How to Make It in America

HBO's freshman series How To Make It in America may exist in a stylized urban NYC jungle of swanky model parties and Brooklyn warehouses filled with piles of vintage T-shirts, but its surprisingly compelling ensemble is populated with dreamers and schemers who are relatable in their desperation to succeed in New York. It's all about the "con" (as in confidence) and some are able to back up their boasts while still defaulting on their promises. As committed self-doubter Ben Epstein, Bryan Greenberg is frustratingly human as a guy who's self-aware enough to realize his achievements fall short of his potential, yet oblivious as to how he can turn it all around. The program occasionally suffers from overly literal soundtrack choices and incessant namedropping and brandchecking, but it is somewhat redeemed by its clean cinematic style, which is punctuated by freeze-frame stills of everyone from working-class meatpackers to downtown art scenesters. Conceived and produced by the team behind Entourage (including executive producer Mark Wahlberg), the series is a cousin to its West Coast predecessor in its depiction of easy familial friendships and an anytime, anywhere party atmosphere fueled by Wall Street money. A drama that sometimes masquerades as a comedy, How to Make It features low-key laughs that come, not from obvious jokes and punchlines, but from recognizing and embracing a signature New York attitude—a mix of weary resignation and brash cockiness carried by people who always want more.