By A.J. Voelpel
HBO’s Sunday night lineup is good. In fact, the last time television saw a line up this good may have been the days when Saved by the Bell, California Dreams and Hang Time played back to back on Saturday mornings. It’s reached the point where football isn’t the only Sunday activity worthy of a tailgate.
Not only have The Sopranos and Entourage fans become a dime a dozen, but they’re multiplying as each episode airs. Like businesses in small southern football towns the night of games, America shuts down each Sunday night at 9 p.m. and stays that way for the next two hours. HBO has even decided to throw in a bonus prize with 24/7, completing the Sunday Night trifecta and achieving a certain kind of television immortality.
The first four episodes of The Sopranos have been nothing short of, well, typical Sopranos. The slow pace of the series makes one anxious for the day the Emmy committee comes up with an award for ‘the show everyone loves to hate’ – The Sopranos could make their already full trophy case collapse with that award alone. Each week we watch with great anticipation only to be left with more dumbfounded looks than a high school chemistry class. There’s been minimal action thus far and way too much Carmela and Janice – the show seems to be going from Growing up Gotti to Golden Girls before you can say fuggetaboutit. Love scenes involving are also too numerous. Yet despite the slow start, fans are not giving up, most remaining convinced that there are big things to come in the final episodes.
Entourage, which took on the role of middle child on Sunday nights, has been right on in the early going. Vinny Chase and the chasers acquired a new smoking hot agent, Amanda (Carla Gugino), to replace the void left by self-proclaimed super-agent, Ari Gold. Meanwhile, Eric has been living up to his title as “king of all dorks,” while Drama continues to steal the spotlight. Turtle’s stock rises with each new episode and cameo appearances by Artie Lang and Chuck Liddell were brilliant. The only dilemma had so far with this season is the lack of super-hot Sloan. Putting her in each episode is the equivalent of adding marshmallow fluff to a peanut butter and jelly sandwich…magically enhancing.
Following these two juggernauts is the boxing mini-series 24/7, which has quietly taken the world by storm and become one of the best 30 T.V. minutes of the week. The series follows Floyd Mayweather and Oscar de la Hoya as they train and prepare for their May 3 fight. Floyd Mayweather is thankfully built for T.V., taking the art of trash talking to a level the common man has yet to experience. This week, De La Hoya hired a new trainer (he used to train with Mayweather Sr.) to replenish whatever his old, brittle body has left. The clips at the end of each episode, where they show the two fighters obliterating speed bags and training like wild animals is phenomenal and reason enough to watch the show. 24/7 overloads the senses and serves as the perfect cap to an amazing lineup.
