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This kind of structure, which I find pretty fascinating, allows the lead characters of Party Down to interact with a variety of other characters over the course of one season. There’s an unmatched freshness to the show, as the characters – and the setting – are constantly changing.

”Bro, she’s trippin’ her balls off” – Kyle Bradway

During what was supposed to be an inspirational conversation with Henry, Bobbi St. Brown (Jennifer Coolidge) says: “You know what, Henry? Nice guys finish last. But grab your destiny by the balls and squeeze hard. I bet you’ve never done that in your career.” He deadpans that he “wouldn’t even know where destiny’s balls are.” She then recalls for Henry the time when she auditioned for a part in Cannonball Run II. Bobbi says she hit the girl she was up against with her car because it “felt right.” Henry is left with little to say.

Such is the comedy in Party Down. It’s awkward. It’s strange. But in the end, you’ll probably find yourself laughing harder than ever from a TV comedy. What’s crazy is the series airs on a teensy pay cable network, Starz, which happens to have only a handful of originally programming credits – of any genre – to its name.

Other comedy highlights from the show’s debut season are George Takei suffering from an allergic reaction to shrimp, Constance (Lynch) selling her voiceover talents to an executive by voicing a number of barnyard animals, Kristen Bell playing the humorless head of a rival catering company and Bobbi – while high on mushrooms – mistakenly arranging an appetizer in the shape of a Swastika. (She claims the plate of food started out looking like a snowflake).

”Are we having fun yet?” – Henry Pollard

As quirky and hilarious as Party Down may be, it at the same time balances the zaniness with a dramatic relationship between Henry and Casey, played by Adam Scott and Lizzy Caplan, respectively. They would be the only characters on the show that I’d be comfortable calling “normal.” (Though next to dudes like Ron or Roman, that may not be saying much).

I like it when a show doesn’t take itself too seriously, but contains elements that add depth and meaning to the storyline. Party Down, in my opinion, fits the bill. Where a show like Reno 911! goes wrong is that it’s all foolishness all the time. In some instances – like, say, The Sarah Silverman Program – it can only be that way. Any seriousness added into the storyline would only come across as mockery. The characters on Reno 911!, however, are meatier than those on Sarah Silverman and would have benefited greatly with something to do outside of maintaining the law in the biggest little city in the world.

What we have on Party Down is two characters who realize a connection between each other, but know it would be impractical to move beyond the friend zone. Why? They know their part-time catering job is temporary. Who knows where life will lead them three months, six months, one year from now?

Writing drama into a comedy like Party Down is incredibly difficult. I find myself amazed, actually, when I totally buy an intimate moment between Henry and Casey when in the scene that preceded it, a character stoned out of her mind (Constance) giddily laughed at a photo Ron keeps in his wallet to remind him of the dangers of making bad choices: That of a dude who lost his foot in a car wreck.

What scares me is the fact that Party Down may lose Henry and Casey (and Kyle) if the actors who play them find success in their new television projects. Last month, Adam Scott signed on for a series regular role on Parks and Recreation. And earlier this month, Lizzy Caplan booked a part on the CBS pilot, True Love, while Ryan Hansen was cast on the NBC pilot, Friends with Benefits. However, Starz has yet to renew Party Down for a third season anyway, so I may be getting ahead of myself.

Yet what’s interesting about a show like Party Down is its principle characters yearn for something to work on outside of catered events anyway. For them to move on to bigger and better things (within the context of the show) makes sense. It almost adds to Party Down’s credibility for its leads to hang around for a season or two before their characters catch their big break.

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