When does this get good?
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o-donnell_w — 15 years ago(October 24, 2010 08:36 AM)
I don't remember Party Down being particularly week during the first couple episodes, although the first season was a little uneven overall. It's such a short season though, so just stick it out and if you don't love the show by the end you know it's not for you.
Liz Lemon is my Soulmate -
sonofagoob — 15 years ago(February 10, 2011 03:05 AM)
Its a better show when you actually listen to the dialogue,
P.S. I wouldn't put the word "Comedy" in my name unless i was sure i knew something about it Just Sayin..
P.S.S. I'm glad you dig 30 rock after an episode or two, please give party down as much (or more) patients than u gave 30. Besides, P.D. is a great show with actors who actually enjoy the show. The main characters love it, and I think that an actor who loves his role is the probably the luckiest man on earth, paid or not -
Swegin — 15 years ago(March 13, 2011 06:34 PM)
I liked it pretty much from the start, but it starts to get REALLY good in the third episode, the single's seminar for seniors. The whole getting high in the bathroom scene was hilarious, one of the funniest scenes I've seen in a show.
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tenyardfightx — 15 years ago(March 14, 2011 09:14 AM)
For me, it took until the second season to start enjoying the show. Maybe it was because the characters started growing on me, maybe it was because the writing was simply better. I wonder if I watched season 1 again, would I enjoy it more this time around? I'm probably in the minority saying that I liked Megan Mullaly's character more than Jane Lynch's, but I found the former's cluelesness amusing.
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crankyerma1984 — 15 years ago(March 14, 2011 12:28 PM)
I'm having a similar experience. I heard from several people that PD was good. I made it through an episode and a half before I had to turn it off. This show is so cynical and hateful I couldn't stand it. It's the most depressing TV "comedy" since "Good Times."
The only characters that the writers want you to really identify with are gutless. They mostly sit and silently pass judgment on everyone around them rather than do anything. Henry's defining characteristic is that he's a quitter but we get the feeling that the writer's want us to feel that he's somehow better than the people around him still pursuing their dreams. I guess it's this kind of mean spirited douche that we are supposed to think is the voice of sanity.
There's no one on this show that I'd want to spend time getting to know and the fact that the writers think I would want to sit for a half an hour and laugh at damaged people's misery puts them the bottom of the list. -
Nuncle_Euron — 15 years ago(March 14, 2011 12:51 PM)
I guess Scrubs is more up your alley.
Besides, the majority of PD characters do actually develope over the series, and actually end up in much better situations by the end.
I figure our life expectancy is between that of a fly and a fly with a heart condition -
crankyerma1984 — 15 years ago(March 14, 2011 01:19 PM)
Actually, "Scrubs" was a pretty good show to me for a while. My favorites are probably "MASH," "Frasier," "Cheers," "Will & Grace" and currently "Big Bang Theory." "MASH" aside, I always liked the conceit of the multicam. We are supposed to essentially be part of a studio audience watching a sort of stage play. In a way it's a more communal experience where we are laughing at what the actors playing the parts are saying. It's a much less passive experience than faux-doc shows like "The Office" where we are invited to sit there as voyeurs and feel better than the people on screen, laughing AT these supposedly 'real' people. It seems cynical and mean.
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EmotionalKnapsack — 14 years ago(April 06, 2011 05:17 PM)
I watched the first two episodes, but didn't like it at first either. I think by the fourth or fifth episode I really started to enjoy it, and by the end of the first season I was hooked. I can safely say by the second season I really did love all the characters, and I can't really say that for very many shows.
It might help to be a Veronica Mars fan because there's tons of cross-over. -
firetruckgreen — 14 years ago(June 07, 2011 07:05 PM)
I kinda see where OP is coming from. I watched the first episode on Netflix and wasn't into it. It felt kinda cold and uninviting to me. Then a few days later I re-watched it and now I'm completely hooked. Kyle is the only character I sort of dislike but his moments with Constance totally redeem his douche baggery.
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fraac — 14 years ago(June 10, 2011 09:05 AM)
I've watched almost all of it, it was recommended after Parks and Recreation which I found after Community, and I don't much like it. The characters are unappealing, especially the leads. Adam Scott thinks he can pass for a normal cool guy by playing it normal and cool, which is the opposite of what works (he annoys me almost as much on P&R). The relationship between him and Caplan's character is childish and annoying, more like something from a 90s sitcom than a modern single-camera comedy. Nothing about Party Down really rings true, and the farce isn't sharp enough to make up for it.
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holygoddamn — 14 years ago(January 02, 2012 05:06 PM)
I have contradictory feelings about this show. I stuck with it because I found it to be fairly interesting and the seasons were short. Plus, I'm a big fan of "Veronica Mars" and like checking out other projects by the creator and actors. I did appreciate the realism portrayed in how a struggling actor's / performer's / writer's life can be, as I've known some people who have felt the same way as these characters. Not saying the ridiculous situations are the same, obviously, as this is an embellished comedy show, but there are some very realistic and emotionally relatable scenes. But only a few peppered throughout the episodes.
Now to move on to the things that make it a bit weaker:- It's depressing and only in the last episode is there some semblance of happiness.
It surprised me that I was bothered by this, since I normally love dark and alternative comedies. But I soon realized that the next point is part of why I didn't love the show: - The characters are hard to sympathize with and relate to.
It's like they made this show for an "everyman", but still intelligent viewer, but it didn't quite get to that level.
I really couldn't find anyone I liked, and I enjoyed the show even less when they had the (predictable) relationship between Casey and Henry. They started that theme right away. Those two were fairly level-headed, but I didn't think they had much chemistry or a real reason to be together. It's almost like the creators thought that every single show needs some kind of long-lasting romance or courtship, so they choose two characters and put them in that situation.
I think 2 seasons was a pretty good run. I may even have enjoyed a season 3, but no more than that. It's not that it's not really interesting, but I don't think I laughed out loud even once. Different strokes for different folks
- It's depressing and only in the last episode is there some semblance of happiness.
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sublingual_tablet — 9 years ago(June 06, 2016 05:03 AM)
Considering a lot of great shows these days seem to have "really kick into gear in the 2nd season" syndrome, I thought Party Down hit the ground running.
Even Parks & Rec (which was my gateway to Party Down) has an uneven first season that looks increasingly weird and out of sync with the rest of the show, the further you go into it. -
ravi02 — 9 years ago(July 04, 2016 06:19 PM)
I personally enjoyed Party Down from the first episode. I liked how its a look at the side of Hollywood that we don't see often and this dysfunctional group's full of entertaining characters.
It was like the anti-Entourage and I actually preferred this show.