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===Sixth season===
===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 Ferarri]] biopic (to be directed by Frank Darabont). Left to his own devices by his friends, Vince spends much of the season relaxing.
{{Plot|date=December 2009}}
The season begins with Vince getting his driver's license, by bribing the driving instructor. Vince is preparing for his next role, starring in a biopic of [[Enzo Ferrari]] directed by [[Frank Darabont]]. The buzz on ''Gatsby'' has restored Vince to the "A"-list. "Line 'em up," he commands Ari, indicating that he's now focusing his priorities on maintaining a steady stream of work and will be less precautious about each individual project.


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 agent Murray Berenson. While he starts a relationship with a new character called Ashley, Eric still pines for Sloan. A large part of the season revolves around his attempts to win her back, in which he succeeds
Vince and the boys attend the premiere of his film ''Gatsby'', directed by [[Martin Scorsese]]. Eric and Sloan renew the friendship, with Eric wanting to be a little more than friends. However, Eric is truly 'playing the field' as the boys often refer to his many different girls. Eric takes Sloan to the ''Gatsby'' premiere 'as friends'. Eric's other client Charlie is cut from his show, much to Eric's dismay. After rejection by Sloan, Eric chooses to see another girl Ashley exclusively, who appears to be quite star-struck with the film star lifestyle.


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.
Ari is having trouble with his new employee and friend Andrew Klein, who is cheating on his wife with a junior agent named Lizzie. Lloyd also seeks a promotion, which Ari promises if he can get through a 100 day 'hazing' period, which includes tasks such as losing 15 pounds. After Turtle makes his red-carpet debut with [[Jamie-Lynn Sigler]], he feels pressure from others that he is not good enough for her. Additionally, he is trying to start his own career, but after failing to get a business loan he decides to go back to school at UCLA Extension and learn how to properly start a business. Drama offers to pay his tuition as a birthday gift.


Jamie-Lynn also factors into Johnny Drama's storyline, as she guest-stars on his show ''Five Towns''. When the head of production, Dan Coackley, makes jokes to Drama about wanting to have sex with Sigler, Drama attacks him. Coackley then takes it on himself to ruin Drama's character on the show. Finally, Drama leaves ''Five Towns'', and after a succesful audition, is to star in a new show.
When a monsoon damages the set of Vince's upcoming film, production gets pushed back 12 weeks. With his newfound free time he wishes to travel, but Eric, Turtle and Drama all have their own agendas that don't allow for a vacation. With Charlie being replaced on his television show, Eric once again finds Vince as his only working client. As a result, he decides to close The Murphy Group after admitting a lack of knowledge on how to properly run the business. Drama learns that his character on ''Five Towns'' will be getting a love interest, and asks Turtle if Jamie-Lynn would be willing to play the part. Turtle is hesitant at first, but eventually asks her. She agrees to do it. Jamie-Lynn meets the head of production Dan Coakley after doing her scene with Drama and the two discuss a possible business relationship, but due to Dan's past history, Drama believes he may be trying to sleep with her despite her relationship with Turtle. Drama follows Dan around and confronts him during a business meeting, which Jamie-Lynn is not a part of. He says he did not sleep with Jamie, but admits that he wants to, prompting Drama to assault him. Dan threatens to write him off the show.


Ari Gold 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 from him being fired.
Ari Gold and his wife receive a phone call late at night from Marlo (Andrew Klein's wife, played by [[Jami Gertz]]). She was calling to see if they knew where her husband was, since he still was not home. Mrs. Gold suspects that Andrew is having an affair, but Ari tries to convince her otherwise. The following morning at work, Ari confronts Klein, eventually getting him to admit he was with Lizzie the night before. Andrew assures Ari that he was ending the affair, and that his relationship with Lizzie is now over. [[David Schwimmer]] comes in to the Miller Gold Agency to listen to pitches for television series ideas, but seems to particularly connect with Lizzie. He invites her out to lunch, visibly making Andrew jealous. David calls Ari later telling him Andrew crashed the lunch with Lizzie, and Ari realizes it's not over between them. Lloyd informs him he found Andrew having a mental breakdown in his car in the parking garage. Ari tells Andrew to think of his family, and how he doesn't want to damage their perception of him. Andrew misinterprets this advice and leaves Marlo, but not before telling her Ari advised him to. Mrs. Gold finds out and becomes mad at Ari for not telling her earlier. Ari eventually apologizes and makes amends with Mrs. Ari. He then gets a disturbing visit from Marlo at the agency, and Ari promises her he will deal with Andrew. Ari confronts Andrew and convinces him to go back to Marlo.


