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Party Down

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Party Down
GenreComedy-drama
Created byJohn Enbom
Rob Thomas
Dan Etheridge
Paul Rudd
Directed byFred Savage
Bryan Gordon
StarringAdam Scott
Ken Marino
Jane Lynch
Jennifer Coolidge
Megan Mullally
Ryan Hansen
Martin Starr
Lizzy Caplan
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes20 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersJohn Enbom
Rob Thomas
Dan Etheridge
Paul Rudd
ProducersAdam Scott
Bryan Gordon
Fred Savage
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time26–28 minutes
Original release
NetworkStarz
ReleaseMarch 20, 2009 (2009-03-20) –
June 25, 2010 (2010-06-25)

Party Down was an American comedy television series created and primarily written by John Enbom, Rob Thomas, Dan Etheridge, and Paul Rudd that aired on the Starz network in the United States.

Conception

The concept of Party Down was six years in the making, with many of the ideas for the episodes conceptualized years before the show was made.[1] An original unaired pilot was shot at Rob Thomas's house with all the original cast except Lizzy Caplan, whose character was played by Andrea Savage. The pilot was used to sell the show to the Starz network.[2]

Premise

See also: List of Party Down episodes

This half-hour comedy follows a Los Angeles, California, catering team for the titular company. The sextet of aspiring Hollywood actors and writers, as well as drifting lost souls, work small-time catering gigs while hoping for their break or some positive change in their lives. Each episode finds the team working a new event, and inevitably getting tangled up with the colorful, affluent guests and their absurd lives.

Cast

Main cast

Recurring cast

Changes

Jane Lynch did not appear in the last two episodes of the first season due to her commitment to Glee. Jennifer Coolidge replaced her as Constance's roommate, Bobbie St. Brown, for the final two episodes of the season. In season two, neither Lynch nor Coolidge returned in a starring role, while Lynch guest starred in the final episode of the season. A new character named Lydia (Megan Mullally) was introduced to fill the void.

Crew

The series was executive produced by co-creators John Enbom, Rob Thomas, Dan Etheridge and Paul Rudd.[3] Enbom served as show runner.[4] The co-executive producers were Jennifer Gwartz and Danielle Stokdyk and Jennifer Dugan was a producer.[5] Beginning with season two, series star Adam Scott served as a producer, while series directors Bryan Gordon and Fred Savage served as supervising producers.[3] Series star Ken Marino directed the second-season finale episode.[3]

Episodes and DVD releases

Main article: List of Party Down episodes
Party Down
GenreComedy-drama
Created byJohn Enbom
Rob Thomas
Dan Etheridge
Paul Rudd
Directed byFred Savage
Bryan Gordon
StarringAdam Scott
Ken Marino
Jane Lynch
Jennifer Coolidge
Megan Mullally
Ryan Hansen
Martin Starr
Lizzy Caplan
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes20 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersJohn Enbom
Rob Thomas
Dan Etheridge
Paul Rudd
ProducersAdam Scott
Bryan Gordon
Fred Savage
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time26–28 minutes
Original release
NetworkStarz
ReleaseMarch 20, 2009 (2009-03-20) –
June 25, 2010 (2010-06-25)

Party Down was an American comedy television series created and primarily written by John Enbom, Rob Thomas, Dan Etheridge, and Paul Rudd that aired on the Starz network in the United States.

Conception

The concept of Party Down was six years in the making, with many of the ideas for the episodes conceptualized years before the show was made.[6] An original unaired pilot was shot at Rob Thomas's house with all the original cast except Lizzy Caplan, whose character was played by Andrea Savage. The pilot was used to sell the show to the Starz network.[7]

Premise

See also: List of Party Down episodes

This half-hour comedy follows a Los Angeles, California, catering team for the titular company. The sextet of aspiring Hollywood actors and writers, as well as drifting lost souls, work small-time catering gigs while hoping for their break or some positive change in their lives. Each episode finds the team working a new event, and inevitably getting tangled up with the colorful, affluent guests and their absurd lives.

Cast

Main cast

Recurring cast

Changes

Jane Lynch did not appear in the last two episodes of the first season due to her commitment to Glee. Jennifer Coolidge replaced her as Constance's roommate, Bobbie St. Brown, for the final two episodes of the season. In season two, neither Lynch nor Coolidge returned in a starring role, while Lynch guest starred in the final episode of the season. A new character named Lydia (Megan Mullally) was introduced to fill the void.

