Pretty cool fact: On this day in 2004, the greatest television masterpiece about bros being bros — Entourage — premiered on HBO. Because no web property on the Internet loves Entourage more than we love Entourage, let’s relive the first scene in the first episode of the first season. It’s like the best 2004 time capsule you’ll ever see: Turtle driving a bright yellow hummer, Drama busting Es balls, dudes crushing beers, dudes talking about hanging out with girls “after the show.”
I’d like to believe that every group of Bros who has ever binge-watched Entourage did that exact same thing — delegate who is who from Entourage IRL, then apply the show to one’s own life.
That’s because Entourage is lifestyle porn for Bros. It’s shallow, vain, and vacuous, but fetishizes a certain type of life that a certain type of male can relate to – toward careers, towards relationships, towards success, towards chasing your dreams, and – most importantly – towards each other. It’s about always winning.
It’s voyeuristic.
It’s aspirational.
It’s a fantasy.
Not everyone gets Entourage, but those that do really get it. Pop culture has largely evolved beyond the show’s cheesy brand of high-five locker room humor. One-liners are dead. But Bros of all ages still idolize Entourage’s effortlessness at showcasing the brotherhood that exists between all Bros, no matter what age.
At it’s core, Entourage has never been about Vinny Chase and the gang. Rather, it’s about how eerily similar their chemistry is to the chemistry a Bro has with his own friends in real life. Their antics onscreen mirror the way a Bro brags to his friends about his own shenanigans. Entourage doesn’t exist to make deep, bold statements about the shallow depravity of Hollywood life. But it does use a fantasy life in an L.A. fantasyland as a backdrop for showcasing a certain type of friendship. The lame story arcs and lack of self awareness just refocus the lens on what’s important: Each other, through thick and thin.
At the end of the day, you’re left thinking these four fuck-ups would be acting the exact same way at a shore house in Manasquan or Ocean City this summer if Vinny never moved to Hollywood.
Continue reading: Why ‘Entourage’ Is So Important For Bros Everywhere