Finally, Klein manages to redeem 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. After some arguments, Ari finally agrees. He is now on the road to becoming the most powerful agent in Hollywood. In the end, he also resolves his issues with Lloyd, who he makes an agent.
Eric and Ashley's relationship develops, and they become close to each other. Sloan calls Eric to tell him that she will be chairing the charity golf tournament that he and the boys are attending the next day. Vince, Drama and Turtle play golf with [[Mark Wahlberg]] and [[Tom Brady]] at the tournament. Drama embarrasses himself due to his temper, and Turtle surprisingly forms a bond with Brady, who invites him and Jamie-Lynn to dinner. Eric plays golf with Murray Berenson ([[George Segal]]), a talent manager and industry legend, and he offers Eric a job with his company. Eric turns the job down realizing Sloan had asked Berenson to talk to Eric. Eric and Sloan have a heated argument before Eric leaves. Ashley encourages him to take the job, asking why he won't. He replies that he doesn't know, and then accidentally calls her Sloan in a kind of Freudian slip. The slip causes tension between them but it's briefly reconciled when Eric talks it over with Ashley. But she calls off the relationship when she checks Eric's voicemail and Sloan leaves a message.


The season ends with Vince and Drama travelling to Rome, to start shooting the Ferarri film. Turtle is to meet them there. Only E stays behind, with his new fiancé Sloan.
Eric takes the job with Murray Berenson's company. Scott ([[Scott Caan]]), another agent already working at the company, clashes with Eric on his very first day. He's been tasked to sign [[Bob Saget]] and during an all-hands status meeting is forced to admit that he's failed to even get a phone call returned despite months of effort. Eric innocently mentions that he'd be happy to set up an introduction; Saget and Vince used to be neighbors. Put on the defensive, Scott immediately behaves aggressively towards Eric. All the same, in his next call Scott drops Eric's name with Saget and he agrees to a meeting at the agency, provided that Eric is there as well. Scott badly bungles the meeting but Eric reluctantly steps in after Scott is summarily dismissed from the room. Saget has a single demand: to have sex with his girlfriend in Murray Berenson's office. He intends to write a book of saucy memoirs one day and needs to start collecting stories. E brings the demand to Scott for him to bring to Murray for approval. Eric is handing Saget to Scott on a silver platter but is turned down cold; Scott refuses to believe E's story, suspecting that it's a trick to make him look foolish in front of the boss. Instead, E brings the demand to Berenson himself. He's surprised and relieved when Berenson readily agrees. Berenson praises E for having proved his value so quickly.

Drama fears losing his part in ''Five Towns'' and shows up to the set intending to apologize to Dan Coakley for attacking him, but he's been banned from the lot. Drama calls Dan from the security booth telephone and tries to convince him to let him in. Dan taunts him more, causing him to lose his temper. Jamie-Lynn and Drama meet to discuss his concerns about Dan's intentions, but Jamie assures him that the man has been completely professional in her presence. Drama asks her to seduce Dan while wearing a hidden recording device, but she declines. He returns to the lot with a gift bag that he uses to bribe the security guard into letting him on. Drama comes into Dan's office and attempts to get Dan to repeat his claims about Jamie while his iPhone records the conversation from his pocket. Dan suspects he's wearing a wire and Drama then literally begs for his character on Five Towns to not be killed off. Dan reveals that he has no intention of firing Drama from the show because he got a “stay of execution” from Eddie Burns, but goes on to promise he will still torture him.

Vince is awoken in the middle of the night by a break-in at his home, however detectives find no sign of forced entry or stolen items. When the housekeeper notices Vince and Turtle's underwear is missing after the incident, they realize they have the threat of a stalker on their hands. Struck with paranoia, they decide to take precautions and go to the gun store. They find that a 10-day waiting period is required for the purchase of firearms in California, and worry that it's too long to wait. Ari recommends the man who handled the security at his own home. Drama buys a bag of handguns at [[John Milius]]'s garage sale but when he accidentally discharges a gun in the house, the boys decide to take Ari's advice.

