By Kelly Rausch

The only time anyone ever described me as having “hustle” was when I played junior varsity basketball. Completely lacking actual athletic talent, I devoted myself to playing hard, scrappy defense.

HBO’s new half-hour series “How To Make It In America” is all about hustle. It’s about the desire to make an impact, to do something, anything, significant with yourself and, ideally, make a financial killing at the same time. Young New Yorkers Ben and Cam don’t have a specific dream they’re trying to achieve. Achievement itself is the dream.

While his father laments that his son doesn’t have a job with health insurance, Ben can’t be bothered with pedestrian details such as potential medical expenses. Ben’s big ideas range from peddling artfully decorated skateboard decks from a grocery cart to starting a denim line after purchasing reams of high quality denim at bargain basement prices.

When someone who actually works in the fashion industry questions if the guys even have so much as a business plan, Ben and Cam have to face that they’re woefully unprepared for this undertaking. Even in the face of their undeniable coming failure, the guys press on. Stupidity? Greed? Insanity? Or the kind of risk-taking act of courage from which great success springs forth? Maybe a little of each. Three episodes in and the guys haven’t quite made it yet, but it’s interesting to watch them try.

Initially, I was put off by the lack of a specific dream or vision other than a desire to make money any way they can. But I have to give them credit for trying to make it work. They disregard the naysayers who tell them to give up on the jeans and track down leads to a local pattern maker to produce a prototype. When they don’t have the money to pay for the prototype, Cam works a scheme to unload the aforementioned skateboard decks to rich Park Avenue kids instead of having to use Ben’s rent money (which was a serious consideration).

While viewers may not have a rooting interest in the main characters themselves, you’ve got to respect their hustle.

At the other end of the success spectrum, HBO gives us “The Ricky Gervais Show.” Having already starred in HBO’s “Extras” and his own stand up specials (not to mention a little program called “The Office”), Gervais has made a career and fortune by exploiting the humor in all things awkward. With “The Ricky Gervais Show” he dispenses with the story lines and gives us “pointless conversations” with writing partner Stephen Merchant and fellow funny man and radio producer Karl Pilkington. The men discuss all manner of topics ranging from news headlines to e-mails from fans.

The episodes were originally podcasts that have now been set to animation for the purposes of television.

Their conversations are what I imagine would take place should Ricky come over to my house for dinner, though I’m not as funny as either of his costars. When you hear a news story about a team of midget wrestlers wiped out by a lion during a match, immediately you wonder how on Earth did that happen? What were the promoters thinking? What were the midgets thinking? These are the things the trio riff on. It’s amusing: the kind of stuff you can listen to and chuckle at, if not particularly ground breaking.

Considering HBO’s 10-part World War II miniseries “The Pacific” is set to start this month, it’s good to enjoy some lighter fare before bullets and the bomb.

“How To Make It In America” airs each Sunday at 9 p.m. and “The Ricky Gervais Show” airs each Friday at 8 p.m.