yell at Ari for even bringing up Smoke Jumpers, knowing he hates Vince; but suddenly drops dead of a heart attack. At Alan's funeral, Ari takes the opportunity to ask John Ellis, Alan's boss, about giving the role to Vince. Ellis instead offers him Alan's position as president of the studio, with Amanda as the number-two choice for the job. Rather than accepting the offer and abandoning his clients, Ari instead gets Dana Gordon (Constance Zimmer) the job, therefore locking up Smoke Jumpers for Vince. Meanwhile, Turtle meets Jamie-Lynn Sigler on an airplane and the two hit it off, but their potential relationship is ruined when Turtle tells the guys she jerked him off, they tell everyone. It was revealed to be true.

Smoke Jumpers begins filming and Vince becomes increasingly angry when his co-star, Jason Patric, steals several of his lines. He discovers that the director, Verner Vollstedt (Stellan Skarsgård), gave his lines to Patric. Vince talks to Verner about his frustration over how few lines he's been given, and rather than giving him more, he tells Vince about his bad acting habits. Ari signs his old colleague Andrew Klein (Gary Cole) as a new partner in MGA.

Verner eventually fires Vince from Smoke Jumpers when one scene is shot several times without good results and Vince gets angry. Ari flies in but cannot convince Verner to give Vince another chance, so he seeks Gordon's intervention. She scolds Verner, who barges into Ellis' board meeting to explain himself. Furious, Ellis stops production of the movie. Meanwhile, Jamie-Lynn forgives Turtle for opening his mouth and is interested in a relationship with him if he keeps quiet, so they spend the day together and consider spending the weekend together. However, their plans are cut short when he receives a call from Vince explaining the situation and they all fly back to Queens for a week.

With Vince's future in acting looking dim, his relationship with Eric is tested when Vince pursues a role in Gus Van Sant's new film. Eric persistently tracks down Gus in an attempt to convince him to meet with Vince, despite Ari's opposition. Gus refuses, saying he has seen all of Vince's work and he is not a fan, but agrees to see the Smoke Jumpers footage. Meanwhile, Jamie-Lynn reveals her relationship with Turtle to the guys. Gus calls back saying he loves the footage and claims that he would love to work with Vince, but not on his current project. Vince becomes upset and fires Eric, believing that Eric had made him look desperate. A frustrated Eric returns to Hollywood to concentrate on another client, a young and rising comedian named Charlie (Bow Wow). Vince later apologizes after learning that Eric's persistence led to an offer by Martin Scorsese for a lead in his next feature, a re-envisioning of The Great Gatsby set in the Upper West Side of New York City. The episode ends with them all back in Hollywood on their way to celebrate.

Sixth season

The sixth season is mostly divided into individual storylines. Vince, back to A-list status after Gatsby, is preparing for his next role, starring in an Enzo Ferrari biopic (to be directed by Frank Darabont). Left to his own devices by his friends, Vince spends much of the season relaxing.

Meanwhile, Eric, prompted by ex-girlfriend Sloan, moves out on his own. Midway through the season, he disbands his company and goes to work for veteran manager Murray Berenson (George Segal). While he starts a relationship with his neighbor Ashley (Alexis Dziena), Eric still pines for Sloan, and tries to win her back.

Turtle, who dreams of starting his own business, starts college. He is still together with Jamie-Lynn Sigler and is quickly becoming a celebrity in his own right. While at college, he meets Brooke, who attempts to seduce him. He turns her down. When Jamie-Lynn is offered a role, to be filmed in New Zealand, she breaks up with Turtle.

Jamie-Lynn also factors into Johnny Drama's storyline, as she guest-stars on his show Five Towns. When the head of production, Dan Coakley, jokes to Drama about wanting to have sex with Sigler, Drama attacks him. Coakley then takes it on himself to ruin Drama's character on the show. Finally, Drama leaves Five Towns with some help from Ari, and after a successful audition, receives an offer to star in his own television show pending studio approval.