Andrew is found in Ari's office sleeping in his pajamas, and is warned that he will be fired unless he can sign [[Aaron Sorkin]]. Already without credit and a home, he becomes desperate and goes back to his house in hopes of retrieving his notes for the meeting. Marlo will not let him inside, and Ari convinces him over the phone to return to the office. As he's leaving the driveway, Marlo taunts him by setting his Sorkin notes on fire, provoking him to angrily turn around and crash through the living room with his car. Aaron refuses to work with Ari or Barbara as he despises both of them and meets with Andrew in jail to hear his ideas. When he hears how persistent Andrew was in his pursuit of him as a client, he agrees to "give it a shot".

Eric receives a call from Sloan while at work, and is somewhat rude to her. He later calls her back to apologize, and she suggests they meet for "friendly drinks". Ashley calls him and tells him she misses him, and asks for him to come over. Eric then ends the friendship with Sloan, telling her that he doesn't want to ruin his relationship with Ashley simply because Sloan can't decide what she wants. Eric and Ashley resume their relationship, but Ashley remains suspicious of Eric. She wants to check his emails to have a more honest relationship, but after getting advice from Vince and Brittany, Eric's new assistant, Eric realizes that Ashley isn't thinking straight and resolves to break up with her for good. Eric then starts dating again, but after having an STD scare, he decides once and for all that he wants Sloan back.

Aaron Cohen ([[Peter Stormare]]), the security guy recommended to Vince by Ari, comes by with an entourage of his own and outfits the house with cameras, bulletproof glass, and bodyguards. In their sweep of the house, they find the driver's license of someone named Curtis Tucker, and believe it may be the identity of Vince's stalker. It is later revealed that the break in was caused by a group of sorority girls who were stealing Turtle's underwear as a pledge prank. Turtle then finds himself falling for one of the sorority sisters, Brooke, who appears to like Turtle as well. Jamie-Lynn later accepts a TV pilot that will film in New Zealand. Turtle spends Jamie's last night at her place, where she sees that Turtle accepted a friend request from Brooke on [[Facebook]]. Jamie confronts Turtle, but Turtle deletes Brooke as a friend to prove his loyalty to Jamie and assures her everything will be fine. When Turtle is saying goodbye to Jamie at the airport, Jamie decides that the long distance will have an effect on Turtle and decides to let him go, telling him she loves him before leaving. Turtle drives home saddened.

Conflict erupts between Ari and Lloyd when Lloyd, tired of being tortured by Ari, quits being an assistant and takes an offer by Adam Davies to finally become an agent. They find themselves fighting over Drama as a client when Drama wants to leave "Five Towns" for a role in the new "Melrose Place" series. Drama's character on "Five Towns" first suffered being sprayed by battery acid, causing four hours of makeup for Drama, and was on the verge of entering a coma, all of which was brought on by Coakley as a way to keep Drama on the show, but not utilize his talent. Ari successfully gets Drama off of "Five Towns" and makes himself Drama's new agent, but Drama then decides to switch over to Lloyd when he sees that Lloyd believes in his talent more than Ari does. During his audition for "Melrose Place", Drama has a [[takotsubo cardiomyopathy]]. After experiencing this, he decides to reassess his life and possibly not return to acting.

Ari gets a surprise visit from Terrence McQuewick, who even more surprisingly offers to sell Ari his agency, but for a steep price of $100 million, which is rejected by Barbara. Thinking Terrence might be trying to trick him, Ari investigates the matter further and discovers that Terrence has been cheating on his wife for a while, thus in their impending divorce, she would be keeping a part of the agency through the lack of a [[prenuptial agreement]]. He uses this knowledge to leverage Terrence's offer down to $75 million, which Terrence begrudgingly accepts.

Ari has to convince his wife that the buyout is about good business and not about ruining his many rivals in order to get to use her money to buy out Terrence, which he does. However, he backs out of the deal when he finds an addendum clause that will keep Terrence's name in the buyout. Terrence visits Ari to explain that he only wants him to buy him out and apologizes for firing him. Ari agrees to hold Terrence's name and goes to his agency to shoot paintballs at people he wants fired after the buyout, with Adam Davies as one of the targets. However, Ari allows Lloyd to come back within a day. Lloyd refuses the offer, given their history, but Ari surprises Lloyd by officially making him an agent.

