If you’re tired of twenty- something shows that are supposed to be about New York but the settings and characters could just as easily be smack in the middle of Cleveland, have I got a very quirky, very good, very New York City show for you.
“How to Make It In America” centers on two guys in their 20s, Ben Epstein (Bryan Greenberg) and Cam Calderone (Victor Rasuk) — a dreamer and a hustler who work in opposing but interesting ways to make their dream of creating a jeans empire come true.
The chance of them making it big in denim is, however, slimmer than Kate Moss’ jeans.
But dreams do come true. In real life, this show was created by Ian Edelman, a first-time writer whose credits include, well, nothing.
And although the new show is exec produced by some of the guys who bring you “Entourage” (Mark Wahlberg and Rob Weiss), it is everything that “Entourage” is not.
For one thing, it couldn’t be more genuine — not just a loser’s fantasy of what it’s like to be a player.
Ben is a Fashion Institute dropout/graphic designer who works at Barneys after his attempt at manufacturing skateboards tanks.
Cam is his knock-around friend and “business partner” who always has a hustle in the pipeline to make money — many of them funded by his cousin, Rene (Luis Guzman), a loan shark and businessman, who has just gotten out of jail. Rene runs the neighborhood and expects Cam to pay him back the three grand he loaned him — with interest.
Ben and Cam are as comfortable on Rene’s turf as they are in the art/fashion world of downtown. But Cam is the one who usually gets lucky with the ladies while Ben is busy pining for the one that got away, Rachel (Lake Bell).
The authentic New York locales and voices really make this new half-hour dramedy fly.
I mean, seriously, unless you know NYC, you don’t know that Cosmo’s Diner on 23rd Street is where to go for a great egg sandwich, right?
Here’s another taste of real New York: Rene has bought a route to distribute something called “Rasta Monsta” soft drink.
In a dreary parking garage, he confronts the two annoying guys who own the US distributorship, angry at their poor marketing techniques. He tells them he’s taking over their business.
“What is this? A hostile takeover,” they ask.
Rene, unfazed, replies: “It can be hostile. That’s up to you boys.”
Terrific.