Crew

The series was executive produced by co-creators John Enbom, Rob Thomas, Dan Etheridge and Paul Rudd.[3] Enbom served as show runner.[8] The co-executive producers were Jennifer Gwartz and Danielle Stokdyk and Jennifer Dugan was a producer.[5] Beginning with season two, series star Adam Scott served as a producer, while series directors Bryan Gordon and Fred Savage served as supervising producers.[3] Series star Ken Marino directed the second-season finale episode.[3]

Episodes and DVD releases

Main article: List of Party Down episodes

Template loop detected: List of Party Down episodes

Reception

Andrew Wallenstein of The Hollywood Reporter said, "Lurking behind the surface of this raucous comedy is an astute meditation on the promise and peril of leading an unconventional life, something about which aspiring actors know a thing or two."[5] The American Film Institute named Party Down one of the 10 best shows of 2009.[9] Season two scored 85 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on 12 critical reviews.[10] James Poniewozik of TIME ranked Party Down as the sixth best television series of 2010.[11]

Connections to earlier series

Veronica Mars

Party Down has many connections with Rob Thomas's previous series, Veronica Mars: John Enbom was a writer, Dan Etheridge was a producer/director, Paul Rudd made a guest appearance, and Jennifer Gwartz and Danielle Stokdyk served as co-executive producers.

Series regulars Adam Scott, Ken Marino, Jane Lynch and Ryan Hansen also appeared on Veronica Mars. Scott and Lynch had guest appearances, while Marino had a recurring role and Hansen was a series regular. Other Veronica Mars cast members who have guest-starred on Party Down include Kristen Bell, Enrico Colantoni, Jason Dohring, Alona Tal, Ed Begley, Jr., Daran Norris, Ryan Devlin, Martin Yu, Michael Kostroff, Steve Guttenberg and Joey Lauren Adams. Bell, Colantoni, and Dohring were series regulars, while the others had recurring roles, except for Adams, who was a guest star.

Freaks and Geeks

Party Down also has connections to Freaks and Geeks. Producer/director Bryan Gordon directed two episodes of Freaks and Geeks. Series regulars Martin Starr and Lizzy Caplan had roles on Freaks and Geeks; Starr was a series regular, while Caplan had a recurring role. David "Gruber" Allen, who had a recurring role on Freaks and Geeks guest starred in an episode of Party Down.

The State

In addition to series regular Ken Marino, several cast members of The State appeared on Party Down, including Kerri Kenney-Silver, Thomas Lennon, and Joe Lo Truglio.

International broadcasters

Country Channel Premiere date
Canada Canada Super Channel March 23, 2009[12]
Australia Australia Movie Extra & ABC2 December 1, 2009 (Movie Extra)[13] January 6, 2011 (ABC2)[14]
Russia Russia 2×2 January 27, 2011 as Патимейкеры (eng: Partymakers)[15]

Cancellation

On June 30, 2010, Starz canceled Party Down. While the show was warmly received by critics, its Nielsen ratings were very low. Losing Jane Lynch to Glee as well as Adam Scott to Parks and Recreation were believed to be additional factors in the decision to end the series.[16]

References

  1. ^ Tyner, Adam (March 21, 2010). "Party Down: Season 1 DVD Talk Review". DVD Talk. Retrieved April 9, 2010.
  2. ^ "Party Down: The Original Pitch Video". Videogum. May 13, 2009. Retrieved April 9, 2010.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Starz Sets April 23 for Season 2 of Party Down and Premiere of Gravity" (Press release). Starz. January 19, 2010. Retrieved January 19, 2010.
  4. ^ "Starz Entertainment Gets Ready to Party Down" (Press release). Starz. October 13, 2008. Retrieved April 6, 2010.
  5. ^ a b c Wallenstein, Andrew (March 18, 2009). "Party Down – TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
  6. ^ Tyner, Adam (March 21, 2010). "Party Down: Season 1 DVD Talk Review". DVD Talk. Retrieved April 9, 2010.
  7. ^ "Party Down: The Original Pitch Video". Videogum. May 13, 2009. Retrieved April 9, 2010.
  8. ^ "Starz Entertainment Gets Ready to Party Down" (Press release). Starz. October 13, 2008. Retrieved April 6, 2010.
  9. ^ "AFI Awards 2009". AFI.com. Retrieved March 30, 2010.
  10. ^ "Party Down". metacritic.com. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
  11. ^ Poniewozik, James (December 9, 2010). "The Top 10 Everything of 2010". TIME. Retrieved December 10, 2010.
  12. ^ "Time to Party Down - Only on Super Channel". Super Channel Press. February 22, 2009. Retrieved January 18, 2011.
  13. ^ Knox, David (22 November, 2009). "Airdate: Party Down". TV Tonight. Retrieved 16 February, 2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  14. ^ "ABC2 Programming Airdate: Party Down (episode one)". ABC Television Publicity. January 6, 2011. Retrieved January 16, 2011.
  15. ^ "Premiere: Party Down". 2x2.
  16. ^ "Breaking: Starz cancels 'Party Down' and 'Gravity'". EW. June 30, 2010. Retrieved June 30, 2010.
Wikiquote has quotations related to Party Down.