Phil Yagota, the producer for the "Melrose Place" series, continuously tries to get Drama to reconsider auditioning, but Drama refuses. However, he realizes that he'd be lying to himself if he retires for good and goes to retry the audition. He explains to the producers and the director that he's gotten tired of having to audition throughout the years but he has to do this audition to keep his dignity. The network decides to go for a younger cast, but Drama's audition impresses the network and Yagota so much that they give him a holding deal where he won't have to audition again while a series is developed for him to star in. Drama celebrates by joining Vince in Italy.

Turtle tries to get over Jamie by attempting a relationship with Brooke, but while he tries to, he realizes that he truly in love with Jamie and decides to go to New Zealand to visit her. While waiting on the tarmac, Jamie calls him to tell him that she doesn't want a long distance relationship with Turtle because due to a past experience that left her hurt, she doesn't want to feel that way about Turtle because she loves him. Turtle is then forced to take a flight from New Zealand to Rome to meet up with Vince.

Eric takes Sloan to a restaurant where they used to eat while they were together. When Eric lets it slip that he's trying to restart their relationship again, she gets angry and asks Eric to drive her back. On their way home, Eric and Sloan have a long argument where she still believes Eric is selfish, immature and unwilling to commit. Eric claims he's changed and that he will commit to her for the rest of their lives, showing her an engagement ring, which leaves her speechless. The next day, Eric and Sloan reveal to Vince and Drama that they are engaged while the duo are boarding the plane to Italy. Sloan tells Eric that he can go with his friends and Eric thanks her and runs on the plane, Sloan is far from happy, until Eric reappears and tells her he was joking. Sloan instantly laughs and they hug and kiss, as Vince and Drama's plane takes off in the distance.


===Seventh season===
===Seventh season===

Revision as of 16:41, 26 December 2009

Entourage
Entourage title card
Created byDoug Ellin
StarringKevin Connolly
Adrian Grenier
Kevin Dillon
Jerry Ferrara
Jeremy Piven
Rex Lee
Opening theme"Superhero"
by Jane's Addiction
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons6
No. of episodes78 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersDoug Ellin
Rob Weiss
Mark Wahlberg
Stephen Levinson
Larry Charles
Camera setupSingle camera
Running time28 minutes
Original release
NetworkHBO
ReleaseJuly 18, 2004 (2004-07-18) –
present

Entourage is an American comedy-drama that premiered on HBO on July 18, 2004. The series was created by Doug Ellin and chronicles the rise of Vincent Chase, a young A-list film star, and his childhood friends from Queens, New York City, as they navigate the unfamiliar terrain of Hollywood, California. The show completed its sixth season and is renewed for a seventh.

Mark Wahlberg and Stephen Levinson serve as the show's co-executive producers, and the show's premise is loosely based on Wahlberg's experiences as an up-and-coming film star[1][2]. The series deals with themes of male friendship and with life in Hollywood. In accordance with this, numerous celebrities have guest-starred on the show.

Development

According to Mark Wahlberg, Entourage was initially conceived when his assistant asked if he could film Wahlberg and his friends, calling them "hilarious".[3] Other reports credit Eric Weinstein, a long-time friend of Wahlberg's, with the idea of filming the actor's group of friends.[4][5] 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.[4]

Vincent Chase, the show's main character, 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.[3] A lighter approach was subsequently decided upon.[3]

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.[6] 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.[6]

Cast and characters

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

Entourage revolves around Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier).[7][8] His best friend and manager is Eric Murphy (Kevin Connolly).[9] "E", as his friends call him, is based on Wahlberg's friend and executive producer Eric Weinstein.[6] He's also been reported to be inspired by Stephen Levinson, Wahlberg's manager.[4]

Vincent's older brother Johnny "Drama" Chase (Kevin Dillon), is also Vince's personal chef and trainer and bodyguard. Johnny is a D-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. 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.[2][6][7]

Rounding out the entourage of friends is Salvatore[10], known as "Turtle" (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".[2][6][7][11] Carroll auditioned for the role, but the Boston-native was turned down when it was decided the actors would have to be New Yorkers.[6] 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.[5][6][9]

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 made appearances in seasons 4, 5 and 6, 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 three, 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. Canadian actress 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.

Recurring characters

Main article: List of recurring characters in Entourage

Entourage features many recurring characters. Some are fictional, such as Malcolm McDowell as Terrence McQuewick while other actors, such as Mandy Moore and Seth Green appear as parodies of themselves.

Guests and cameos

Main article: List of celebrities appearing on Entourage

Entourage typically has at least one celebrity guest per episode. Appearances include LeBron James, Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Jimmy Kimmel, Sarah Silverman, Kanye West, Martin Scorsese, Gary Busey, Bob Saget, James Cameron, Larry David as well as many others.

