Entourage - Season 5 Premier - B-

On HBO, 9:00pm Central.

Tonight's premier episode of the ubiquitous Entourage reminded me why I liked it, but failed to live up to its heritage. We rejoin the gang (Eric, Vince, Turtle, Drama, and Ari) after Medellin, Vince's supposed breakthrough film, fails miserably at Cannes and his star has stopped ascending. Click below for more:

Vince is hiding in Mexico (nice x-rated season entry, Vince) with Turtle to avoid dealing with Medellin, while Eric tries to expand his fledgling management company. Ari is Ari, barking and cussing and hitting with gusto. The main conflict is Eric trying to get Vince back to LA for a meeting for a potential offer with a producer. Sound familiar? The writers have a real challenge trying to keep the show interesting, and rehashing the Vince/Eric dynamic isn't going to do it. They all just felt like they were trying too hard. The group together is the best, especially as they interact with other characters, like Billy Walsh or Eric's girlfriends. The show itself was boring except for a few minor laughs and some cool visuals on location.

Here's a great article about Mark Wahlberg and Stephen Levinson, the creators (with Doug Ellin) of the show. It talks a lot about their myriad forthcoming projects with HBO, many of which sound promising.