6 Reasons Why “How to Make It in America” Needs a Third Season

It might already be too late into 2019 to see a season 3 for the HBO series “How to Make it In America,” however, 2020 might be the perfect year to bring the entrepreneurial driven series back since more and more people are looking to start their own businesses. Aside from that, here’s 6 other reasons why they need to bring this show back.

1-Kid Cudi

Scott ‘Kid Cudi’ Mescudi was a blossoming hip-hop artist when he first landed the role as Domingo, the dog-walker/weed seller, on “How to Make it in America” and now he’s considered a musical legend which would attract his cult-like following to a third season. He’s also tight with Kanye West who has become somewhat of a fashion icon with his Yeezy line during the past few years so leveraging that relationship wouldn’t hurt the show’s credibility since its based around a clothing company. The show-runners could somehow incorporate the music aspect of Cudi’s life into the show to give his arc another dimension. Last we saw him; Domingo was celebrating the guys making a huge hoodie order with Gadzooks and having some woes with Ben’s ex Rachael. There’s still a lot to do with the character and it would be awesome to see some of the ideas the creators come up with now that Cudi is an icon in his own right and can attract a massive audience on his own.

2-Opening Credits

“How to Make it In America” has arguably the greatest opening credits with Aloe Blacc’s “I Need a Dollar,” in HBO history. The infectious song coupled with the gritty, authentic portrayal of new millennium New York City is not to be overlooked when considering some of the best intros on television. It speaks the language of anyone who grew up in NYC and the show seems to do an excellent job at using the city as a character. “HTMIIA” also portrays New York as it is, and not as it was, or how it’s interpreted by some, like a lot of other dramas do. As a struggling artist in NYC, I can relate to the smothering void of capitalism that it displays magnificently.

3-It Needs a Proper Ending

When we left the Crisp boys Cam Calderon and Ben Shapiro in 2011, they had decided to start making jeans again after a tumultuous relationship with buyer Nancy Frankenburg had crashed and burned. They also secured a huge deal with Gadzooks which would have taken Crisp to the next level. We never got to see their evolution or if they’d ever make a successful run at denim. Also, David “Kappo” Kaplan went to jail for insider trading. I’m sure the next season would have kicked off with his release and would probably show the Crisp boys helping him get back on his feet. It would have been fun to see that dynamic reversed from prior seasons where Kappo, an established wall street hedge-fund guy was constantly helping Ben and Cam fund their business. It also looked like Cam’s cousin Rene was about to make it big with a large order for his Rasta Monster drink from skate company Vert. The creators could show him apply more of his street smarts to the corporate world now that he was closer to being legitimate. Rachel, Ben’s ex, had an interesting ending as well when she accepted a PR gig with Ben and Cam’s rival clothing brand Neanderthal. It looked like the writers were setting up a war between Ben and Rachel in the business world and it would be interesting to see that all play out.

4-Amazing Cast

Lake Bell, Kid Cudi, Luis Guzman, Eric Lasalle, Gina Gershon, Joe Pantoliano and even Finch from “American Pie” all brought their A-Game to this hip show about up and coming entrepreneurs in New York City. And let’s not forget that “HTMIIA” was setting up to make Bryan Greenberg and Victor Rasuk into solidified television stars, but the show never realized its potential and therefore stunted their growth as a result. Their Twitter feeds are loaded with comments begging them to help get the show back on the air so in some ways they’ll always be caught in “How to Make it in America’s” shadow until another season with a proper ending happens. Aside from the mains, the supporting cast also did an amazing job and with streaming services spreading the business thin, it’s rare that you see an ensemble like that these days. The show hit right before streaming asserted its dominance, and in the middle-portion of the golden-age of television, so resources were a bit more plentiful at this time and it seemed like actors would do more for less.

5-Because There was Nothing Like It Before, and Nothing Like It After

The show was originally pitched as an “Entourage” in New York City, but it’s nothing like its frat-boy, wet dream counterpart. Even though it shares some of the same producers (Mark Wahlburg), writers, and Cam’s happy-go-lucky attitude that sometimes mirrors Vincent Chase, “HTMIIA” has way more heart and grit. I also wouldn’t really consider it a comedy like “Entourage”. It’s a really well-done half-hour drama that tells a story that so many people in this country can relate to. It also naturally inspires a young generation that is probably burned out on working for the man. It’s hard to compare it to any other show before it or after as most of today’s TV ditches reality for over-dramatized love triangles, murders and unrealistic plots that are designed simply to make you tune in next week. Watching “HTMIIA” in 2019 brought me back to a more sober time when I could actually see myself in a character. It also is the perfect portrayal of New York City and mirrors my entire 20s as I frequented some of the same clubs and restaurants seen in the show. It documents the rise of the hipsters in places like Bushwick, Brooklyn, and even shows the advent of big city gardening that has been commercialized and prostituted at nauseam (see Season 2). The creator’s attention to detail is not to be overlooked. Reality and grit are needed more than ever, and this is the perfect show to ground the fragmented television audience that now exists.

6-Mal from “The Joe Budden Podcast” Loves It

Though he’s mostly made the news for negative comments about artists, the Harlemite podcaster and Joe Budden sidekick champions “HTMIIA” every chance he gets. A New York native like myself, but from a completely different side of town digs the show just as much as I do which means it definitely did its job at showing how we live out here. Mal portrays himself as the king of cool and Joe Budden constantly tries to crack his hard-outer shell. I grew up with so many dudes like Mal and he is the epitome of a classic New Yorker that once acted as a streets taster-maker for what’s hot in music and TV before the nerds and hipsters took over. He’s the ideal cheerleader for the show and as I tweeted him before, he just might mess around and get “How to Make It In America” back on the air.