In 2009 Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas collaborated with producer Dan Etheridge and writer John Enbom, alongside Paul Rudd (yes, that Paul Rudd), to create their next project, a sitcom about down-and-out actors in Los Angeles working through their woes together as caterers. Party Down would be led by a versatile ensemble of actors who weren’t down and out, but were mostly recognizable faces established in their careers, some of who would go on to even bigger success. With a great cast, a clever premise, and brilliant writing, it should’ve worked, but instead quickly failed, canceled after two very short seasons due to extremely low ratings (one has to wonder how the show would’ve fared on a channel like HBO rather than Starz) and the exit of two of its biggest stars. Jane Lynch would leave after Season 1 for the greener ratings pastures of Glee, and Adam Scott handed over his pink bow tie after Season 2 to move into a full-time role with Parks and Recreation.
What was a small blip on the television radar over a decade ago continued to ping well after the show’s demise, its signal strengthened by its access to stream anytime and anywhere on Hulu, and its ability to stay in the consciousness of fans with the continued success of Lynch and Scott, along with costar Lizzy Caplan’s numerous movie roles and her Emmy nominated turn on Showtime’s Masters of Sex. It became hard to forget a show when the ones who made it so great were not forgotten, but rewarded for their talents. The cult following Party Down amassed over the years led to all of its creators and all of its original stars except Caplan (who would be busy filming the lead role in the Fatal Attraction series for FX) signing on for six more episodes to air again on Starz. As we await their return, it’s time to appreciate the original incarnation for the masterpiece of comedy that it was.
The first thing that audiences took to in 2009 was the comfortable familiarity of Party Down’s players. We knew them even if we didn’t know everyone’s name. Scott was the punchable prick from Step Brothers. Martin Starr already knew what cult fandom meant after his one season on Freaks and Geeks. While Caplan was succumbing to the alien monsters of Cloverfield, Ryan Hanson was falling victim to Jason Voorhees in that year’s successful Friday the 13th reboot. Ken Marino and Lynch had acted in a plethora of small roles on other shows, and when Lynch left after Season 1, Season 2 would see her replaced by an already big name in Megan Mullally from Will & Grace.
Together they created an ensemble of sad sack characters, rejected actors and writers who bonded through their failures and anxieties. Marino as Ron is the leader of Party Down, a moron who blathers on and one about his stake in Soup ‘R Crackers restaurants. Hansen is the cocky and pretty faced dumb blonde Kyle. Lynch’s Constance can be an unaware goof, but she’s smarter and more together than she sometime seems. Starr as Roman is the miserable nerd who thinks he’s better than everyone else. And Scott and Caplan’s Henry and Casey are the show’s Jim and Pam if life had continuously kicked them in the shin.
Although being on a channel like Starz may have spelled doom for a long term run, the freedom of what could be done on premium cable brought an authenticity and grittiness to the show. Sure, there were the familiar tropes found in other sitcoms, especially Casey and Henry’s “will they, won’t they” storylines, but the Party Down crew could be just as mean and sardonic as the characters found in the likes of Seinfeld and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Roman has no problem telling Ron that, “The only way I’m Googling you in ten years is if you get very creative in the way that you kill yourself.” However, these guys and gals could curse and live life even more uncensored than the dolts of Paddy’s Pub. There was no holding back on what trouble they could get into. For example, one episode has the gang working an orgy, another at the after party of a porn awards show, both with all the nudity you might imagine. Kyle and Roman try to score with porn stars. Casey and Henry get high on ecstasy. The craziest moment goes to Ron, who is offered a role in an adult film after his very well-endowed member is noticed by a porn producer. You never saw the Seinfeld Four doing anything that crazy on NBC.
And while a sitcom like Seinfeld or countless other shows worked partially because of the familiar settings (apartment, coffee shop, rinse, repeat) what made Party Down stand out even more is that there were seldom any recurring sets. Every episode revolves around the disasters of another catered party. The only thing that never changed was the ugly uniforms of white shirts, black pants, and those preposterous pink bow ties.
The changing sets of every episode brought about another great concept that separated Party Down from its counterparts: cameos. If each show is a new party, that meant each show involved new actors for the cast to interact with. A who’s who of established Hollywood stars, many even more popular than the actors in the cast, appeared in each episode. Kristen Bell came back to her Veronica Mars family to play a rival to Party Down and a love interest to Henry. Kevin Hart gets high with Ron at a sweet sixteen party. Ken Jeong is the owner of Party Down. J.K. Simmons comes in as a movie producer. George Takei, Josh Gad, Rick Fox, and Brecklin Meyer are among others that make an appearance.
The pinnacle is Steve Guttenberg of Police Academy and Three Men and a Baby fame. “Steve Guttenberg’s Birthday” is a fan favorite. Here, a whole episode revolves around The Gute, playing an exaggerated parody of himself, and a canceled birthday party at his home. Instead of asking the caterers to leave, he invites them to stay and have a party of their own. Now everyone gets to stop working, let their hair and bowties down, and simply be themselves, for better or for worse. Roman is working on a screenplay with his writing partner (played by Christopher Mintz-Plasse aka McLovin). Guttenberg insists that the group act it out together with his over-the-top positivity. “Success is a lifestyle you prepare for,” he says. He keeps telling Henry, “No risk, no reward,” but all Henry can come back with is his own motto of, “No risk, no risk.” At the end of the night as the group leaves, Megan Mullally’s Lydia stays behind. The Gute gets a party and the girl.
Who knows what the reincarnation will bring. Will this be just another failed reboot, a giving in to nostalgia in a world that has moved on? How far could everyone have gotten in life if so many years later they’re still working as caterers? Will Lizzy Caplan’s absence hold the show back from greater heights? No matter the outcome, one thing is for sure: over ten years later we’re still Googling Party Down, not because of how it killed itself, but because the spirit of great comedy refused to die and has been reborn.