HBO’s new series How to Make It in America takes a while to get going, but it definitely has the potential to be a winner.  It follows fashion school drop-out Ben Epstein and his friend Cam Calderon as they try to make a name for themselves in New York’s fashion industry.  They have connections and street smarts and are willing to hustle and sell whatever they can get their hands on to fund their dream, but it won’t come easy.  Also in the mix are Ben’s ex-girlfriend Rachel, Cam’s fresh-out of prison loan shark cousin Rene, Gingy the gutsy gallery owner, and Ben and Cam’s well-connected friend Domingo.
 

How to Make It in America is being billed as a New York Entourage, which is to be expected given the two shows share producers Mark Wahlberg, Stephen Levinson, and Rob Weiss and feature strong friendships, but How to Make It in America is hardly a clone.  These characters haven’t come close to making it yet.  They’re trying hard, having small successes and small failures while they reach for the big time.  This show is about the long journey up and what you have to compromise as you climb.  It’s more grounded and diverse than Entourage.  While funny, it has fewer big laughs (so far) but more charm and more characters to root for.  It also feels much rawer than Entourage, which I like, and New York, from upscale galleries to gritty alleys, comes alive, giving the show extra depth and color.
 

Ben’s dream is to create a denim empire, but his insecurities often make him falter.  Cam is tired of other people he knows making it big and leaving him behind, so he pushes Ben hard, making for a good partnership.  Each episode unwraps more character layers—virtues and flaws—and moves the plot along, showing the inevitable disappointments that make each nibble of success that much sweeter.  How to Make It in America stays relatable and real without ever getting either too schmaltzy or cynical. 
 

The cast is outstanding.  Bryan Greenberg plays Ben as a nice, slightly sad and insecure guy without whining or seeming pathetic and Victor Rasuk gives fired-up Cam a hungry ambition while keeping him friends above all.  I love that, unlike ex-girlfriends on too many shows, Rachel is a whole character with a full life and Lake Bell is so likeable and believable in her conflicted emotions.  Sharyn Sossaman and Kid Cudi are also terrific, and I’m thrilled to see both Luis Guzman and Martha Plimpton.
 

How to Make It in America is a show that grows on you if you give it a chance.  I’ve seen the first four episodes, and the show improves in each one, with the characters becoming more appealing and easy to root for and the storylines becoming more complicated and interesting.  The pilot was okay but forgettable, the second episode intrigued me, I started caring about the characters in the third, and by the end of the fourth, I was hooked.  I had a similar reaction to Bored to Death, another HBO show I now love, so I have high hopes for How to Make It in America. 
 

Note: HBO has made the pilot episode available for viewing on YouTube.  Check it out for yourselves.