Party Down

The rare nostalgia trip that doesn't actually feel like it's lamely wistful for the past. The cater waiters are as stuck in the unhappy present as the rest of us, and their misery is our hilarity. That recognition of the passage of time and understanding what life is like in 2023 is the key to the new season's success.

Though it takes a while to integrate a new character played by Megan Mullally, Season 2 confidently builds on the successes of Season 1, and from about Episode 5 onward, "Party Down" takes is place as one of the most consistently entertaining shows on television.

There is bitterness aplenty, but Party Down didn’t create these characters simply to mock them. There is also bittersweet sadness lurking behind these droll, incisive portraits of failure and self-deception.

What might like look like standard-issue fare from the outside is actually packed full of ultra-premium ingredients meant to evoke complex emotional responses of joy, sorrow, melancholy, Schadenfreude, yearning, delight. Except unlike some of Lucy’s creations, which occasionally go so far that they’re barely edible, the new season of Party Down also manages to be astoundingly satisfying.

The show at its best generates such a happy-go-lucky absurdity amid the ego-smashing reality of anyone struggling to find a foothold in showbiz. But it’s actually Ron’s story — of an everyman who doesn’t want to be famous, he just wants modest success in business — that feels most potent to me.

Party Down, which is funny, would seem even funnier if it were not so heavily indebted to the funniest TV shows of recent years. It's also problematic that the show is so highly inconsistent.

A comedy about the ignominy of life as a member of a catering wait staff, Party Down is a great idea inadequately enlivened by desperation.

A dark comedy that I rewatch at least once a year. It's two perfect seasons are filled with excellent writing and an engaging cast that executes it in a relaxed, original manner. A true gem that every comedy should consider as a benchmark of uniqueness and hilarity.

With Ron having left to run his own business, Henry now finds himself in charge of the Party Down crew, but things don’t run any more smoothly… As with it’s first season the sharp writing, excellent cast, and plethora of great guest stars ensures that Party Down remains consistently funny throughout.