Party Down: Season 1

I cannot say enough positive things about this show. I caught it on Starz one night completely at random...I remember thinking "Party Down? What a stupid title....oh well let's give it a shot". 27 minutes later, I set my DVR to record every episode of the show. 1 day later, I cracked and downloaded the entirety of the series. By the time my DVR had caught the next episode on Starz, I'd already seen the entire backlog of the series. To date, I've probably watched every episode in both seasons 20+ times, and I still continue to watch it. It's that good. The comedic timing is the stuff of legends, and the ensemble cast is absolutely stellar. Most critical reviews praise Jane Lynch as the main draw of the show...and I'm not gonna say she's bad (Jane is always great)...but she has the smallest role of any of the main recurring characters and is in no way the star of the show. Every character is unique, a joy to behold, and compelling in a way you won't understand until you actually watch the show. Henry's constant sarcasm and general disdain for his working life makes him very, very identifiable. We've all been Henry at a job before. Roman's complete apathy for the entire rest of the world, sullen demeanor, and nerd-atop-an-ivory-tower personality makes him one of my absolute favorites. Kyle is also loads of fun, filling the role of the airheadded emo jerk who always gets girls...somehow. The banter between Kyle and Roman is unbelievable entertaining. Constance (Lynch) is a crazy has-been pseudo-porn actress that's sort of a grown up female Kyle...as I mentioned previously, she's not featured too prevalently, but she has some of the best lines in the entire show. Then we have Casey--the love interest, and one of those women who makes you angry that real-life women don't seem to share her personality. She is just plain cool--flawed enough to be human, but a great counterpoint to Henry's dry hilarity. It also helps that she's gorgeous (Lizzie Kaplan, the actress, is beautiful). Then we have Ron. I'd say if I had to choose, Ron is the main draw of this show. He's that boss that takes his crappy job way too seriously, and he's probably the most believable-yet-hilarious member of the cast. Without spoiling any of his "Ron moments" I don't think I've ever heard anyone say "No" in so many hilarious ways....watch the end of episode 4, season 1, and you'll see what I mean. You need to watch this show. If you're a fan of the somewhat tame American sitcoms like The Office or Community, this show will immediately convert you and probably kill your enjoyment of said series. If you're a fan of crap like 30 Rock...well...this show doesn't need your viewership :) Go watch Tina Fey induce sleep with her atrocious comedic timing and Tracy Morgan...make noises he thinks sound like words... and pretend you have a decent sense of humor.

Party Down is an hilarious show. I loved it from the very first episode. The cast is impeccable and the writing is stellar. The dialogue flows so smoothly, it feels like it's improvised. That shows you how well-written the show really is. And it doesn't feel the need to have a joke every twenty seconds like a traditional sitcom, which is another positive. The characters feel like real people, despite all the situations they're thrown into. That actually puts it above The Larry Sanders Show for me. I love that show and it was very funny, but did I really care about any of them? No, not really. Adam Scott and Lizzy Caplan are the heart of the show, and their relationship was something I could really invest in. Dark, funny, unique and occasionally moving, Party Down ticks all the boxes. I can see myself watching it over and over again. In fact, I already have.

One of the finest shows to ever grace the small screen, Party Down was bansished to the realm of outstanding cancelled TV shows (see also: Arrested Development, Freaks and Geeks) by Starz CEO, woman-beater, and noted alcoholic Chris Albrecht. Party Down will continue to live on in the hearts and minds of its fans and will hopefully gain support through DVD sales. A darkly comic tale of struggling actors/writers working for the catering company "Party Down", this show has some of the most hilarious moments ever seen on television. Great writing and a great cast (Adam Scott, Martin Starr, Jane Lynch, Lizzy Caplan, Ken Marino, and Ryan Hansen) makes this show an instant classic. Do yourself a favor and buy this DVD.

This series has been off the air for a good long while but it is still one of my go-to comedy series to watch. Rob Thomas is one of the most talented writers out there and his characters are somehow relatable, no matter how reprehensible they come across. Adam Scott and Ken Marino are the standouts here, though literally every casting choice in this series was also spot on. What could be seen as a crude, late-night comedy, is humanized by the characters's flaws and the fact that they are either still passionately earnest or bitter from years of ennui.

Party Down revolves around a group of caterers who have either failed or are aspiring to make it big in Hollywood with the exception of the manager, Ron, whose big dream is to own a supermarket someday. There's a lot of recognizable names with this series: Paul Rudd and Fred Savage on the production side. On the acting side it features Adam Scott, Lizzy Caplan, Martin Starr and Jane Lynch and some minor roles by Ken Jeong, Kristen Bell, J.K. Simmons and former Los Angeles Laker Rick Fox. Season one did take a step backwards, though, when Lynch left the show to pursue Glee. It's unique in that even though they are always catering, the environment and the circumstances are always different.

