There is something about four friends from New York that just seems to captivate television audiences, and the charisma found among a group of four seems to express much more about society, sex and especially gender than anyone could have expected.
Whether portraying men or women, television has established itself as a substantial medium for acknowledging human mentality and behavior, even if it does so through fictional means. HBO premiered “Sex and the City” in 1998 and fully developed this series, which depicts the sex and love lives of four single New York women, with six seasons and a film released this summer.
What made this show so popular was the fact that the characters were incredibly real. Their lifestyles were indeed exaggerated, but they were done so in relation to the fact that the show was providing a glimpse at a fantasy lifestyle. The excessive shopping, dating and sex made the show enticing, but each character’s emotions and behavior were nevertheless genuine and relatable. This standard, which the series continuously upheld, made the show significant.
Five months after the series ended in 2004, HBO premiered another depiction of the human element with the series “Entourage,” which just ended its fifth season Sunday.
Created by Doug Ellin and loosely based on Mark Wahlberg’s early film career, the show satirizes the life of a an up-and-coming Hollywood movie star, who has moved out to Los Angeles from Queens, N.Y., with his brother and two best friends.
Vincent Chase, played by Adrian Grenier, along with manager and best friend Eric “E” Murphy (Kevin Connolly), his older brother and C-list actor Johnny “Drama” Chase (Kevin Dillon), his friend and driver Turtle (Jerry Ferrara), as well as his relentless and crude agent Ari Gold (a brilliant Jeremy Piven) also live out a fantasy similar to the women of HBO’s earlier series.
Just as “Sex and the City” depicts female mentality, “Entourage” captures the ideal male fantasy and lifestyle filled with endless parties, fame, drugs, sex without commitment and wealth. Like any fantasy, the notion of immaturity develops, but the concept should not be interpreted as a dysfunction, merely an attribute of the fantasy that itself could never be mature.
The women of “Sex and the City” are not above immaturity by any means; Sarah Jessica Parker’s character Carrie Bradshaw is unstable and often irrational, but these characteristics make her all the more human. She is a strong woman, but like every other human being there are blatant instances of immaturity and its consequences. Remarkably, this aspect makes the show more than just a feministic perspective.
The same is utterly clear with “Entourage.” The characters are all old children who want to do nothing but play. When not filming, Vince and the gang go to parties, have countless sexual encounters and smoke marijuana all day. During the first few seasons, some of the main characters did not even have their own real jobs, solely relying on Vince’s income.
What showcases male immaturity more than anything is that everyone is relying on Vince to make money, but again, it’s part of the fantasy. The accurate depiction of male behavior, whether it is good or bad, is what makes it like “Sex and the City” — prominent and effective.
There have been claims that the show is in some ways misogynistic and sexist, but it is just as easy to regard “Sex and the City” in the same manner. In both shows the perspective is set on a specific gender and how it perceives the other, both positively and negatively, but fairly.
Sex is what all of the young men want in “Entourage,” fitting the stereotype of the age group. But this device is just another way to distinguish the male mentality. With a different perspective, the women of “Sex and the City” want sex, too. And the sexual angst found in the female friends is even enough to upstage those of the males in “Entourage.”
The highlight of “Entourage” is that it is all about community. The group of friends and their actions and relationships with each other is what is so accurate about the show. All of the glamour involved with their L.A. lifestyle would mean nothing without the camaraderie that exists between the main characters. And like real male relationships, the concrete friendships represent the true male mentality.
It would be hard to deny the opportunity of living as both Carrie Bradshaw and Vincent Chase do, no matter how elaborate and unbelievable their lives might be. One thing that is distinguishably clear is that they share the same ongoing thoughts and desires that the audience does, whether male or female. And this particular aspect of their fictitious lives could not be more authentic.
‘Entourage’ like ‘Sex and the City’ for guys
Shows reveal the sexual and humanistic similarities of men and women in modern world.
Published: Monday, November 24, 2008
Updated: Monday, November 24, 2008
 "Photo: Emily Greenfield | Daily Trojan")
Emily Greenfield | Daily Trojan
4 comments
Disappointed
Wow, that's like the first time this comparison has ever been drawn! And it only took, what, 5 seasons for the DT to figure this out?
SHONTEL SHONUF
A damn book report here.
Your name
This is the worst piece of writing ever. Nice term paper man.
andee
Dude are you sure your a man ?
