Entourage Jumped the Shark

...and I mean that in the best way possible.  I mean, now that Lost and Alias are off for the summer, Entourage is the only show that I am religious about.  I can't wait for it each week, and I'm crushed when it's over just a scant 22 minutes later.

People need to remember what "jumping the shark" means because I don't want people to think that I'm trashing the show.  When you "jump the shark" that means that the show is never again as good as it was on the episode that it jumped.

And let me be very clear, Entourage will never, ever, ever be as good as it was this Sunday (June 26th) so track it down on HBO this week.  Let me give you 7 reasons why:

1. Jeremy Piven hearing from Eric that James Cameron is directing Aquaman - "Yeah, fuck you!  Where did you hear that, Friendster?"
2. Jeremy Piven telling his wife why he has to take a phone call during couples therapy - "If you want summer in the French Riviera, then I have to take this call, at noon ON A MOTHERFUCKING WEDNESDAY!"
3. Jeremy Piven poking Eric after Vince picks an interior designer for their new $3 million house - "Oh (mocking), she's expensive!"
4. Jeremy Piven thanking a studio exec at Warner Bros., and reminiscing - "Felt like Cabo to me, baby!"
5. Jeremy Piven furious at the (supposed) agent who handles Warner Bros. - "You know what?  Don't do anything, because you're fucking fired!"
6. The whole James Cameron angle was brilliant on so many levels, but the best part about it was that they didn't explain it, they trusted the audience to either figure it out on their own, or get hit by a sledgehammer at the end of the show.  It actually mirrored the characters' reactions.  You just know half the audience was saying, "Wait - James Cameron would be huge... why is this an issue?" just like Vince, Turtle, and Drama.  While the other half of the audience understood the ramifications and said, "Oh shit," just like Eric and Ari.  Lesson learned - don't kowtow to your audience... trust them, and if they can't keep up, leverage that and use it in your story.
7. Jeremy Piven relieved that everything's going to be okay with Vince and Aquaman - "Lloyd, get in here. I wanna make out with you."

PS - Since Mark Wahlberg admits much of this is based on his early time in Hollywood with his buddies, I'm trying to figure out whether this whole Aquaman thing has an analogous story for him.

I can totally see this as how Planet of the Apes got off the ground.  Couldn't you buy a situation where they came to Wahlberg, and he hesitated because he didn't want to be the star of a big action movie (especially because he just came off of Boogie Nights (a la Queens Boulevard)) or had concerns about the costume?  Then a HUGE director like Tim Burton comes on board, and it sure wouldn't have been surprising if he wanted his boy Johnny Depp instead of Wahlberg... 

Just something to think about.  I'm not saying this is what happened, but it's close enough to reality for consideration, isn't it?

Comments

[Mike]

I always took "jumping the shark" to mean the moment when a tv series starts going downhill - you can't say that the best ever moment of Happy Days was the moment when the Fonz lept on waterskis over a shark, can you? That's where the expression comes from.

[Craig]

Hey Mike - I hear you on that one, but by the very definition: "the moment when a tv series starts going downhill," I mean, I'm no physicist, but if you think about it... doesn't that mean that you've hit the high point? The moment that you start to go downhill has to be the highest possible point, right?

Anyway, who cares? Sunday's Entourage was one of the best 30 minutes of television I've ever seen.

[mike]

Ah! You've got me there. Well, I take it back. Also, glad you enjoyed the show!

[Brian]

...but what if next week is even better? Mike is correct. Fonzie Jumping the Shark, When Mrs Keaton had the baby, When Rudy Huxtable was getting too old so they brought in heavy hitter Raven Simone. It's when you see a show shift gears (for what appears to the worst) right before your eyes, not when you see the best episode ever.

[Craig]

Guys - my post was not about discussing how a show jumps the shark. I was just trying to make a point that last week's show was so amazingly good, that next week's episode will not be better. It just can't be. No show they ever broadcast will be as good as this one.

I literally watched it again (was sitting on my TiVo) not more than 15 minutes ago. From the moment that Ari is in therapy with his wife, to the end of the show... that was the best 15 minutes of television that has been on this year.

If you don't like my "jumping the shark" comparison, that's fine... I'm just trying to make a point about how incredible that episode was - especially Jeremy Piven's acting.

Tivo it. Watch it.

[heywood]

Craig,
I hear you that this was a good episode, but the one a few weeks earlier (when eric bangs the perfect 10 model) should go down as the best episode (to date) for the entire series. You got great lines like:

1) Ari - "I paid two thousand dollars for these seats, I'll get out there and launch a three if I want to"

2) Ari - "Eric, that chick was way too hot for you. Would did you, slip her a roofie or something?"

3) Eric - "oh by the way, last night I fucked a perfect 10 model, and....I fucked her again this morning"

4) Turtle - "450 bucks a night for the hotel room? You should have at least jerked off on the bed"

5) Ari - "I would love to join you, but it's anal sex at the Gold household tonight"

These are just a few. There are a bunch more that I'm missing.

[Craig]

That one was terrific... the line about slipping her a roofie was classic!

But like I said, this week's Bob Saget episode was good, but DEFINITELY not as good as the James Cameron episode.

I would be very impressed if they came out with another one as good as the Cameron episode or the Perfect 10 episode.