Chances are you may have never heard of the Starz original series Party Down, because we were only given 20 precious episodes of the show before it was wrongfully canceled, but now you have no excuse because it’s free to stream on Hulu! Okay, technically, the first 5 episodes are free and the rest are on Hulu Plus.
When I first heard about the show in college, I was told things like “Trust me, watch it. The whole thing.” And being the binge-watching TV addict that I am, I finished the show in a week and then I was screaming “That’s it?!? That can’t be it!!”
On the surface, the show sounds almost overly simple: it’s about a misfit group of struggling actors who work together at a party catering company. But as soon as you see the cast list, you know why it was such a cult hit- Lizzy Caplan! Adam Scott! Ken Marino! Megan Mullaly! Jane Lynch! Martin Starr! Ryan Hansen! Not to mention endless, crazy funny cameos from Kristen Bell, Rob Corddry, Ken Jeong and SO MANY MORE.
I would say that if you’re a Veronica Mars fan, you’ll love it, because Rob Thomas was the producer/creator of both shows and tends to re-use his favorite actors (I personally watched Party Down first but still appreciated the amazing casting). But then again, the show would also appeal to any fans of Community, Parks and Recreation, Freaks and Geeks, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and just anyone who likes good, funny, quality TV with great writing.
It’s also a massively therapeutic show to watch if you are currently working at or have ever worked a crappy part time gig and have learned the hard way that sometimes the only thing keeping the whole company together is the crazy, desperate, dysfunctional staff.
If you have no other reason to check it out, check it out because Lizzy Caplan is one of the stars of the show, and she’ll be on the cover of BUST for the October/November issue!
Photos via Wired, Ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com, Artisalie.tumblr.com, Partyingdown.tumblr.com, and MrHankey.tumblr.com.
