Had you asked us just yesterday whether or not we were planning on watching HOW TO MAKE IT IN AMERICA — a little-hyped new offering from HBO that at first glance looked to us like nothing more than a desperate attempt to ensure we held onto our HBO subscription until TRUE BLOOD returns in the summer* — our answer would have unequivocally been “No!” Unfortunately for us, and fortunately for the pay-cabler, a somewhat uneventful Saturday evening** left us with a little more free time on our hands than originally planned and a reminder not to judge a book by its cover (or in the case of TV, a show by its buzz).
For what on the surface seemed like little more than an ENTOURAGE meets New York City hybrid, turned out to be anything but. So much so that after devouring four half-hour back-to-back episodes that follow underachieving best friends Ben (OCTOBER ROAD’s Bryan Greenberg) and Cam (Lord of Dogtown’s Victor Rasuk) as they struggle to — as the title suggests — make it in America. We’re completely hooked.
Hooked on the docudrama feel that gave us a front row seat to New York’s always exciting nightlife and art world. Hooked on the supporting players, including scene stealers Eddie Kaye Thomas (playing Ben’s old High School friend), Martha Plimpton (Rachel’s interior-designer boss) and Louis Guzman (Cam’s fresh-out-of-prison cousin Rene) who naturally has his own ideas of just how to make it (like investing in an energy drink franchise called Rasta Monsta). And hooked most of all on protagonist Ben, a Fashion Institute drop out who in the process of attempting to win back ex-girlfriend Rachel (Lake Bell) has decided to finally follow-through on his dream of creating his own denim line.
Thanks to a shortened freshman season, Ben and Cam will only have eight episode to find out if they have what it takes. Will the slightly-less-than-dynamic-duo do make it? No promises here, but having seen the show’s first four episodes, of this we are sure: You’ll certainly have fun if you decide to join them for the ride. 
* While we’re sure the upcoming 100 million dollar history lesson by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg known as THE PACIFIC is going to be phenomenal, we rarely have the time to dedicate to such sprawling miniseries’ until much later on (Having only recently ‘caught up’ with Hanks’ FROM THE EARTH TO THE MOON)
** Thank you very much to you know who for bailing on you know what!
HOW TO MAKE IT IN AMERICA premieres on Sunday February 14 at 10PM on HBO and HBO Canada.