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.

bored characters doing boring things. Jane Lynch, Jennifer Garner, J.K. Simmons: big names and i usually enjoy their work but not this time. Enrico Colantoni you were the best as Elias but i forced myself to watch one episode of this and canceled my subscription.can't do it.read a few one star reviews.

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 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.

...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.

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.

I'd heard great things about this show, and as a fan of The Office US, Parks and Rec, Peep Show etc, I had hoped this would be equally funny. It's not. I'm 8 eps in from a 10 (?) ep series and all I feel is disappointed. I haven't laughed or even smiled once. The characters aren't particularly likeable, none of them seem to be developing and it's all pretty sad to be honest.

Bought for a friend for Christmas from their wish list.

Lots of familiar faces in this occasionally patchy but often very funny show

Enjoyable

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'.