Plot synopsis

First season

The first season of Entourage 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, who comes into immediate conflict with E. Eventually their differences are put aside and the season ends with the start of production on Queens Boulevard, with E formally becoming Vince's manager.

Running subplots include: Turtle's laziness and quest for marijuana; Drama's attempt 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. E, meanwhile, starts to date 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. 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.

Ari meanwhile has to juggle his new, 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.

E's relationship with Sloan comes into question when he has a threesome with her and her friend Tori (Malin Akerman), 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 bought out by Saigon's original manager. In the season finale, Ari is fired as Vince's agent when his abrasive methods lead to him being unable to secure a film about punk rock 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 Cannes 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 (whom they earlier rebuffed) of a mere one dollar for the film.

Fifth season

The show's 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. 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 his show 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. One, named Nine Brave Souls, sticks out to Eric. 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 Ed 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, 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 Daniels (Carla Gugino) as the number-two choice for the job. Rather than accepting the offer and abandoning his clients, Ari instead gets Dana Gordon 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 gave him a handjob and 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 (Stellan Skarsgård), gave his lines to Patric. Vince talks to Verner about his frustration over how few of 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 but he storms into a conference room where Ellis is in a board meeting. Furious, Ellis pulls the plug on the whole film. Meanwhile, Jamie-Lynn forgives Turtle for opening his mouth and appears to want to start 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 Vince look desperate. A heartbroken Eric returns to Hollywood to concentrate on another one of his clients, 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 Ferarri 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 agent Murray Berenson. While he starts a relationship with a new character called Ashley, Eric still pines for Sloan. A large part of the season revolves around his attempts to win her back, in which he succeeds

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 Coackley, makes jokes to Drama about wanting to have sex with Sigler, Drama attacks him. Coackley then takes it on himself to ruin Drama's character on the show. Finally, Drama leaves Five Towns, and after a succesful audition, is to star in a new show.

Ari Gold 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 from him being fired.

Finally, Klein manages to redeem 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. After some arguments, Ari finally agrees. He is now on the road to becoming the most powerful agent in Hollywood. In the end, he also resolves his issues with Lloyd, who he makes an agent.

The season ends with Vince and Drama travelling to Rome, to start shooting the Ferarri film. Turtle is to meet them there. Only E stays behind, with his new fiancé Sloan.

Seventh season

On July 30, 2009, HBO renewed Entourage for a seventh season. The seventh season is set to premiere in Summer of 2010.[12]

Episodes

Main article: List of Entourage episodes

The first episode was titled "Entourage" and aired on July 18, 2004. The show completed its sixth season on October 4, 2009.

Feature film

On December 3, 2009, executive producer Mark Wahlberg announced that a film will definitely follow after the series ends, which is planned for another two seasons.[13]

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".[14] 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".[14][15]

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."[15]

To strengthen the bond between the actors, only actors with ties to New York were chosen.[6][14][15].

Hollywood lifestyle

See also: List of celebrities appearing on Entourage

Episodes of Entourage focus, beside 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.

Reception

Entourage has received positive reviews from critics, scoring 73/100 for season 3[16] and 71/100 for season 5[17] on the review aggregator site Metacritic.

Awards and nominations

Main article: List of Entourage awards and nominations

The show has been nominated for 24 Primetime Emmy Awards, with four wins: three for Jeremy Piven for his portrayal of Ari Gold, and one for a technical award. It has also been nominated for 12 Golden Globe Award, winning one for Jeremy Piven. It has been nominated for six Screen Actors Guild Award, four Writers' Guild of America Award nomination and three Producers' Guild of America Award nomination.

