Search Party is an American dark comedy television series created by Sarah-Violet Bliss, Charles Rogers, and Michael Showalter. TBS picked up the pilot to series in November 2015 and the first season premiered on November 21, 2016. The show's second season premiered on November 19, 2017.
Maps, Directions, and Place Reviews
Plot
Search Party depicts the lives of New York City resident Dory Sief (Alia Shawkat) and her self-absorbed friends: passive boyfriend Drew Gardner (John Reynolds), flamboyant show-off Elliott Goss (John Early), and flighty actress Portia Davenport (Meredith Hagner). Serving as a contrast to the group is Dory's ex-boyfriend Julian (Brandon Micheal Hall), a journalist whose blunt nature frequently puts him into conflict with others.
The first season focuses on the disappearance of Dory's college acquaintance Chantal Witherbottom (Clare McNulty), whom she sets out to find, with Drew, Elliott, and Portia reluctantly joining her investigation. While her friends also deal with difficulties in their own lives, Dory focuses on her pursuit of Chantal, believing her to be in danger.
The second season focuses on the death of Keith Powell (Ron Livingston), a private investigator who is killed as a result of Dory mistakenly believing him to be a threat to Chantal. As the group struggles to return to their normal lives, they also attempt to cover up Keith's death, which affects them in various ways.
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Cast and characters
Main
- Alia Shawkat as Dory Sief: A lifelong doormat, who is stuck as the personal assistant to a rich housewife and deeply unfulfilled by her stale relationship. When her college acquaintance Chantal goes missing, she makes it her personal mission to find her--and she brings her friends with her.
- John Reynolds as Drew Gardner: A sweet, spoon-fed doofus, who has spent his whole life a little too sheltered, Drew must grow a spine if he wants to help Dory solve the mystery of Chantal's disappearance and save their deteriorating relationship.
- John Early as Elliott Goss: Gay and hipper than thou, Elliott is a self-diagnosed narcissist, who still finds it in his heart to help find Chantal. Adept at manipulating those around him, he is particularly good at detective work.
- Meredith Hagner as Portia Davenport: A flighty, bubbly actress, Portia is swept up in the thrill of helping solve the mystery. Her desperate need for the spotlight makes her excellent at chatting up suspects and getting information - even if by accident.
- Brandon Micheal Hall as Julian: Dory's journalist ex-boyfriend.
Recurring
- Clare McNulty as Chantal Witherbottom
- Ron Livingston as Keith Powell
- Rosie Perez as Lorraine De Coss
- Phoebe Tyers as April, Dory and Drew's neighbor
- Christine Ebersole as Mariel Davenport, Portia's mother
- Jennifer Kim as Agnes Cho
- Christine Taylor as Gail, Dory's wealthy boss
- Parker Posey as Brick
- Griffin Newman as Gavin, Chantal's ex-boyfriend
- Jeffery Self as Marc, Elliott's on and off boyfriend
- Tymberlee Hill as Joy, a police detective
- Judy Reyes as Deb, Keith's ex-wife
Guest stars
- Judy Gold as Paulette Capuzzi
- Alysia Reiner as Trina
- Kate Berlant as Editor
- Tunde Adebimpe as Edwin
- Michael Showalter as Max
- Linas Phillips as Farley
- Bridey Elliott as Penelope
- Jiggly Caliente as Girl on the Subway with "Chantal" Bag
- Claire Tyers as June, April's twin sister
- Jo Firestone as Carla, rehab patient
Production
In June 2015, it was announced Alia Shawkat, John Early, John Reynolds, and Meredith Hagner had all been cast in the pilot, with Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers directing and writing alongside Michael Showalter, Lilly Burns, Tony Hernadez, John Skidmore, Brittany Segal serving as executive producers and producers respectively. In November 2015, TBS ordered the series.
Filming
The shooting of the first season began in the summer of 2015 in New York. For the filming of the second season the production returned to New York.
Episodes
Season 1 (2016)
Season 2 (2017)
Reception
Search Party received critical acclaim. The first season received positive reviews from television critics. It holds a 100% approval rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 33 reviews, with an average rating of 8/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Search Party is an engaging, weird, dark, funny mystery elevated by exceptional performances throughout." On Metacritic, the season holds a rating of 81 out of 100, based on 19 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".
The second season of Search Party received positive reviews from television critics. It holds a 96% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 23 reviews, with an average rating of 7/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "With a never-better Alia Shawkat in the lead, Search Party's second season delves deeper into the deliciously dark dramedy that makes the show so addictively entertaining." On Metacritic, the season holds a rating of 78 out of 100, based on 9 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Los Angeles Times wrote that it was "tightly made and effective on multiple levels". GQ wrote that it is "a flawless oddity, a once-in-a-lifetime piece of art. It's not the weekend's best show, it's the year's best."
Accolades
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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