HBO is Summer TV Central

This past Sunday saw the return of Entourage which, when combined with True Blood's third episode, means we're really in summer TV season now. HBO may air a lot of serious stuff like The Pacific and that Al Pacino as Jack Kevorkian movie, but they know what people want to see in the summer: super light escapism. So for those of us who want to turn off our brains but maybe not so much as to tolerate America's Got Talent, here's where we'll be.

I went into Entourage's 7th (!!!) season the way I have every season since like season 3: by saying, "Why is this show still on and why am I still watching it?" But as it did last summer, Entourage reminded me: because there is no other show that better exemplifies summer fluff TV than this one. It's a show about rich people with problems so minor you'll have forgotten them by the time the credits roll. And in the meantime, plenty to live vicariously through.

After the season 3-5 rough patch where the show forgot what it was about and made Vince's career tank, Entourage is back in full-on fluff mode. Last year Vince basically took the year off with nothing to do, but this year he's back doing what he does best: acting as a vessel for a glimpse inside Hollywood without showing any personality whatsoever. This week saw him doing a stunt with no training to prove he's not a pussy, which of course made him seem all the bigger a pussy for not being able to say no to his director. That meant we got to see Vince on set, see a guy light up on fire, and watch his team react to Vince's whining. What more do you need?

Elsewhere, Eric had a light episode, enjoying a lunch with now fiance Sloane (at a restaurant that seemed to employ Top Chef season 5's Stefan?) and doing some basic Vince work. Ari realizes being head of WME (or whatever fictionalized name they came up with) is a lot of work. And Drama and Turtle are still really, really annoying. Turtle wins for worst subplot of the night, partly due to it involving Heroes-killer Dania Ramirez. But hey, Entourage was never a great show. Or even a particularly good one. But it's fun, and that's what makes it good summer TV.

I heard a lot of announcements between seasons about the huge number of new characters coming to Bon Temps this season, which made it all the nicer to see them all largely absent from the premiere. So many shows lose themselves in new characters and new plotlines that it's good to see True Blood sticking by its core characters. But the premiere also saw them all completely spread out. Sam off with his bio family, Bill in Mississippi, Jessica in her house - it was looking like we'd be getting 8 different separate subplots all season long.

While that's still somewhat the case, at least by episode 3 there's been some convergence. Sam is back at Merlotte's and interacting with everyone else. Jessica's been linked back in through Franklin's visit and Sookie's request that Sam look out for her. Sookie's left again in search of Bill, but her trip to Dallas last year didn't hurt anything.

Thing is, True Blood is one of the few shows that actually structures each of its seasons on one of the books it's based on. Which means each season is structured like a novel, with beginning, middle, and end spread out throughout the season. So there's no rush to introduce important characters right away - Eric didn't show up til like midway through season 1, I'm guessing so it would line up with the page he entered on in the book. And these first 3 eps have been a lot of build-up.

So while it's too early to know which of the many plot threads will pay off, here's how I'm feeling about them so far. Among the better ones, True Blood's decision to use actual wolves instead of really crappy CGI has paid off, and the werewolves have come off less lame than on most similar shows and movies. And cool to see Eric and Godric fighting Nazi werewolves. Franklin's super creepy so far, which could go either way. So far so good, but could overstay his welcome a la Maryann. And while she hasn't had too much to do yet, I'm liking the increased screen time Pam's promotion to regular has led to.

On the other end, Sam's family drama isn't doing it for me so far. Maybe it's cause I still remember his little bro being annoying on Prison Break, or because they've mostly been in their own little world, but so far it feels separate from everything else and not so interesting. I've got nothing against King Russell as a character, but that subplot won't kick in until somebody else shows up there. And way too early to say anything on Alcide, who's only barely been introduced (yet I believe is meant to be the biggest new character this season).

However the various threads end up working out, True Blood's got a solid start so far and seems bound to keep getting better each week. I'm glad to have its campy style of fun on my TV this summer.

Hugging it Out with Entourage

If you click on that Entourage tag below, you'll see I haven't been shy about my dissatisfaction with the last, oh, three seasons of Entourage. What was once a fun and frothy way to vicariously live through some rich people with insignificant problems lost all that fun once Vince's career slide began. Somewhere between Medillin and Smoke Jumpers, I realized I didn't like anyone on the show anymore and certainly didn't care about their failure to land a movie.

