I’m not sure what I was more stoked about last night… the return of The Sopranos or the return of Entourage. I felt pretty disoriented and completely out of the loop with The Sopranos; it seems I barely remember anything that happened in the first half of season 6. Do I even care where this final denouement is heading? I’m not sure.

On the other hand, Entourage was like a reunion with old friends I hadn’t seen in a while. I think this is one of the big strengths of Entourage: the relationship between their posse is so natural and easy-going that you instantly feel like you’re a part of it. There aren’t a lot of plot twists or a huge cast of characters, so there’s no time wasted catching up viewers. You just kick back and enjoy hanging out with these guys for a half-hour, no questions asked.

There’s been a lot of talk that HBO is hoping Entourage will take the place of The Sopranos as their primary blockbuster once The Sopranos ends. I think there’s a good chance that it may be able to fill those shoes. The appeal of Entourage is a lot broader than just about anything else on HBO, and I think the show is completely infectious. The more people find out about it, the more it spreads. Now that re-runs of past seasons are airing on other networks, it’s only a matter of time before it spikes in popularity.

And if you were worried that Ari was going to be out of the picture this season… don’t worry. They’re not that foolish. He’s still going to be as much a part of the entourage as anyone else, and I’m glad to see it.