Reception

Andrew Wallenstein of The Hollywood Reporter said, "Lurking behind the surface of this raucous comedy is an astute meditation on the promise and peril of leading an unconventional life, something about which aspiring actors know a thing or two."[1] The American Film Institute named Party Down one of the 10 best shows of 2009.[2] Season two scored 85 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on 12 critical reviews.[3] James Poniewozik of TIME ranked Party Down as the sixth best television series of 2010.[4]

Connections to earlier series

Veronica Mars

Party Down has many connections with Rob Thomas's previous series, Veronica Mars: John Enbom was a writer, Dan Etheridge was a producer/director, Paul Rudd made a guest appearance, and Jennifer Gwartz and Danielle Stokdyk served as co-executive producers.

Series regulars Adam Scott, Ken Marino, Jane Lynch and Ryan Hansen also appeared on Veronica Mars. Scott and Lynch had guest appearances, while Marino had a recurring role and Hansen was a series regular. Other Veronica Mars cast members who have guest-starred on Party Down include Kristen Bell, Enrico Colantoni, Jason Dohring, Alona Tal, Ed Begley, Jr., Daran Norris, Ryan Devlin, Martin Yu, Michael Kostroff, Steve Guttenberg and Joey Lauren Adams. Bell, Colantoni, and Dohring were series regulars, while the others had recurring roles, except for Adams, who was a guest star.

Freaks and Geeks

Party Down also has connections to Freaks and Geeks. Producer/director Bryan Gordon directed two episodes of Freaks and Geeks. Series regulars Martin Starr and Lizzy Caplan had roles on Freaks and Geeks; Starr was a series regular, while Caplan had a recurring role. David "Gruber" Allen, who had a recurring role on Freaks and Geeks guest starred in an episode of Party Down.

The State

In addition to series regular Ken Marino, several cast members of The State appeared on Party Down, including Kerri Kenney-Silver, Thomas Lennon, and Joe Lo Truglio.

International broadcasters

Country Channel Premiere date
Canada Canada Super Channel March 23, 2009[5]
Australia Australia Movie Extra & ABC2 December 1, 2009 (Movie Extra)[6] January 6, 2011 (ABC2)[7]
Russia Russia 2×2 January 27, 2011 as Патимейкеры (eng: Partymakers)[8]

Cancellation

On June 30, 2010, Starz canceled Party Down. While the show was warmly received by critics, its Nielsen ratings were very low. Losing Jane Lynch to Glee as well as Adam Scott to Parks and Recreation were believed to be additional factors in the decision to end the series.[9]

References

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference thr was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "AFI Awards 2009". AFI.com. Retrieved March 30, 2010.
  3. ^ "Party Down". metacritic.com. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
  4. ^ Poniewozik, James (December 9, 2010). "The Top 10 Everything of 2010". TIME. Retrieved December 10, 2010.
  5. ^ "Time to Party Down - Only on Super Channel". Super Channel Press. February 22, 2009. Retrieved January 18, 2011.
  6. ^ Knox, David (22 November, 2009). "Airdate: Party Down". TV Tonight. Retrieved 16 February, 2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  7. ^ "ABC2 Programming Airdate: Party Down (episode one)". ABC Television Publicity. January 6, 2011. Retrieved January 16, 2011.
  8. ^ "Premiere: Party Down". 2x2.
  9. ^ "Breaking: Starz cancels 'Party Down' and 'Gravity'". EW. June 30, 2010. Retrieved June 30, 2010.
Wikiquote has quotations related to Party Down.

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