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Party Down Is Back, You’re Welcome

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Look, we’re not here out here fishing for hosannas, but we’re not not doing that either. Party Down has more RSVPs for its upcoming third season on Starz. In addition to the returning cast from the original series, Variety reports that Jennifer Garner, Zoë Chao, and Tyrel Jackson Williams are joining as series regulars, and James Marsden will appear in a recurring guest star role. There is also a rundown of who everyone’s playing. Garner will be Evie, “a successful producer of studio franchise movies, who, in the wake of a breakup, is reconsidering her life choices.” The description says she has a “fledgling relationship” with Adam Scott’s character, Henry Pollard, meaning he might have made it as an actor in season three. Williams is Sackson, “a handsome, confident, driven, wannabe influencer/internet personality.” Chao will play Lucy, who “dreams of being a celebrity chef,” and Marsden will be Jack Botty, “an actor who plays the lead in a popular superhero franchise.” From now on, when a reboot has a character who represents a contemporary signifier like podcasting/TikTok/influencer culture, we’re calling it the Che Diaz effect.

Starz announced in November that it’s reviving the short-lived show, whiuch developed a cult following after its cancellation in 2010. We reunited the Party Down team at Vulture Festival 2019, where the show’s creators, Rob Thomas, John Enbom, and Dan Etheridge, were inspired to start developing a revival of the series. When asked about a potential movie at the time, Etheridge said, “I don’t think a movie’s in the cards, but I think maybe in the next year or two, we’ll kind of explore another way to get the gang back together.”

Well, it’s been two years, and sure enough, Party Down will officially be returning for six new episodes. Every cast member is reprising their original characters except Lizzy Caplan, owing to her busy schedule filming Fleishman Is in Trouble. According to Deadline, Caplan tried her best but couldn’t make her schedule work. The returning members of the original cast include Ken Marino, Adam Scott, Jane Lynch, Martin Starr, Ryan Hansen, and Megan Mullally. Thomas, Enbom, Etheridge, and Paul Rudd are all executive-producing the revival, which is tentatively slated to start production next year with Enbom showrunning.

Vulture Festival 2021 included a 3rd Rock From the Sun reunion, so if the recent past — and our apparent influence — is any indication, you can look forward to a revival of that show in 2023.

This post has been updated.

Party Down Is Back, You’re Welcome