This spring, How to Make It In America was one of the true surprises on television as an understated look at life in New York City and the lengths to which people will go to achieve self-sufficiency in business. The story followed friend’s Ben and Cam in their quest to start a clothing line –Crisp Jeans (without any real prior knowledge or experience) and Cam’s uncle’s (the phenomenal Luis Guzman) struggle to escape thug life and get the energy drink Rasta Monsta off the ground. As a whole, How to Make It In America was artistic, witty, and realistic. And now it’s coming back for a second season.
The Hollywood Reporter reports HBO has renewedHow to Make It for an eight episode run next year. The second season will air in the summer of 2011.
Shows like How to Make It, are productions that would only work on premium cable. Between the artistic liberties (use of still frames to drive plot points) afforded creator Ian Edelman and the relatively slow pace, networks would never latch on to the concept (without bogging it down with mundane storylines). Instead, HBO took a story about two friends and an uncle trying to make it in America and made it real in a time where making it in America is anything but easy.