Ari also faces trouble at work. Lloyd, his assistant, wants to become an agent and Ari has him go through a series of demeaning tests. As a result, Lloyd quits. Meanwhile, Andrew Klein, whose standing with Barbara Miller (Ari's partner) is precarious, cheats on his wife. His marital problems interfere with his work and only Ari's intervention saves him from being fired. Klein redeems himself by signing writer Aaron Sorkin.

In the final episodes of the season, Ari is approached by his old boss, Terrance McQuewick, who wants him to buy out his agency. Despite bitterness over being fired over his agency revolt years before, Ari finally agrees, and goes out firing employees who might not fit in after his takeover, with Adam Davies also getting the boot. He is now on the road to becoming the most powerful agent in Hollywood. In the end, he also resolves his issues with Lloyd, whom he makes an agent.

The season ends with Vince and Drama traveling to Rome, to start shooting the Ferrari film. Turtle is to meet them there. Only E stays behind, having successfully proposed marriage to Sloan.

Seventh season

As Vince shoots an action movie directed by Nick Cassavetes, he is asked to perform a dangerous driving stunt. Eric and Ari intervene as they do not want him to perform the stunt, but Vince does it anyway; as a result, he crashes the car into the set, but emerges feeling emboldened and invincible. The incident also pushes Vince to seek out new thrills, including sky-diving, purchasing a Harley-Davidson, popping Vicodin pills, and striking a relationship with porn star Sasha Grey. Vince is then introduced to a new project, Air-Walker, by Eric's associate Scott Lavin (Scott Caan), creating a hostile relationship with Eric; they eventually bury the hatchet and temporarily work together to help further Vince's career. This friendship eventually ends once Eric realizes Scott possibly supplied Vince with cocaine at a party.

Now running a fledgling carservice business, Turtle is frustrated when an employee named Alex (Dania Ramirez) causes problems for him; however, she quits after an inappropriate advance he makes towards her. Turtle's business eventually fails, but after reconciling with Alex, she introduces him to some friends in Mexico, who wish to make Vince the face of their tequila company: Avion. Turtle agrees, and he uses Vince's Twitter account to spread the word on Avion. Turtle's promotions creates a huge demand for it in Southern California, which cannot be met by the company's production unless a new factory is built. Looking for potential investors, Turtle pitches the company to Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. Cuban likes the company and meets with one of Avion's owners, Carlos. The meeting ends badly, as Carlos (Miguel Sandoval) is passionate about running his family business as he wishes. Turtle eventually convinces Cuban of this, who gives Carlos the $5 million he needs to build a new factory.

Meanwhile, Lizzie Grant, the promising young agent who had ruined Andrew Klein's marriage and possibly his career as well, quits after Ari refuses to promote her to the head of the TV department of the agency (Klein's former position) despite her stellar performance. Lizzie attempts to steal some of Ari's clients, prompting Ari to take action. Ari learns that Lizzie had gone to Amanda Daniels to try and bring down Ari; however, this alliance is short-lived, as Lizzie decides she wants no part in Amanda's revenge plots. An anonymous person sends tapes to Deadline Hollywood, revealing Ari's foul-mouthed rants. Ari, who was nearing a deal with Jerry Jones to bring an NFL team to Los Angeles, suddenly finds his life in a tailspin. This incident leads Ari's wife to "seriously re-evaluate their marriage", causing Ari to spend more time with his family and attempting a friendlier work environment. His newfound peace is broken when he confronts Amanda at an upper class restaurant, accusing her of sending the tapes and stealing his NFL team. She reveals that her ex-assistant sent the tapes and that the NFL was reconsidering Ari for their team (with the help of Amanda), She has now lost complete respect for Ari, and the outburst leaves Ari looking foolish in front of many Hollywood executives. Ari's relationship with his wife ends on the fence as well as she tells him she wants a break from him.

