4 Reasons to Watch How To Make It In America

Recently, I was treated to watching the first two episodes of the second season of HBO’s “How To Make It In America.” It is the tale of two friends, Ben and Cam (Bryn Greenberg and Victor Rasuk), as they try to create a successful clothing brand in New York City. After watching the entire first season in about a day, and recently going to the Entertainment Weekly sponsored screening on Tuesday night at the Common 19 theater, I found some points of interest about this underrated show.

1. It’s like a poor man’s Entourage, and that’s not a bad thing.

Now, there are a lot of comparisons that can be made to Entourage: the same producers, the entire ‘bros before hos’ vibe, etc. However, the one major flaw of Entourage was that viewers would sometimes get sick of rooting for Vince, the big time movie star who had it easy. Cam and Ben aren’t that at all; they’re the underdog that everybody wants to make it.

How do you make it in America? | Promotional photo courtesy of HBO.

2. Luis Guzman easily steals the show at times

Luis Guzman has been in many TV shows and movies in which he has been able to show glimmers of his comedic talents. On this show, he is allowed to run loose. Guzman plays Rene, Cam’s loan shark, ex-convict cousin. He is also chasing the America Dream, by pushing his Rasta Monster energy drink, but he has not forgotten his past ways. One such instance involves destroying a salon, looking for stolen money. Classy.

3. The Soundtrack Equals Crazy

The music for the show properly represents the music scene, while introducing new and up-and-coming artists. The intro, Aloe Blacc’s “I Need A Dollar” is perfect, embodying the working class roots of the show. At the same time, there is a strong variety, spanning from electronic (Duck Sauce, M83) to hip-hop (Meek Mill, CyHi Da Prince) to pop (Theophilus London, Florence and the Machine). The soundtrack for the second season, mixed by world famous DJ Mick Boogie, is available on line for free.

4. The American Dream isn’t Dead and This Show Proves It.

The entire point of the show appears to be exploring what it takes to try and fulfill the American dream. The idea tif someone is determined and works hard, they can get somewhere. No shortcuts. With the economy down, people don’t want to see shows about people getting rich quick. They want to see the everyday man and what he’s doing in order to get by and move up in the world.

The season premiere is October 2nd at 10:30 on HBO, but How to Make It In America can easily be found online on most internet TV websites.

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