International syndication

Country Broadcasters Notes
Argentina HBO
Australia Arena
SBS One
Belgium HBO
Brazil HBO Plus
Peru HBO
Bulgaria Fox Life
BIH HBO Adria
Canada HBO Canada Airs shows on the same day as the HBO premiere at 8:30pm EST.
The Movie Network Aired shows on the same day as the HBO premiere until October 26, 2008.
Citytv Showed edited (no nudity, few profanities) reruns of the series up to season 3. Rights transferred to CTVglobemedia as of 2008.
Bravo! Shows edited reruns of the series up to season 4.
MuchMore Show airs at 10:00pm EST
V télé Starting June 3, 2009 in French.
Chile HBO
Croatia HBO Adria
Denmark TV2 Zulu, Canal+ Entourage is broadcast by Canal+ in several Scandinavian countries.
Finland SubTV, Canal+ English with Finnish subtitles.
France TPS Star
France W9 Discontinued before the end of season 1.
Germany FOX Channel Germany Fox Channel is pay-tv broadcaster on the platforms Sky Deutschland and Arena-Sat
Hungary Comedy Central
Iceland Stöð 2
India HBO has showed the 5th season is waiting for the 6th
Ireland RTÉ
Israel Yes stars Comedy Entourage is broadcast by Yes (Israel)
Italy Jimmy
Japan Fox Life HD
Mexico HBO - Televisa, Canal 5 Televisa: Re-caps
Netherlands Comedy Central Back in 2007 on Nederland3 with broadcaster BNN
New Zealand TVNZ TV2 Thursday nights at 11.25pm.
Comedy Central New Zealand Premiered April, 2009.
Norway TV3 and Canal+
Philippines ETC Entertainment Central, Jack TV, and HBO Asia
Romania HBO
Pakistan HBO, Super Comedy
Poland HBO2
Portugal SIC, MOV
Russia MTV Russia[18] [Красавцы] Error: {{Lang-xx}}: text has italic markup (help), premiered October 13, 2008.
Serbia HBO
Singapore HBO
Slovenia HBO Adria
South Africa Vuzu
Spain Canal+, La Sexta Fifth season aire, waiting for the sixth.
Sweden SVT, Canal+, TV6
Taiwan HBO Chinese: 我家也有大明星
Thailand HBO HBO on UBC. Edited(No nudity and profanity)English with Thai subtitles.
China CCTV Chinese: 明星伙伴
HBO Asia English with Chinese subtitles, Season 1~5
Turkey ComedyMax English with Turkish subtitles, season 1-6
Uganda NTV Season 3 Premiered in December, 2008.
UK ITV2[19] Shows new episodes 4 days after US airing
Venezuela HBO
The Middle East Super Comedy part of Orbit Cable Network
MBC Action

References

  1. ^ Gilbert, Matthew (2004-07-16). "Flunkies go to Hollywood in HBO's 'Entourage'". boston.com. Retrieved 2007-02-01.
  2. ^ a b c Bianculli, David and Gross, Terry (2008-02-08). "Mark Wahlberg discusses his movie "The Departed" and also his life and career". Fresh Air.
  3. ^ a b c Wadler, Joyce with Ryzik, Melena Z. (2004-07-02). "But Until We Do, You Go Get the Car". The New York Times. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); External link in |title= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ a b c McKinley, Jesse (2004-07-11). "With Friends Like These". The New York Times. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  5. ^ a b Levin, Gary (2004-07-15). "Hangers-on as comedy hook". USA Today. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h Fee, Gayle and Raposa, Laura (2005-06-05). "For old pal, life's lonely outside Wahlberg's `Entourage'". Inside Track. The Boston Herald. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ a b c McKinley, Jesse (2004-07-16). "Life and times of a star's posse". International Herald Tribune. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  8. ^ Keck, William (2004-08-13). "No need for his own 'Entourage'". USA Today. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  9. ^ a b De Vries, Hilary (2005-09-05). "'Entourage' Chillingly Realistic, Insiders Say". The New York Times. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  10. ^ Season 5, Episode 11, Conversation between Turtle and Jamie-Lynn Sigler
  11. ^ Fee, Gayle and Raposa, Laura with Hayes, Erin (2005-12-20). Inside Track. The Boston Herald. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Missing or empty |title= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. ^ http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=8226
  13. ^ Kate Stanhope. "Mark Wahlberg Looks Ahead to an Entourage Movie". TVGuide.com.
  14. ^ a b c Hughes, Sarah (2006-09-07). "Hollywood exposed; 'Entourage' is a show about actor Vincent Chase and his buddies trying to make it big in Tinseltown. And it's pulling no punches". The Independent. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  15. ^ a b c Strauss, Gary (2007-04-05). "'Entourage' men hug it out in a manly way; Friendship truly does matter". USA Today. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  16. ^ Entourage Season 3 - Reviews from Metacritic
  17. ^ Entourage Season 5 - Reviews from Metacritic
  18. ^ MTV Russia: Красавцы Template:Ru icon
  19. ^ [1]
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