Drama wants a job since his holding deal will expire in eight weeks. He finds out new shows are being made by the network, but not for him. Lloyd finds an Emmy award winning writer (Jeff Garlin) to write something for Drama, though Drama is disappointed that he hasn't written anything since 1991 and that the proposed show would be a comedy. The script turns out to be a good fit for Drama and John Stamos is suggested as a co-star; however, Bob Saget is given Drama's role instead due to his friendship with Stamos. Billy Walsh makes a return after starting a family and becoming an ordained minister. Looking for work so that he can provide for his family, he looks to create a new show for Drama. The show, a cartoon called Johnny's Bananas, is conceptually a hit with the network but it takes a while (and persuasion from Eric's assistant) for Drama to get on board. After accepting the offer, Drama, Turtle, Alex, Billy and Lloyd celebrate back at Vince's house, where Lloyd discovers a bag of cocaine belonging to Vince.

Vince's drug problems continue to grow, as Air-Walker director Randall Wallace becomes suspicious of Vince's behavior. Randall quits when Vince refuses to take a drug test and is replaced with Peter Berg. When Vince discovers that Sasha is seriously considering a role in an upcoming porn film, he tries to land her a role in Air-Walker instead. He succeeds, but Sasha sees this as a way for Vince to control her life, as evidenced by Vince's reckless behavior on the set of Sasha's new movie. As a result, Sasha ends their relationship. The guys attempt to stage an intervention for Vince, who refuses to listen to them and ends up crashing Eminem's party.

During this Scott wants to put the past behind him and offers Eric an opportunity to supplant Murray Berenson at the management company, having already convinced everyone else in the office to go along. Eric refuses as he gets along with Murray due to the fact he is Sloan's godfather. However, Terrence McQuewick asks Eric to sign a pre-nuptial agreement with Sloan as both he and Murray feel that Eric may just rely on Sloan's family money to get by. Eric gets angry over the fact that people like Terrence and Murray have made a living off of other people's work and takes Scott up on his offer.

During Eminem's party, Vince starts a fight with Eminem, and gets beaten up by him and his security, which includes Jordan Farmar and Kevin Love. Then, Vince gets taken to the hospital where the police find a bag of cocaine that was in his sweater.

Eighth season and possible feature film

HBO confirmed that Entourage would return in summer 2011 for a shortened season, which will be the show's last. Season 8 will contain ten episodes according to Adrian Grenier from a January 2011 appearance on The Adam Carolla Show. Creator Doug Ellin is also planning on writing a film after the series ends. In November 2010, Kevin Dillon said no film has been confirmed.

Themes and characteristics

Male friendship

A recurring theme in Entourage is the strength of male camaraderie and its importance over work. Series creator Doug Ellin stated, "Entourage works because it's about male friendship. The Hollywood setting is entertaining but it's really about the relationship between these guys". He later added that, "Ultimately, the show's theme is friendship and family. The characters may have the bling, but they're grounded guys who look out for each other. That's the backbone of the show. If it was just about fantasy lifestyles, it wouldn't be relatable".

This view was supported by Jeremy Piven, who plays the talent agent, Ari: "If it was just a show about wish fulfillment and guys getting fucked because their best friend was famous, it wouldn't be that interesting."

To strengthen the bond between the actors, only actors with ties to New York were chosen.

Hollywood lifestyle

See also: List of celebrities appearing on Entourage

Episodes of Entourage focus, besides the friendship between the four main characters, on their lifestyle in Hollywood. Specifically, the various parties and film premieres they visit, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of being, or being connected to, a star on a person's social status. To lend credence to the show's situations and locations, most episodes of Entourage feature at least one celebrity guest star.

Critical reception

Entourage has generally received favorable reviews from critics, scoring 73/100 for season 3, 71/100 for season 5 and 61/100 for season 7 on the review aggregator site Metacritic. Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly, called season 3 "Almost preposterously enjoyable." In 2009, Tucker remarked regarding the sixth season premiere, that "the show really isn’t that funny anymore". The Wall Street Journal commented on the writing, saying it "is almost always smart, sharp and funny." Season 7, while still gaining generally favorable reviews, had a much more mixed reception than earlier seasons because "it all feels maybe a little too familiar."

Awards and nominations

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Entourage

The series has been nominated for 25 Primetime Emmy Awards, in categories such as acting, directing, writing and for Outstanding Comedy Series. Jeremy Piven was nominated four consecutive times for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, winning the award three times in a row in 2006, 2007, and 2008. Kevin Dillon received three consecutive nominations in 2007, 2008, and 2009, for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. The series was nominated in 2007, 2008, and 2009 for Outstanding Comedy Series. It has also received six directing nominations and one writing nomination.

