It used to be such an ultra-cool thing to say at swanky dinner parties or other intellectual gatherings.

"I don't watch much television." Or, in its more austere form, "I don't own a TV."

The connotation was that TV was for the unwashed masses not interested in literature, theater, music, foreign films or academically upscale periodicals.

Well, I've never been a TV snob.

I grew up on "The Brady Bunch" and "Looney Tunes" and "Leave it to Beaver" reruns and nearly every horrible sitcom the networks threw at us in the 1970s and early 1980s.

In college, my roommates and I were hooked on the twice-daily showings of "M*A*S*H." Just after college, "Seinfeld" became destination TV. I spent many wonderful Sunday nights with Tony, Silvio, Paulie and Christopher on "The Sopranos." I was bummed when that show ended and still feel conflicted about whether I liked the jarring conclusion.

In the past few years, network TV's downslide into a morass of reality shows, game shows, their hybrids (people dancing or eating slugs) and dumbed-down, recycled sitcoms has reduced my interest in prime-time programming. I spend most evenings working in front of a laptop, sometimes with a sporting event or news program droning in the background.

The advent of cable, satellite the Internet, TiVo and DVRs has diminished the importance of prime-time programming. Outside of elections and sporting events like the Super Bowl and Olympics, there aren't many viewing experiences shared across the culture these days. Most people find a favorite show or two -- whether it's on The Food Network, CBS or The History Channel -- and they make it a point to watch each week.

That show, for me, is HBO's "Entourage."

I've been a fan of the show, which is in its fifth season, since it started. There were times when I worried that it had run out of gas, but the longer it runs, the more the characters develop and the more I appreciate it.

For the uninitiated, here is the Wikipedia.com description of the show:

"Entourage" is an Emmy Award-winning HBO original series created by Doug Ellin that chronicles the rise of Vincent Chase - a young A-list movie star - and his childhood friends from Queens, New York City as they navigate the unfamiliar terrain of Hollywood, California. Doug Ellin, Mark Wahlberg, and Stephen Levinson serve as the show's executive producers, and the show's premise is loosely based on Wahlberg's experiences as an up-and-coming movie star.

The simplest way to explain it to the uninitiated is that it's the guy's version of "Sex and the City," a story that centers on four single friends that is set in Los Angeles instead of New York.

Much like "Sex and the City," the pursuit of sex is a recurring theme on "Entourage." But, it's not the main thrust (pardon the pun). Much as "SATC" used New York as a character, "Entourage" weaves Los Angeles, and particularly the Hollywood lifestyle, as part of the fabric of the show.

I love the inside rips on the entertainment industry. I love the cameos by major celebrities, many of whom play themselves. I love much of the music on the show. love the witty dialog. Most of all, though, I love the relationships between the main characters -- boyhood friends who move from New York to Hollywood with an "us against the world" mentality and an undying devotion to each other. A lot of movies and TV shows have tried to capture the "buddy" vibe, but successful ventures like "Swingers" are rare.

If you've never checked out "Entourage," I encourage you to sample it. If for no other reason, check out the work of Jeremy Piven, who plays Vincent Chase's abrasive agent, Ari Gold.

The tough, slimy, power-hungry Hollywood agent is practically a cliché character in entertainment these days, but Piven gives Ari Gold a human side to counterbalance his blisteringly funny and politically incorrect rants.

He is worth the price of admission. So is the show, which is developing a nice developmental arc: Vince and the guys are scrappy unknowns; they're at the top of the world; then they're on the bottom, clawing their way back to the top.

The show is getting to the point where characters from past seasons, like Seth Green and Emmanuelle Chriqui are coming back into the fold and adding to the depth.

For me, it's the best half-hour on TV. In fact, my primary beef with the show is that it is so good that I wish it was an hour long.

Small matter, though. I'd rather have a small dose of "Entourage" than none at all.