The Officewas (and is) considered the workplace comedy of our time. Offices are seen as the home away from home for millions.
But what about the millions in the service industry? Those hospitality workers who go denied and unseen? For them, there are now three seasons ofParty Down.
What is Party Down?
Party Downfollows the exploits of the small crew of individuals that work for the Party Down catering service. Based in Los Angeles, the various members of the six-person crew consist of a writer, a few actors, and a few other strange individuals. Each is a wannabe or washed-up minor celeb.
The show follows them through the various gigs they work, with a new gig each week. The crew has ongoing subplots but almost always ends up right back at Party Down.
With a stellar cast that includes Adam Scott (Severance), Ken Marino (Burning Love), Lizzy Caplan (Fleishman is in Trouble), Ryan Hansen (Good On Paper), Martin Starr (Spider-Man: No Way Home), and Jane Lynch (Glee), it was a hit with viewers and critics alike. During the first two seasons, fan favoritesMegan Mullally(Will & Grace) and Jennifer Coolidge (White Lotus) made appearances.
The Importance of an Anti-Office
Workplace comedies have been around for a long time.The Officewas a show about peopledoing wacky things at their job. However, as wacky as they were, these people had steady salaries, families, and lives that revolved around their job. Work was everything. They were the middle class. These were homeowners and people that drove decent cars. They put on their shirts and ties and went to work, proud of their sales. Their job was their life, and the show reflected that.
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However, this is not a reality for most people working in the US. We are a culture of homeowners and apartment afforders. People who drive new cars and attempt to find the money for the bus. Career-driven folks and people who show up for the check just to continue what they want to do.
Party Downspeaks to the “other” group. The hospitality workers who wait the tables at the parties that the people fromThe Officeattend. The ones in the background are listed in the credits as “waiter #1” and “bartender.”Party Downflips the entire concept of upper-class comedy and looks at the people in between.
Entertainment for the Underserved
Party Downnails the idea that the job does not make the person. There are jobs where you don’t get to choose what you wear. The hours are terrible, and the people you work with may be awful and self-absorbed. They’re also eating the food and drinking the alcohol.
People with six-figure careers love to try and relate to their servers, often talking about how they did that same job when they were in high school. What they forget is that these are people in their twenties and thirties. They don’t want to hear how their job could be done by a high-schooler. They want to be left alone.Party Downgets this vibe. They get that most of these people want to ask you if you want hors d’oeuvres and hand you a napkin. Then they want to go to the back, jump on their phone, and munch on whatever hors d’oeuvres you didn’t eat. So for every person paying $150/plate at a fundraiser, a guy named Peter is in the back having the same meal for free.
The Officedidn’t cover these people. Instead, they concentrated on the ones wearing suits and arguing over 401Ks and insurance programs.Party Downcan’t talk about these things because the main characters have neither.
The Los Angeles Undercurrent
One of the running themes of the show is having characters who feel they are on the verge of breaking into the show business. The actor has the occasional audition, the comedian might get the cruise gig, and their boss might finally live out his dream of owning a soup restaurant. However, counteracting that is the one guy who made it. He has the burden of being known just enough that people are disappointed to see him back in catering. Proof that they might not make it or that fame isn’t going to last forever. It’s a hard lesson they come face-to-face with every day.
This makes it a show for everyone going through recessions and layoffs. The knowledge that you were on top means you don’t know where your next job might come from. For the workers at Party Down, each day holds the promise of fame and the specter of failure. They want to be part of an industry that could hand them their ideal life. The problem is that if it doesn’t work out, they will spend their time serving the very people who are shutting them out.
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People onThe Officecould be laid off, but they would have a resume and recommendations that could put them back in a similar job with a similar wage. Some even had jobs that would have been Covid-proof (had the show continued through the pandemic). On the other hand, the people onParty Downhave zero job stability, and their resumes do not give them any access to the careers they aspire to.
Party Down Remains the Show of the People
With the third season (some call it a revival) coming to Hulu years after the first two, we will see where the characters are and what has brought them back to Party Down. From the previews, it looks like a few have had the chance to taste the dream but have landed back in the cold arms of their old job.
No matter what, the show will continue to be the workplace comedy for the people that might not even be able to afford the streaming service it’s on. It’s just another reason whyParty Downremains relevant today.
