Is Entourage about to jump the shark? Or has it already?

We must confess to being torn where HBO's meta-Hollywood comedy Entourage is concerned. The series premiered during our senior year of college and we thought the show was brilliant. Edgy, sarcastic, insider-y, and it somehow made us think the guy from Drive Me Crazy was a credible actor. At the time, it was one of our favorite shows, though nothing was going to touch Arrested Development.

Now, three years later, the show is a shell of its former self. We can't separate Jeremy Piven from his character anymore, Adrien Grenier really is just as good an actor as Vincent Chase, and E's so-called knowlege about the "industry" is no longer believable. We felt this slide began with the very end of season one, what was to become known as the "Aquaman and Mandy Moore saga."

We always thought we were alone in feeling this way. Our friends still swear by it as must-see viewing. Frankly, we find Flight of the Conchords a lot more inventive and fun, without any of the ego. Well, we're not alone anymore. Those geniuses over at the Onion's AV Club have summed up our thoughts on the show's decline perfectly. Here's an excerpt:

"At first I was merely disappointed that the show wasn’t living up to my expectations but after just a few episodes I came to a disconcerting realization: Entourage is kinda awful. I previously always liked the lightness of Adrien Grenier’s lead performance, the way he breezed through scenes so effortlessly. But the more I watched, the more I came to realize that Grenier is a terrible fucking actor."

"I hesitate to say that I’ve outgrown Entourage because that implies emotional growth and/or superiority and I’m not about to make big claims on either count. But I no longer derive much pleasure from watching the show, beyond a trainwreck fascination as it plunges deeper and deeper into self-parody. Seriously, what the fuck’s up with the ridiculous make-up Vinnie was wearing to play Pablo Escobar? Am I the only one who thought he was a dead ringer for Andy Kaufman’s boorish alter-ego Tony Clifton?"

"I used to look forward to hanging with Vinnie and pals but, at the risk of sounding pretentious or elitist, I probably wouldn’t be friends in real life with people who spend substantially more time partying with supermodels than reading books. Or scripts. Or Marmaduke cartoons. Or anything really. In that respect the show is an accurate reflection of L.A: let’s just say that The L.A Times is the only major newspaper whose book review section covers only pop-up and coloring books."

Perfect. Just perfect.