Search Party (TV series)
| Search Party | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | |
| Created by | |
| Starring | |
| Opening theme | "Obedear" by Purity Ring |
| Composer | Brian H. Kim |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 14 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producers |
|
| Production location | New York City |
| Cinematography | Jonathan Furmanski |
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Production companies | JAX Media Quiet and Considerate Productions Semi-Formal Productions. Inc Studio T |
| Original release | |
| Network | TBS |
| Release | November 21, 2016 – present |
Search Party is an American dark comedy television series created by Sarah-Violet Bliss, Charles Rogers, and Michael Showalter. TBS picked up the pilot to series in November 2015 and the first season premiered on November 21, 2016. The show's second season premiered on November 19, 2017.[1][2]
Plot
Search Party depicts the lives of New York City resident Dory Sief (Alia Shawkat) and her companions, passive boyfriend Drew Gardner (John Reynolds), self-centered Elliott Goss (John Early), and flighty Portia Davenport (Meredith Hagner). Serving as a contrast to the group is Dory's ex-boyfriend Julian (Brandon Micheal Hall), a journalist whose blunt nature frequently puts him into conflict with others.
The first season focuses on the disappearance of Dory's college acquaintance Chantal Witherbottom (Clare McNulty), whom she sets out to find, with Drew, Elliott, and Portia reluctantly joining her investigation. While her friends also deal with difficulties in their own lives, Dory focuses on her pursuit of Chantal, believing her to be in danger.
The second season focuses on the death of Keith Powell (Ron Livingston), a private investigator who is killed as a result of Dory mistakenly believing him to be a threat to Chantal. As the group struggles to return to their normal lives, they also attempt to cover up Keith's death, which affects them in various ways.
Cast and characters
Main
- Alia Shawkat as Dory Sief: A lifelong doormat, who is stuck as the personal assistant to a rich housewife and deeply unfulfilled by her stale relationship. When her college acquaintance Chantal goes missing, she makes it her personal mission to find her—and she brings her friends with her.[3]
- John Reynolds as Drew Gardner: A sweet, spoon-fed doofus, who has spent his whole life a little too sheltered, Drew must grow a spine if he wants to help Dory solve the mystery of Chantal's disappearance and save their deteriorating relationship.[3]
- John Early as Elliott Goss: Gay and hipper than thou, Elliott is a self-diagnosed narcissist, who still finds it in his heart to help find Chantal. Adept at manipulating those around him, he is particularly good at detective work.[3]
- Meredith Hagner as Portia Davenport: A flighty, bubbly actress, Portia is swept up in the thrill of helping solve the mystery. Her desperate need for the spotlight makes her excellent at chatting up suspects and getting information – even if by accident.[3]
- Brandon Micheal Hall as Julian: Dory's journalist ex-boyfriend.
Recurring
- Clare McNulty as Chantal Witherbottom
- Ron Livingston as Keith Powell
- Rosie Perez as Lorraine De Coss
- Phoebe Tyers as April, Dory and Drew's neighbor.
- Christine Ebersole as Mariel Davenport, Portia's mother.
- Jennifer Kim as Agnes Cho
- Christine Taylor as Gail, Dory's wealthy boss.
- Parker Posey as Brick
- Griffin Newman as Gavin, Chantal's ex-boyfriend.
- Jeffery Self as Marc, Elliott's on and off boyfriend.