What do you get when you mix great writing with a great cast with chemistry? You get Party Down, a series that had low ratings but if it existed in an earlier time, it could have roared to the popularity of Seinfeld. I'd put this comedy right up there with Seinfeld and the British Office as among the funniest things I've ever seen on TV. It's not cliched, it doesn't rely totally on broad humor and the characters are believable. Jane Lynch plays against type in the first season (she had to leave in season 2 except for the incredible final wedding episode) in that she plays a happy, non-domineering woman and she hits it out of the park. The interaction between all the characters is great, particularly between Adam Scott and Lizzy Caplan, who seem made for each other. Martin Starr plays the most convincing scifi geek I've ever seen - with force and malice - and Ryan Hansen plays dim handsome act very well (something hard to do excellently, easy to do in a mediocre way). Ken Marino is incredibly goofy and steals most of the scenes. June Daphne Raphael and Kristen Bell play great characters well too.

Party Down is hilarious. Especially Season 1, and apparently there is a movie in the works to add a little closure to the series that failed to hit it big while on the air. I love this show because the characters are so real, and the situations they are in often start out normal before evolving into the most bizarre, hysterical situations dreamed up for a catering crew. I also love Ron and his big dream of owning a Souper Crackers. Must watch for anyone that has worked in the food-service industry, or just for anyone with a sense of humor.

...which is not a bad thing by any means. It takes a couple of episodes to get the gist of the short,punchy episodes (similar to Arrested Development in this way) but after a few shows, you will be hooked. A great motley bunch of characters, and if you love Jane Lynch in Glee, check out the other more manic side to her personality in this show. This is a tad like Clerks for the catering industry, but each show is so full of cameos from huge actors, it is impossible not to love it. Another great series from Rob Thomas, whose work is completely underrated in America.

Enjoyable

I was introduced to Party Down after it was cancelled. It speaks to me on so many levels - the style of humour, the acting - and of course for the overall theme. The idea of people striving toward a seemingly impossible end (acting, screenwriting), even after a lifetime of essential failure (Jane Lynch's Constance) or continual frustration (Casey, Roman), is really appealing. I'm not happy that it ended so prematurely, though the final episode offers a sort of hope all the same for at least one of the characters. From season one, my favourites are probably the pilot ("Willow Canyon Homeowners Annual Party"), "California College Conservative Union Caucus", and... okay, pretty much all of them. Anyway, watch and enjoy and celebrate Ricky Sargulesh together!

I picked up Party Down after burning through the complete series of Veronica Mars in about 2 weeks. Rob Thomas is amazing, and his most recent project (Kickstarter campaign; Veronica Mars The Movie) is a testament to that. Party Down is hilarious, quick and smart. Plus, there are a ton of great cameos and all of the actors do an incredible job.

Criminally overlooked in the UK so far, 'Party Down' is one of the funniest shows to come out of America in recent years. The show centers around the 'Party Down' catering team, as they work a series of events from pornographic awards ceremonies, to bitchy sweet sixteen parties, and perhaps most memorably, the party of a shady Eastern European criminal acquitted for murder, in a brilliant cameo from Steven Weber. The show is excellently written, full of witty one liners, awkwardly hilarious scenarios (mostly at the expense of Ken Marino's scattershot, but lovable 'team leader' Ron Donald), and comedic revelations. Perhaps the best facet of Season 1 though, is the superbly wrought romance between the beautiful Lizzy Kaplan's (Tru Calling) sarcastic but sweet Casey, and the show's protagonist, Henry. The mixture of funny and genuinely moving moments in the show is a pretty perfect one, and means that 'Party Down' never lacks either laughs, or a bit of heart to counterbalance them. There are a few fallbacks to the show, however. The characters take a few episodes to become multi-dimensional, and it takes a while for Ron Donald (and his dream of opening a 'Super Crackers' franchise) to get going. That said, the opening episodes are still good fun, and well worth watching. Secondly, and more notably - the show was clearly rushing to replace the departing Jane Lynch, and her replacement, Jennifer Coolidge, is woeful as the irritating Bobbie; though thankfully a drunken Ron in his underpants more than makes up for her dreadful turn in the season finale. On the whole, 'Party Down' is an intelliigent, funny, and likeably low-key comedy which will appeal particularly to fans of shows like 'The Office (US)' and 'Arrested Development'; and despite a few misfires along the way, contains some of the best characters and most quotable dialogue of any recent US comedy series'.

Bought for a friend for Christmas from their wish list.