I Love LA: The True Successor to Entourage On HBO

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After the success of Entourage, HBO is hoping its new show, I Love LA, will capture the same audience. Entourage was popular because it gave viewers a glamorous, behind-the-scenes look at Hollywood and how the entertainment industry works. The show presented a heightened, yet believable, version of this world, making it both a fun escape and surprisingly realistic.

Rachel Sennott’s comedy, I Love LA, offers a fresh take on the city, focusing on the lives of Gen Z influencers trying to build their careers. Although the show shares similarities with Entourage, some viewers are mistakenly comparing it to Girls based on surface-level aspects.

I Love LA Embraces The Messiness Of The Entertainment Industry Just Like Entourage

HBO’s I Love LA feels like a spiritual successor to Entourage after a 14-year gap. It realistically portrays the complicated people who drive the entertainment world, showing off the egos, vulnerabilities, and behind-the-scenes maneuvering that keep Hollywood running. Like Entourage, it doesn’t necessarily present a cast of characters you’ll instantly root for, and that’s intentional.

The show often leaves viewers wondering whether they should root for or dislike its characters, and this uncertainty is a big reason it stayed popular. However, Entourage hasn’t held up perfectly over time, largely because it really captured the extravagant and hopeful spirit of the 2000s.

Both I Love LA and its counterpart are modern updates that reflect how social media and brand partnerships now shape the entertainment world. What they have in common is a commitment to showing audiences a raw and honest look behind the scenes of an industry often shrouded in secrecy. Both programs provide viewers with an inside look at the benefits, challenges, and often bizarre realities of being famous.

Comparing I Love LA To Girls Is Reductionist

At first glance, I Love LA seems similar to Girls, and it’s easy to understand why. Both are half-hour HBO shows focusing on complex young women who aren’t necessarily meant to be immediately appealing. However, beyond that basic similarity in style, the shows begin to differ significantly.

Both Girls and I Love LA center on young women figuring things out, but they approach it differently. Girls was mainly about a group of friends simply spending time together, with some relatable struggles. I Love LA, however, focuses on the professional side of things, following Maia as she tries to manage the quickly growing career of an influencer named Tellulah.

It’s a bit simplistic to group the two shows together just because they both feature female leads, particularly when Entourage, despite being labeled a drama, actually tells a very similar story. All three shows are really dramedies, but I Love LA is most like Entourage in its focus on how the world of fame works and the flawed people who thrive within it.

One key difference is how the show is made. I Love LA is driven by its creator, Rachel Sennott, who both wrote and stars in the series, but it’s not as personally revealing as Girls was for Lena Dunham. While Dunham’s character felt like an exaggerated version of herself, Sennott’s perspective shines through in the show’s witty and insightful humor, rather than a direct portrayal of her own life.

The show feels like a sharp and fashionable look at the entertainment industry today. With HBO already renewing it for a second season after just three episodes, I Love LA has a lot of potential – hopefully it finds an audience and enjoys a long run like Entourage.

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2025-11-30 19:28