Parents' Guide to

How to Make It in America

By Kari Croop, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Mature drama adds grit to the pursuit of a glamorous life.

TV HBO Drama 2010
How to Make It in America Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

Community Reviews

There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

Given the show's old-friends-from-the-neighborhood premise and Mark Wahlberg's executive producer credit, it's inevitable that How to Make It in America will be compared to another Wahlberg-produced HBO drama about old friends from the neighborhood, Entourage. But where Entourage follows a group of New York transplants living it up amid Hollywood glam, America keeps its characters firmly rooted in Manhattan grit. Despite first impressions, they're two very different series.

It takes a while to catch on to each character's motivations, and the no-frills script doesn't do a lot of hand-holding. But by the end of the first episode -- when Ben and Cam reveal their plans to launch a designer jeans line inspired by the 1970s using a rare bolt of Japanese denim they scored off a truck -- you feel certain that America may, in fact, be going somewhere.

TV Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate