Search Party: Full Season
November 23, 2016 10:57 AM - Season 1 (Full Season) - Subscribe
Search Party follows Dory Stewart, a young New Yorker in her late 20s who is dissatisfied with her friends, her boyfriend, and her job. Dory's life changes when a college acquaintance who she barely knew, Chantal Witherbottom, goes missing. Dory finds new purpose in investigating the mysterious circumstances surrounding her disappearance. TBS has released Search Party through on-demand cable services, and all episodes are currently available. Also available for streaming on their site, provided you have cable TV service that carries TBS.
The show has reviewed well, with Vulture (full season review) calling it "one of the best shows of 2016." The AV Club (first episode review, more to come this week) gives it a B+.
The four main characters are played by Alia Shawkat (Dory), John Reynolds (Drew), John Early (Elliot), and Meredith Hagner (Portia).
The show has reviewed well, with Vulture (full season review) calling it "one of the best shows of 2016." The AV Club (first episode review, more to come this week) gives it a B+.
The four main characters are played by Alia Shawkat (Dory), John Reynolds (Drew), John Early (Elliot), and Meredith Hagner (Portia).
Except Dory, of course, who I love.
posted by bleep at 11:15 PM on November 23, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by bleep at 11:15 PM on November 23, 2016 [1 favorite]
TBS has been releasing some quality serialized shows recently - The Detour, Angie Tribeca, and now Search Party.
In a way, it reminds me of Bored To Death, although it feels a lot more scattered in terms of where the writers wanted it to be. It's like it's the offspring of BtD with Girls. A mystery show with assholes. Still like it, 'to.
posted by lmfsilva at 4:11 AM on November 24, 2016
In a way, it reminds me of Bored To Death, although it feels a lot more scattered in terms of where the writers wanted it to be. It's like it's the offspring of BtD with Girls. A mystery show with assholes. Still like it, 'to.
posted by lmfsilva at 4:11 AM on November 24, 2016
(however, after finishing, it also reminded me of what I called the Dumbass Mystery Club in Twin Peaks composed by Donna, Maddy and James, who got themselves into problems because, well, they were dumbasses who thought they were smarter than they actually were)
posted by lmfsilva at 5:47 AM on November 24, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by lmfsilva at 5:47 AM on November 24, 2016 [4 favorites]
That ending is a gut punch!
posted by bleep at 12:27 PM on November 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by bleep at 12:27 PM on November 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
I liked it a lot! It reminded me of The Long Goodbye, and The Big Lebowski. Interpretations of noir detective stories that are less about the mystery and more about the times in which they take place. For The Long Goodbye that means Marlowe stumbling (bemused) through an amoral, unbounded LA ruled by greed and corruption. For Lebowski that means The Dude trying to square hippy idealism with the bland commercialism of the 90s.
In Search Party, Dory also seems sort of unstuck in time, in terms of costuming, personality, etc. She doesn't seem able to cope with the superficiality of her life like Drew (who can sleepwalk through things so long as they're good enough), Portia (who has meager success, but boundless optimism and narcissism) and Eliot (a liar and opportunist). The mystery of Chantal offers her a fixed point and meaning, but ultimately doesn't have either. The mystery and the events surrounding it are mostly personal, petty, and not very mysterious.
posted by codacorolla at 5:29 PM on November 24, 2016 [7 favorites]
In Search Party, Dory also seems sort of unstuck in time, in terms of costuming, personality, etc. She doesn't seem able to cope with the superficiality of her life like Drew (who can sleepwalk through things so long as they're good enough), Portia (who has meager success, but boundless optimism and narcissism) and Eliot (a liar and opportunist). The mystery of Chantal offers her a fixed point and meaning, but ultimately doesn't have either. The mystery and the events surrounding it are mostly personal, petty, and not very mysterious.
posted by codacorolla at 5:29 PM on November 24, 2016 [7 favorites]
The search is over, yet now it's a show titled Search Party. Reminds me of how after season 1, the creators of Cougar Town hated the show's name.
posted by Lil Bit of Pepper at 6:06 PM on November 25, 2016
posted by Lil Bit of Pepper at 6:06 PM on November 25, 2016
Note to screenwriters and showrunners everywhere: That last episode contains something called an "ending". Study it and don't take us on a trip until you've got one.
posted by whuppy at 7:33 AM on November 26, 2016 [10 favorites]
posted by whuppy at 7:33 AM on November 26, 2016 [10 favorites]
I did not see that ending coming. Fully shook.
posted by prefpara at 8:51 PM on November 26, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by prefpara at 8:51 PM on November 26, 2016 [1 favorite]
Does anyone have Dory's number? I need to text her. Something about being smart from the very beginning.
posted by whuppy at 10:50 AM on November 28, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by whuppy at 10:50 AM on November 28, 2016 [2 favorites]
I memailed her
posted by bleep at 3:36 PM on November 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by bleep at 3:36 PM on November 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
Glad to hear the ending is good. I'm two episodes in, and honestly it's not really clicking with me yet, but if there's a proper ending, I'll stick with it.
posted by destructive cactus at 2:22 PM on December 1, 2016
posted by destructive cactus at 2:22 PM on December 1, 2016
I noticed Starlee Kine of the Mystery Show podcast make a cameo at one point and thought it was just a shout out to said podcast, but it seems she was on as a writer for half the episodes!
posted by onya at 7:44 AM on December 2, 2016
posted by onya at 7:44 AM on December 2, 2016
Dory, reading: "All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."
Portia, cutesily: "Aw!"
posted by rhamphorhynchus at 8:20 PM on February 4, 2021
Portia, cutesily: "Aw!"
posted by rhamphorhynchus at 8:20 PM on February 4, 2021
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posted by bleep at 4:20 PM on November 23, 2016 [4 favorites]