Our take
Despite featuring a sharp script and solid performances, Party Down struggled to rake in views when it premiered in 2009, and sadly had to quit after just two seasons in. But since then, its small cast had gone on to become TV luminaries and its sardonic humor garnered newfound appreciation among the younger crowd. Even the show’s hustle culture premise, which was quite novel then, can be found in almost every show now.
So it’s not a stretch to call Party Down a pioneering comedy. It’s simple and efficient, with each episode taking place at a different event, but it’s also deeply funny and keenly aware of the ironies and hypocrisies of the industry it’s a part of. People, myself included, were afraid that it might lose some of its underdog edge when it was rebooted in 2023, but rest assured, it remains as knife-sharp and hilarious as ever.
The story
A group of struggling actors and dysfunctional dreamers wait for their big break while they are stuck serving hors d'oeurves for a Hollywood catering company 'Party Down.'
Elsewhere
"Even with its more foolish characters, the show makes a case-comical but still resonant-that underneath the ill-fitting button-down caterer's shirts and pink elastic-band bow ties are real people."
— Naomi Fry
"There's sharp dialogue and insight into the nature of snuffed ambition."
— Emily Nussbaum
The details
Streaming arrival
Who picked it
Renee Cuisia is the lead curator at A Good Movie to Watch. In her spare time, she likes to watch K-dramas and analyze them to death. She's also seen You've Got Mail one too many times but is still convinced it's one of the greatest films out there.