It has been nominated for 14 Golden Globe Awards, with Jeremy Piven and the series being nominated every year. Piven won the Supporting Actor award in 2008. Kevin Dillon received a nomination in the Supporting Actor category alongside Piven in 2008, while Kevin Connolly was nominated alongside Piven in 2009.

It has also been nominated for six Screen Actors Guild Awards–Jeremy Piven independently and the ensemble cast, four Directors Guild of America Awards, four Producers Guild of America Awards–winning in 2006, and four Writers Guild of America Awards.

Home media releases

Currently, seven DVD releases have been released for the first six seasons of the series; with the third season being released in two parts. The sixth season was also released on Blu-ray Disc.

Season	Release dates			Episodes	Bonus features
	Region 1	Region 2	Region 4
1	May 10, 2005	October 30, 2006	September 6, 2006	8	Commentary by creator Doug Ellin and executive producer Larry Charles on "Entourage (Pilot)", "Busey and the Beach" and "New York"; Behind-the-scenes interviews with cast and crew
2	June 6, 2006	February 26, 2007	September 6, 2006	14	The Mark Wahlberg Sessions – Wahlberg talks to the cast and crew about the series
3: Part 1	April 3, 2007	November 26, 2007	March 7, 2007	12	Commentary by creator Doug Ellin and actors Kevin Dillon and Jerry Ferrara on "One Day in the Valley", "Vegas Baby, Vegas" and "Sorry, Ari"; "Vegas Baby, Vegas" featurette – behind-the-scenes with cast and crew on location in Vegas
3: Part 2	October 7, 2007	April 7, 2008	November 6, 2007	8	Commentary by creator Doug Ellin, and actors Kevin Connolly, Kevin Dillon and Jerry Ferrara on "Manic Monday", "The Resurrection" and "Adios Amigos"; Museum of Television & Radio Panel Discussion with the Cast; Behind-the-Scenes look at the Season Finale
4	August 26, 2008	October 6, 2008	November 5, 2008	12	Commentary by creator Doug Ellin, and actors Adrian Grenier, Kevin Connolly, Kevin Dillon and Jerry Ferrara on "Welcome to the Jungle", "The Day Fuckers" and "The Cannes Kids"; Meet the Newest Member of Entourage! – a short featurette on Doug Ellin's son, Lucas (who plays Ari's son); The Making of Medellin; Medellin Trailer; U.S. Comedy Arts Festival Panel with the cast and crew
5	June 30, 2009	September 14, 2009	September 1, 2009	12	Commentary by creator Doug Ellin, producer Ally Musika, and actors Adrian Grenier, Kevin Connolly and Jerry Ferrara on "Tree Trippers", "Play'n with Fire" and "Return to Queens Blvd."; The Celebrity Factor – behind-the-scenes interviews with cast and crew
6	June 22, 2010	September 6, 2010	July 21, 2010	12	Commentary by creator Doug Ellin, executive producer Ally Musika, and actors Jeremy Piven, Adrian Genier, Kevin Connolly, Kevin Dillon, Jerry Ferrara and Bob Saget on "No More Drama", "Scared Straight" and "Give a Little Bit"; "Life at the Top" – A look at the making of Season 6 featuring interviews with cast and crew; "A Day at the Speedway" – Behind-the-scenes with the Entourage cast and crew as they race Ferraris at the Auto Club Speedway; ONEXONE PSA (directed by Matt Damon)

International syndication

Entourage is syndicated in many other countries around the world, often broadcast on HBO or other television networks in their respective countries. In some countries, the show is edited, where nudity or profanity is edited out.

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit ad campaign

Kevin Dillon and Jerry Ferrara appeared as their Entourage personalities in a set of commercials for the video game Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit. In the commercials, the guys are valets during the day, and racers (Turtle) and interceptors (Drama) at night.

External links

• Official website
• Entourage at IMDb
• Template:Tv.com show