Entourage is an American comedy-drama television series that premiered on HBO on July 18, 2004, and ended on September 11, 2011, after eight seasons. The series was created and largely written by Doug Ellin and chronicles the acting career of Vincent Chase, a young A-list movie star, and his childhood friends from Queens, New York City, as they attempt to further their nascent careers in Los Angeles. Mark Wahlberg and Stephen Levinson served as the show's executive producers, and its premise is loosely based on Wahlberg's experiences as an up-and-coming film star. Development According to Mark Wahlberg, Entourage was initially conceived when his assistant asked if he could film Wahlberg and his friends, calling them "hilarious." Other reports credit Eric Weinstein, a long-time friend of Wahlberg, with the idea of filming the actor's group of friends. However, according to Donnie Carroll, who was the inspiration for the Turtle character, the idea for a show involving an actor and his friends had come from him. It had originated as a book idea, centered on Carroll's own life and his experiences with Wahlberg, titled From the 'Hood to Hollywood, A Soldier's Story. To be more satirical of the Hollywood lifestyle, a fictional approach was chosen rather than a straight documentary in order to keep the content light, and avoid directly depicting Wahlberg's violent past. Vincent Chase was envisioned to be more similar to Wahlberg, but it was decided that some of his and his friends' activities (particularly some elements of their criminal past) would not work well on television. A lighter approach was subsequently decided upon. Cast and characters Entourage revolves around Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier). His best friend and manager is Eric Murphy (Kevin Connolly). "E," as his friends call him, is based on Mark Wahlberg's friend and executive producer Eric Weinstein. He's also been reported to be inspired by Stephen Levinson, Mark Wahlberg's manager. Vincent's older half-brother, Johnny "Drama" Chase (Kevin Dillon), is Vince's personal chef, trainer and bodyguard. Johnny is a C-list actor who was in the fictional show Viking Quest during his younger days. His role in the new fictional hit show Five Towns had begun to resurrect his fame and career, although he still received less acknowledgment than he would have liked for it. As the show went on, Drama got offers for more and more roles. The show ended with Drama having his own animated TV