Review: Search Party (Season Four)

by Christopher James

Alia Shawkat returns as Dory Sief in the new fourth season of Search Party on HBO Max.Who doesn’t love a good quarantine binge? The minute HBO Max (finally) came on Roku, I began my binge of the first three seasons of Search Party. The beloved, niche TBS comedy about self-absorbed Brooklyn-ites became a strange, but satisfying watch during the day. Sure, the characters were unlikable enough to make the cast of Girls look like saints. Still, I couldn’t stop watching. Maybe that’s because there’s something satisfying about watching the character’s schemes and cover ups come unraveled. What began as a simple search party for a Facebook friend spirals into a murder trial three seasons later. The show continues to take big swings in season four that eventually pay off to be a highly memorable season of TV.

The fourth season, available on HBO Max today, takes us simultaneously further from and closer to that first season premise...

Click to read more ...

Halfway Mark Links

A Must Read
• Tom & Lorenzo "One Iconic Costume" a fascinating funny and poignant piece on Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz

More Links
• Paper terrific piece on the new generation of queer comedy: Matt Rogers, Grace Kuhlenschmidt, Alex English, Cole Escola, and many more. 
• Cartoon Brew despite Academy efforts toward gender parity the animation and visual fx industries are still struggling with inclusion of women. (Only 1 in 8 people invited to join the visual effects Academy branch are women this year.)

More after the jump including Hamilton, Netflix hit 365 Days, best of the first haf of the year and more...

Click to read more ...

Difficult People S3 E7-8: Sitcoms, Sleepovers, & "Yes And"

In Episode Seven, “Fuzz Buddies”, Julie lies her way into a Nick Jr. writer’s room, Billy gets a decades late response to fanmail from Monkee Micky Dolenz, and Marilyn finally celebrates her Bat Mitzvah.

CHRIS: So the theme of this episode was delayed adolescence. Billy got a childhood fan letter to Micky Dolenz returned and ends up getting roped into helping him with a one-person show.

SPENCER: What does it say about me that I don’t know who this person is?

C: I can’t imagine you’re the only viewer thinking that. Even by Difficult People standards, this guest appearance is specific and completely bizarrely random. But fitting for the theme to have an old school teen idol.

S: Teen idol? I’m listening (while also googling Micky Dolenz)...

Click to read more ...

Difficult People S3 E1-2: Woody Allen, Depression Shadows, and Protest Rats

Difficult People is back and Chris and Spencer will be chatting about this season!

Julie and Billy begin the season doing community service for wrecking a live televised musical. Billy lands a gig as the audience warmup for a new Larry Wilmore talkshow, while Julie tries to score some new antidepressants to get through Passover dinner.

CHRIS: That opening live musical joke was a great capsule of the show's humor: a blend of mass entertainment and niche references with a huge serving of outrage. I'd have an even harsher revolt to Bazinga in the Park with George however.

SPENCER: But if anything, it gives us that brief gag where they’re picking up trash along the Nathan Lane Roadway Memorial. It’s such a great way of keeping that world-building alive and comical.

Click to read more ...