As if the titillating second season of True Blood (does Sookie Stackhouse believe in clothes anymore?) wasn’t enough, that lovable gang of four in Hollywoodland  is back for another season of Entourage, giving us another excuse to let HBO take over Sundays. The doldrums that marred last season’s plot have finally passed. All that’s left of the charred remains of Smoke Jumpers is a faint, burnt aftertaste as this new season picks up with Vince, and by association the rest of the gang, riding high thanks to his starring role in Scorsese’s adaptation of The Great Gatsby, (which I’d be curious to see in reality).

Photo: Claudette Barius

But there’s also a hint that the band of brothers is branching out a bit as Vince’s ever reliable sidekicks begin to grow up and get serious about their own lives. Turtle’s scored a serious babe in the Soprano’s Jamie Lynn Sigler and, understandably, spends most nights at her place (in a bubbling hot tub no less). Eric’s now a success in his own right, has gotten over his shy side—Drama fancies him a bit of a player anyway—and, once again, has Sloan knocking at his door. Drama’s still Drama, which we’re okay with. So what does this mean for Vince? Well it means he has to learn to drive for one, fueled in part by his upcoming role as Enzo Ferrari, but he also needs to learn to entertain himself, evidenced by the closing scenes of him sitting in the dark, twiddling his thumbs.

The Miller Gold Agency is firing on all cylinders, under the influence of Mad Men. Even before Ari points out that if the ’50s execs of Madison Avenue can drink on the job, so can he, Lloyd pops on screen, having left his faux-hawk behind for a more dapper, gelled coiffure a la Donald Draper.

All this is cool, of course, but maybe the writing team should have spent less time watching cable programs and concentrating on their own. Early on, Ari boasts of the agency picking up their representation of “My Name is Earl,” a show that, if we’re not mistaken, has recently been cancelled. Not only that, but didn’t Jay Leno leave the Tonight Show? That said, factual accuracy is not why we watch Entourage. Ari is as feisty as ever and with the boys back in the thick of their game we’re once again happy to live vicariously through their star studded escapades.