What We Learned From The Season Premieres Of Entourage And True Blood
Posted at 12:45 PM Sep 08, 2008
By Kenny Herzog
Lest it seem networks are in competition with one another for ratings, they are clearly conspiring to drive TV viewers nuts. The usual late-summer lull had created a wave of complacency among the public, who opted to spend their Sunday nights gallivanting outdoors and grabbing one last five-star dinner for the weekend (i.e. frozen Hungry Man meals on a building stoop in NCDSUV land).
And then, the moment Labor Day hangovers subside, a barrage of must-see programming infiltrates the airwaves simultaneously, sending DVR sales skyrocketing and inciting panic in couch potatoes the world over.
So in case you were too busy watching the VMAs or have yet to play catch-up amidst the backdrop of a hectic Monday, here's all you need to know about two particularly big television premieres: the fifth season of Entourage and the series debut of Six Feet Under maestro Alan Ball's True Blood. Or at least what we gleaned from our 90 minutes spent with Vincent Chase and a bunch of not-particularly-scary bloodsuckers:
─Vampires are so powerful, they can adopt the accent of whatever region they're in, just so we don't have to do more work than necessary adjusting to the backwoods setting of the show.
─Despite the obscure show times of At The Movies, Richard Roeper is apparently the most powerful man in Hollywood.
─Oh, we get it, vampires are a metaphor for other victims of societal prejudice, like minorities, gays, and Bristol Palin.
─Despite having grown up in a dysfunctional household with an alcoholic father and having yet to find true love or success in his career, Vincent Chase remains the most unrelatably laid-back human being alive.
─Anna Paquin , who is surprisingly convincing as a redneck clairvoyant, may be the only thing that saves True Blood from gimmick-driven, short-lived bite.
─If Rick Ross beards are suddenly a magnet for Hollywood hotties, then what are the NCDSUV staff doing here in New York?