Guest stars
- Judy Gold as Paulette Capuzzi
- Alysia Reiner as Trina
- Kate Berlant as Editor
- Tunde Adebimpe as Edwin
- Michael Showalter as Max
- Linas Phillips as Farley
- Bridey Elliott as Penelope
- Jiggly Caliente as Girl on the Subway with "Chantal" Bag
Production
In June 2015, it was announced Alia Shawkat, John Early, John Reynolds, and Meredith Hagner had all been cast in the pilot, with Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers directing and writing alongside Michael Showalter, Lilly Burns, Tony Hernadez, John Skidmore, Brittany Segal serving as executive producers and producers respectively.[4] In November 2015, TBS ordered the series.[5][6]
Episodes
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||
| 1 | 10 | November 17, 2016 | November 25, 2016 | |
| 2 | 10 | November 19, 2017 | December 17, 2017[7] | |
Season 1 (2016)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "The Mysterious Disappearance of The Girl No One Knew" | Sarah-Violet Bliss & Charles Rogers | Story by: Sarah-Violet Bliss & Charles Rogers and Michael Showalter Teleplay by: Sarah-Violet Bliss & Charles Rogers | November 17, 2016 (online) November 21, 2016 (TBS) | 0.465[8] |
| 2 | 2 | "The Woman Who Knew Too Much" | Sarah-Violet Bliss & Charles Rogers | Charles Rogers | November 21, 2016 | 0.354[8] |
| 3 | 3 | "The Night of One Hundred Candles" | Sarah-Violet Bliss & Charles Rogers | Christina Lee | November 22, 2016 | 0.860[9] |
| 4 | 4 | "The Captive Dinner Guest" | Sarah-Violet Bliss & Charles Rogers | Michael Showalter | November 22, 2016 | 0.515[9] |
| 5 | 5 | "The Mystery of the Golden Charm" | Ryan McFaul | Anthony King | November 23, 2016 | 0.885[10] |
| 6 | 6 | "The Secret of the Sinister Ceremony" | Ryan McFaul | Sarah-Violet Bliss | November 23, 2016 | 0.505[10] |
| 7 | 7 | "The Riddle Within the Trash" | Ryan McFaul | Christina Lee | November 24, 2016 | 0.145[11] |
| 8 | 8 | "The Return of the Forgotten Phantom" | Sarah-Violet Bliss & Charles Rogers | Anthony King | November 24, 2016 | 0.113[11] |
| 9 | 9 | "Password to the Shadows" | Sarah-Violet Bliss & Charles Rogers | Sarah-Violet Bliss | November 25, 2016 | 0.634[12] |
| 10 | 10 | "The House of Uncanny Truths" | Sarah-Violet Bliss & Charles Rogers | Charles Rogers | November 25, 2016 | 0.357[12] |
Season 2 (2017)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title [7] | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 1 | "Murder!" | Sarah-Violet Bliss & Charles Rogers | Sarah-Violet Bliss & Charles Rogers | November 19, 2017 | N/A |
| 12 | 2 | "Conspiracy" | Sarah-Violet Bliss & Charles Rogers | Sarah-Violet Bliss & Charles Rogers | November 19, 2017 | N/A |
| 13 | 3 | "Paralysis" | Sarah-Violet Bliss & Charles Rogers | Jordan Firstman and Starlee Kine | November 26, 2017 | N/A |
| 14 | 4 | "Suspicion" | Lilly Burns | Anthony King | November 26, 2017 | N/A |
| 15 | 5 | "Paranoia" | Michael Showalter | Christina Lee | December 3, 2017 | N/A |
| 16 | 6 | "Obsession" | Michael Showalter | Andrew Fleming and Matt Kriete | December 3, 2017 | N/A |
| 17 | 7 | "Denial" | Unknown | Unknown | December 10, 2017 | N/A |
| 18 | 8 | "Hysteria" | Unknown | Unknown | December 10, 2017 | N/A |
| 19 | 9 | "Frenzy" | Unknown | Unknown | December 17, 2017 | N/A |
| 20 | 10 | "Psychosis" | Unknown | Unknown | December 17, 2017 | N/A |
Reception
The first season of Search Party received positive reviews from television critics. It holds a 100% approval rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 31 reviews, with an average rating of 8/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Search Party is an engaging, weird, dark, funny mystery elevated by exceptional performances throughout."[13] On Metacritic, the season holds a rating of 81 out of 100, based on 19 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[14]
Accolades
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Gotham Independent Film Awards | Breakthrough Series – Long Form | Search Party | Nominated | [15] |
References
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (December 13, 2016). "'People Of Earth' & 'Search Party' Renewed For Season 2 By TBS". Deadline.com. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
- ^ Webb Mitovich, Matt (July 27, 2017). "Tracy Morgan's Last O.G., Search Party Season 2 Get TBS Premiere Dates". TVLine. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
- ^ a b c d Littleton, Cynthia (November 2, 2015). "TBS Gives Series Order to Mystery Comedy 'Search Party'". Variety. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
- ^ Elise Sandberg, Bryn (June 22, 2015). "'Arrested Development' Alum Alia Shawkat to Star in Jax Media Comedy". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 23, 2016.
- ^ TBS press release (November 2, 2015). "TBS Greenlights Mystery Comedy Series 'Search Party'". The Futon Critic. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (November 2, 2015). "'Search Party' Comedy Starring Alia Shawkat Ordered to Series by TBS as Network Debuts New Logo". Deadline.com.
- ^ a b "Search Party – Listings". The Futon Critic. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
- ^ a b "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 11.21.2016". Showbuzz Daily.
- ^ a b "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 11.22.2016". Showbuzz Daily.
- ^ a b "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 11.23.2016". Showbuzz Daily.
- ^ a b "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Thursday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 11.24.2016". Showbuzz Daily.
- ^ a b "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Friday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 11.25.2016". Showbuzz Daily.
- ^ "Search Party". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved November 23, 2016.
- ^ "Search Party - Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved November 23, 2016.
- ^ Erbland, Kate (19 October 2017). "'Get Out' Leads 2017 Gotham Awards Nominations". IndieWire. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
