Party Down: Season 2
  • Network: Starz
  • Series Premiere Date: Mar 20, 2009
  • Season #: 1 , 2
Metascore
85 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 12 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 12
  3. Negative: 0 out of 12
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  1. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Archana Ram
    100
    It's the sarcasm (see: Adam Scott), smart dialogue, and refreshing take on the workplace comedy that make the somewhat depressing premise a totally raucous party.
  2. Salon
    Reviewed by: Heather Havrilesky
    100
    Even though Party Down features a steady flow of absurd jokes and funny situations, it still offers more of a consistent, realistic, lively story than dramedies like "Weeds," "The United States of Tara" or "Glee."
  3. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Maureen Ryan
    100
    Though it takes a while to integrate a new character played by Megan Mullally, Season 2 confidently builds on the successes of Season 1, and from about Episode 5 onward, "Party Down" takes is place as one of the most consistently entertaining shows on television.
  4. Newsday
    Reviewed by: Diane Werts
    100
    Party Down took awhile to jell, but it has hit its stride as one of TV's most finely observed comedies.
  5. Time
    Reviewed by: James Poniewozik
    90
    A top-flight cast, including Lizzy Caplan and Martin Starr (and this season, Megan Mullally, stepping in for Lynch), who make the show's scripts play like improv. Above all, the show's ambition to be both raunchily funny and emotionally real to characters who are watching their dreams get older one day at a time.
  6. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Paige Wiser
    88
    The rest of the original crew is back, in varying degrees of denial, cluelessness, incompetence and narcissism. They have been missed.
  7. Slant Magazine
    Reviewed by: Adam Keleman
    88
    The storytelling gifts of writer-producer Rob Thomas, the creator of another under-seen show, Veronica Mars, prove innumerous, as these wholly original, vital characters practically bleed insecurities, coming off as tenderly funny and human.
  8. Newark Star-Ledger
    Reviewed by: Alan Sepinwall
    80
    It's at once a simple, R-rated office comedy about a bunch of people who would have nothing to do with each other if they didn't work together, and a pretty wicked satire of the quest for fame at all costs.
  9. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Matt Roush
    80
    While things invariably and hilariously go wrong, Party Down’s appeal comes from the interplay of these endearingly delusional wannabes—now including Megan Mullally, replacing the irreplaceable Jane Lynch as a perky single-mom new recruit.
  10. People Weekly
    Reviewed by: Tom Gliatto
    75
    The comedy never quite lifts into giddiness, but there are lots of solid, unexpected laughs. And isn't that cause for celebration? [26 Apr 2010, p.40]
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  11. Slate
    Reviewed by: Troy Patterson
    60
    Party Down, which is funny, would seem even funnier if it were not so heavily indebted to the funniest TV shows of recent years. It's also problematic that the show is so highly inconsistent.
  12. Boston Herald
    Reviewed by: Mark A. Perigard
    50
    Party Down, about a group of aspiring Hollywood types working as caterers, returns for a second season of stale jokes.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.6 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 56 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 6
  3. Negative: 1 out of 6
  1. KundK
    9
    Cosmically depressing and absurd, this "Catering for Godot" drips with despair even as you are crying with laughter. "Party Down" makes "Office" and "Parks & Recreation" settings look like dream workplaces for the shiny happy people.… Full Review »
  2. Seriosity
    9
    The writing remains strong, the cast still the lovable outcasts we grew to know. In season 2, everything jells so smoothly it's unfortunate and surprising this was the end. 9.1/10… Full Review »
  3. TVCritical
    2
    This show's 2nd season is worst than the last I hated how they kept going with the I can't become famous in the media **** still trying to give a bleeding **** for these mostly losers. What I hated about this season is the fact that they made Ron dreams crash and burn and he ends up back at Party Down loser brigade, the indiviual catering stories went from being good to being raunchy **** ups that can't hardly past for decent storytelling, and Adam Scott's character being the leader of the Party Down group is just a huge blunder. One line truly struck me in this season was the fact that the Casey character said she got rejected in America's media for being too JEWEY and you know that's a loaded piece of crap because in American media being too Jewey will always make you famous because Jews run the American media so that's just one of the worst lines I have heard ever!!!!!!!! Although there were good points in this mostly a huge wreck of a season with the adding of the truly talented Megan Mullally to the main cast, the fact that Martin Starr's character Roman was finally put in his place and you know what it was by none other than Steve Guttenberg who has been over since the 80's so that's an extra treat to the character Roman for someone to have finally stuck it to him, The gay football player draft episode, and the return of Jane Lynch/Constance Carmell in the show's series finale which I think might have been the best thing of all in this entire season because that last episode's story was just PURE GENIUS.… Full Review »
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