So when I say that I've been thoroughly enjoying this season so far, I'm as surprised as you are. Entourage has been sucking for so long now that nobody else seems to have noticed, but these five episodes have shown a correction to a number of the show's biggest recent problems. At best, it was never anything more than something fun and light to enjoy over the summer, but for the first time in years it's meeting that low benchmark.

So what's going right? First up, Vince's career is back on track. We learned last season from Smoke Jumpers once and for all that Vince can't actually act, but that's not what the show is about! The show is about super rich and successful people enjoying their money and fame! When those things disappear, so does the reason to watch. Vince is not a real enough character for me to care when he's unhappy (and he's never realy that unhappy anyway), so he only fulfills his purpose when things are going well.

Better yet, the successful career means a lot less of the focus is on him. Even back in the good days it got repetitive watching project after project fall apart just to make the season last. Instead we're back with Eric, who was the show's original heart as the normal guy making his way in Hollywood. I know - he got really annoying the past few seasons. But he's looking to grow up this year, and Sloane's back in the picture, who always made his stories better.

I'll admit - Turtle and Drama still mostly annoy me. And they've had some of the worst storylines, like Drama's desire to cast Turtle's girlfriend as "Girl Drama Makes Out With" on his show. But again - at least they're trying to grow up a little, between Turtle going to school and holding down a girlfriend, and Drama having had a steady job for awhile now. Ari as well has gone in some nice directions this season. One moment he's acting like Papa Bear, dispensing advice to Turtle and Eric in this season's third episode. And just when you think he's going soft, he's back to yelling at Lloyd. Some things don't change.

Entourage has always aspired to be a male Sex and the City. In not trying to hide from that description, it's become something worth watching again.

Entourage Keeps Coasting By

Coming into this season, Entourage was on probation for me. After the debacle of the Medillin and Billy Walsh focused fourth season, Entourage was low on my to-watch list. Which is why it took a Thanksgiving weekend at home for me to finish the season. Was it an improvement from season 4? Sure, but not by much until the finale.

The joys of Entourage are simple: The vicarious thrills of watching rich Hollywood actors have a good time. In the first few seasons, the biggest worry was that another actor might get Vince's multimillion dollar part. The show aired in the summer and was the perfect wind-down after a day at the pool. It was one of the least substantive shows on TV but a lot of fun.

I'm mentioning all this because the show has slided further and further away from that image. Since season 2's Aquaman, Vince's only movie role has been the straight-to-dvd Medillin. The point of this season was supposed to be a washed-up actor looking for a comeback. But the same could be said about the last few seasons. Then when Vince finally got work with Smoke Jumpers, the show made a cardinal mistake: it brought Vince's acting abilities into focus. The show has wisely kept footage of Vince's movies to a minimum, so we never had to think about whether he had any talent. But when a director calls him out over his poor acting, the show expects us to side with Vince. After all, studio heads, CEOs, and A-list directors all think he's amazing. Only one problem: the director's right. Don't try to convince us Vince is more than just a famous face if you can't deliver on the promise.

Vince wasn't the only character with an off season. Eric, arguably the show's lead in the past, felt more supporting than ever even while expanding his business. Drama went from comically annoying to unwatchably annoying this year with the whole subplot about his French girlfriend. Turtle's sub-plot with Jamie Lynn-Sigler actually wasn't bad, but when that's a highlight you know the show's in trouble. As for Ari and Lloyd, they're always great. Ari's offer of a studio head position could have been a big twist had he accepted it. But the last few episodes focused on him getting his friend a job, the effects of which we won't see until next year.

But although I considered dropping the show throughout the season, the finale was again just good enough to keep me going for season 6. That's because the show finally seems to be heading back to its original purpose. It was nice to see where they all grew up in Queens for the first time. The Gus van Sant and Martin Scorsese cameos were fun. But what really set the stage for next season was the word that Vince got the Nick Carroway part in a Scorsese remake of The Great Gatsby. That signals a definite comeback and promises next year won't be another season of bitching about not getting parts. And best news of all? Next season will once again air in the summer.