5 Ways That 'Ballers' Can Avoid Becoming 'Entourage'
In the beginning, before it became a national punchline for a show that overstayed its welcome and a movie that nobody saw, Entourage was a breezily entertaining summer series that functioned as perfect viewing for the warm weather months. For 30 minutes every Sunday, viewers could escape into the glamorous Hollywood hills with movie star Vince (Adrian Grenier) and his crew of pals and hangers-on as they lived out a glitzy fantasy of life in La-La Land. Reality very quickly set in, of course. By Season 3, Entourage was well on the path toward ridicule and irrelevance from which it never really recovered.
This summer, at the same time the Entourage movie was crashing and burning at the box office, some of the same creative forces behind that series — including producers Stephen Levinson, Rob Weiss, and Mark Wahlberg — re-teamed for their latest HBO venture, Ballers, which airs its Season 1 finale on Aug. 23 with a renewal already in the can. Besides trading L.A. for Miami and the film industry for the sports world, Ballers is, so far, a lot like the first season of Entourage. It’s light, airy, and easy to binge-watch, taking full advantage of its glitzy backdrop and appealing cast, led by aspiring King of All Media, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. But as much fun as Ballers is right now, it’s hard not to feel the shadow of Entourage’s downfall hanging over the series. Here are five suggestions we have for the creative team to ensure that Ballers doesn’t foul out in Season 2 or beyond.
Related: ‘Ballers’ Review: The Rock Scores in His New HBO Show
1. Let the Hero Lose Sometimes
In Entourage’s freshman season, you couldn’t help rooting for Vince to triumph over adversity. But by Season 7, the writers’ ability to extricate him from any mess, no matter how career-killing, made the series even more of a fantasy than Game of Thrones. Worse still, by routinely erasing the consequences of his actions, the series transformed its leading man into a person we constantly rooted against. We can’t imagine ever wishing trouble upon the eternally-likable Johnson, but his Ballers character, ex-NFL star player-turned-financial advisor Spencer Strasmore, would benefit from at least some adversity. In Season 1, he was beset by problems that ranged from compromising photos of one of his clients to a potential brain injury from his days in the league. But most of those issues appear to have been nipped in the bud as the finale approaches, with Spencer coming out on top in every case. It’s good that his mind seems to be intact, but for the sake of the show’s dramatic future, he needs to endure some losses to balance out his victories.
2. Keep Giving the JV Team Varsity Material
While Vince’s buddy Eric (Kevin Connolly) occasionally got some juicy material to play, the other members of his entourage — Drama (Kevin Dillon) and Turtle (Jerry Ferrara) — tended to be afterthoughts when they were thought of at all. Ballers has surrounded Johnson’s Spencer with two compelling characters who could be the stars of their own series: Ricky (John David Washington, son of Denzel), a talented player with impulse control problems, and Charles (Omar Miller), a recently retired baller struggling to adjust to life off the field. Miller in particular has been doing strong work all season, proving himself capable of tackling increasingly challenging material. Here’s hoping the writers don’t sideline him, or Washington, in Season 2.
3. Institute a Cap on the Celebrity Cameos
Nabbing an Entourage cameo was a badge of honor for Hollywood celebrities, and it was certainly fun to see Vince rubbing shoulders with the likes of Jessica Alba, Peter Dinklage, James Cameron, Bono, and Matt Damon. Eventually though, those appearances came to feel like a convenient way to eat up screentime. So far, Ballers has been more judicious in the use of bringing real sports stars into its fictional world. Redskins wide receiver DeSean Jackson and Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown are among Season 1’s limited guest list. Keep the invites to a minimum, guys. It makes each cameo more of a pleasant surprise than an annoying diversion.
4. Avoid the Ari of It All
When he first entered the frame, Jeremy Piven’s super-agent Ari Gold was the secret sauce that gave Entourage extra zest. Then the writers gave him more and more material and diluted his appeal. Ballers features two potential Ari figures: Spencer’s fellow financial agent Joe (Rob Corddry) and sports agent Jason (Troy Garity), with the former representing Gold’s wild and crazy side, and the latter possessing his keen business acumen. By dividing Ari in half, the writers have managed to keep that prickly personality type from seizing control of the show. That’s a strategy they would be wise to follow going forward.
Related: HBO Renews ‘Ballers’ for Season 2
5. Don’t Be Afraid of Change
Entourage had plenty of opportunities to change up the flailing dynamics of its show — like when Vince left Ari for Carla Gugino’s Amanda Daniels — only to continually hit the reset button. But there comes a time in the life of a show when change isn’t just necessary… it’s essential. Ballers should be prepared to embrace that eventuality, even if it means bidding farewell to a pleasant character who has outlived his usefulness. (Looking at you, Vernon.)
The season finale of Ballers airs Aug. 23 at 10 p.m. on HBO.