Hot Summer TV

Image credit: Entourage Photograph by Gavin Bond

Image credit: Entourage Photograph by Gavin Bond

(FROM LEFT) CONNOLLY, PIVEN, FERRARA, DILLON, DEBI MAZAR, AND GRENIER

Entourage

STARRING Adrian Grenier, Kevin Connolly, Kevin Dillon, Jerry Ferrara, Jeremy Piven

WHAT IT'S ABOUT HBO's series follows up-and-coming actor Vincent Chase (Grenier) and his group of high-living hangers-on (Connolly, Dillon, and Ferrara). The show and its insider take on Hollywood in all of its Botoxed, Mystic Tanned, Jamba Juiced glory plays to both Americans addicted to celebrity culture and showbiz types who view the not-so-satirical Hollywood high jinks as the TV version of a blind gossip item. ''We've gotten calls from people [in the industry] who go, 'This is so real, it's like watching my life,''' says creator-exec producer Doug Ellin. ''A lot of people in town are scared now because we pull no punches,'' adds Mark Wahlberg, who pitched Entourage to HBO in 2003 as a series loosely based on his early years in Hollywood.

WHAT TO EXPECT Season 2 finds Vince struggling to stay in the spotlight: Having followed his debut action film with an indie project, he is suddenly without any offers — and his hilariously amoral agent, Ari (Jeremy Piven), wants him to star in a sellout blockbuster in order to stay relevant.

WHY WE'RE OPTIMISTIC Despite season 1's low ratings — the series was an instant critical hit when it debuted last summer, but the ratings weren't as hip, averaging only 1.9 million viewers an episode — Entourage's sophomore year has a high glitz factor: Bono, James Cameron, and the Playboy Mansion are among the cameos. ''Everyone's really settling into their character, getting more comfortable with the scripts,'' says Piven. ''It just feels like the next level.''