Party Smarty

A few weeks ago I noted how much I liked Party Down, a sitcom about a catering group. Since then, if anything, it's only gone up in my estimation. The writing, as I noted, is smart. And, financially (for the production), it's a good set-up--each week they have one, but only one, new setting.

What's impressed me most after seeing several episodes (all from season two) are the plots. You'd think catering a new party each week could get boring, but they mix things up enough so you never know what you'll get.

In the first episode I saw, they cater a backstage party for a rock star, and he gets out of his makeup and pretends to be one of them to find out how the other half lives (while one of the staff dresses up as the rock star). In another, they cater a party where the guests don't understand until they show up that the host is expecting an orgy. In another, Steve Guttenberg has forgotten to cancel his party so he ends up leading them in reading and rewriting a screenplay that one of the staff is working on.

It's still mostly about the jokes, but it's so much easier to be smart when the plot is working.