By Trey Alessio
CREDIT: ScreenRant
The third season of “Ballers” is underway on HBO, and it has the makings to be a really dope season, but the more and more I watch “Ballers,” the more I want it to live up to “Entourage.” It’s easy to compare both shows. Whenever I explain the premise of “Ballers” to somebody, I find myself calling it the “NFL version of ‘Entourage,’” but is it fair to put them head-to-head?
Sure, the similarities are all over the place. Both shows give a behind-the-scenes look into its respective profession portrayed on screen (one about the NFL, the other about the movie industry), both are kind of flashy, both are bombarded with cameos, both are centered on a group on guys being dudes, both are 30-minute dramedies, both are executive produced by Mark Wahlberg and list goes on and on. But before I dive deeper into differentiating the shows, I must say that “Entourage” is one of my top-3 favorite shows of all-time.
I was late to the “Entourage” party, but I binge-watched the series on HBO Go and fell in love with the message behind the bravado of Vinnie Chase, E, Johnny Drama, Turtle and Ari Gold. The boys taught me to enjoy the ride of life because everything will work out in the end. That message stuck with me, and I try to live my life with that mindset. It was the kind of show that was just fun to watch but really struck a chord and taught some legitimate life lessons along the way.
Sure, the similarities are all over the place. Both shows give a behind-the-scenes look into its respective profession portrayed on screen (one about the NFL, the other about the movie industry), both are kind of flashy, both are bombarded with cameos, both are centered on a group on guys being dudes, both are 30-minute dramedies, both are executive produced by Mark Wahlberg and list goes on and on. But before I dive deeper into differentiating the shows, I must say that “Entourage” is one of my top-3 favorite shows of all-time.
I was late to the “Entourage” party, but I binge-watched the series on HBO Go and fell in love with the message behind the bravado of Vinnie Chase, E, Johnny Drama, Turtle and Ari Gold. The boys taught me to enjoy the ride of life because everything will work out in the end. That message stuck with me, and I try to live my life with that mindset. It was the kind of show that was just fun to watch but really struck a chord and taught some legitimate life lessons along the way.
CREDIT: Playbuzz
“Ballers” has the same tendencies as “Entourage.” I remember watching the pilot episode of “Ballers” and thinking to myself, “This had everything ‘Entourage’ did.” It had the dudes you want to portray with Spencer Strasmore (played by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson), Ricky Jerret (played by Denzel Washington’s son John David Washington), Charles Greane (played by Omar Miller), Vernon Littlefield (played by Donovan W. Carter), Joe Krutel (played by Rob Corddry) and Jason the sports agent (played by Troy Garity). It had the cameos with appearances from Don Shula, Larry Csonka, DeSean Jackson, Antonio Brown, Steven Jackson and Mark Schlereth. It had that iconic quote. When Spencer said, “Trust me… never buy a depreciating asset. If it drives, flies, floats or fucks—lease it!,” it reminded me of Ari Gold’s classic quote when he said, “Let’s hug it out, bitch.” Both shows just had the same vibe and some of the same storylines. Hell, in the second episode of the third season of “Ballers” when Spencer drove the Monster Truck and crashed it, I got a nice dose of déjà vu as I could just see the possibility of Spencer falling into a pill addiction much like Vince did in the seventh season of “Entourage.”
But now with the beginning of the third season of “Ballers,” something hasn’t quite hit me the way “Entourage” did at that point. “Ballers” is definitely a fun show to watch, but I don’t feel as connected to Spencer and the boys as I did with Vinnie and the boys, and that’s the difference. “Entourage” did a great job of giving us the flash that comes with Hollywood but, at the same time, peeling back the curtains and allowing us to get to know each character. We haven’t really gotten that yet with “Ballers” (granted it has only been three seasons so far).
I hope in the coming weeks we get to know Spencer, Ricky, Charles, Vernon, Joe, Jason and the rest of the characters on “Ballers” more, and while “Entourage” and “Ballers” have a ton of similarities, the two shows are very different. Let’s try to stop comparing this new series to an all-time great, and remember: manage expectations.
But now with the beginning of the third season of “Ballers,” something hasn’t quite hit me the way “Entourage” did at that point. “Ballers” is definitely a fun show to watch, but I don’t feel as connected to Spencer and the boys as I did with Vinnie and the boys, and that’s the difference. “Entourage” did a great job of giving us the flash that comes with Hollywood but, at the same time, peeling back the curtains and allowing us to get to know each character. We haven’t really gotten that yet with “Ballers” (granted it has only been three seasons so far).
I hope in the coming weeks we get to know Spencer, Ricky, Charles, Vernon, Joe, Jason and the rest of the characters on “Ballers” more, and while “Entourage” and “Ballers” have a ton of similarities, the two shows are very different. Let’s try to stop comparing this new series to an all-time great, and remember: manage expectations.