Entourage premiered in the summer of 2004, presenting a fairytale Hollywood where the hero always wins, gets laid, and keeps his cool. Despite the show being totally unrealistic (even for a town where reality is often on hold) the story of a Queens, New York boy navigating stardom with his best pals in tow was instantly lovable. With a cast of characters based loosely on Mark Wahlberg’s real life, plus a revolving door of celebrity cameos that included everyone from Bob Saget to 50 Cent, the half-hour dramedy ran for eight seasons during HBO’s second epoch. Fifteen years later, here’s what we still love about the TV show that made strutting around West Hollywood look more fun than a magic carpet ride (and gave Gary Busey a shot at redemption).
Cover Photo: Jason Merritt/TERM
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Entourage 15 years
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The Opening Sequence
Superhero may be Jane's Addiction's most mediocre song, but the final "Oh yeah," of the opening credits never failed to hit the brain in just the right way to prepare us for some mindless hanging out.
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Vince
Vince was the reason for the season. His effortless cool and friendly demeanor made it easy to root for his success. After all, he had mouths to feed.
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Victory
Vince's bro, Johnny Drama, had a chip on his shoulder from living in his younger brother's shadow. It was hilarious, absurd, and totally relatable. Though Drama couldn't help his shallow tendencies, he was a likable character whose small victories always warmed the heart.
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Smoking Weed In Every Episode
The show made smoking weed look as fun on screen as it is in real life, and normalized what was an illegal activity at the time. Plus, it was the perfect backdrop for getting high and wasting half the day while still feeling productive.
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Val Kilmer
Kilmer's portrayal of a hippie-dippy kush dealer in episode two was so far out, it perfectly set the tone for the rest of the show. Light, irreverent, surprising - Kilmer's bizarre performance gave featured actors carte blanche to reinvent themselves with pizzazz for a modern audience.
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Gary Busey
Many forgotten celebrities made great cameos on the show, but none so memorable and jarring as Gary Busey. His violent undertones and horsey smile were put to good use as Zen-talking weirdo, Gary Busey.
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The Love/Hate Relationship
Because things always worked out in the end, there were many opportunities for the show's two Napoleonic businessmen to hug it out. Nothing repairs bridges as quickly as money and success. And for one fleeting moment, we shared in that success.
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Ari's Temper
Ari Gold's erratic temper may have been the best feature of the show. Collecting a few Emmys along the way to prove it, Jeremy Piven's acting basically legitimized the show. And the great thing was, Ari lost his temper time...
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Ari's Temper
...after...
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Ari's Temper
...time.
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Drama's Temper
But Gold wasn't the only one with anger management issues. And just as frequently, Drama would go berserk (his misguided way of handling his insecurity issues). It was a beautiful thing.
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The Cars
Entourage had no shortage of high-end cars for the gang to roll around in. When you're an A-list celebrity, people just give you things for free.
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Walking...A Lot
Before Entourage, nobody walked in L.A. After Entourage, the streets were filled with pedestrians. Coincidence? We think not.
