Fri-Yay: Search Party Season 3 Thoughts; HBO Max Teams Up with Marlon Wayans

Friday, June 26, 2020

Fri-Yay: Search Party Season 3 Thoughts; HBO Max Teams Up with Marlon Wayans

It's time for another edition of Fri-Yay! That means we will take a look back on some sitcom happenings in recent days or weeks or other fun sitcomy stuff. It's a sitcom lover's paradise! Happy Fri-Yay!

by Vincent

This week, the third season of Search Party premieres on HBO Max. Search Party is a mystery-noir sitcom following a group of millennials who become fixated on the disappearance of their college acquaintance Chantal. The show goes through many twists and turns in its run that I won't spoil here, but overall it's an amusing and very well made series with strong performances from its cast, including leads Alia Shawkat of Arrested Development fame and John Reynolds (best known as his recurring role as a police officer on Stranger Things). Search Party is an interesting case even beyond the fact that it's a very good show. The show's second season aired nearly 3 years ago in 2017 on TBS, where the show premiered and aired its first 2 seasons. After being in limbo for a few years (the show was renewed but never got a premiere date), it was announced it would be moving to HBO Max. So the show premieres on a new streaming service three years since it last aired.

Search Party's third seasons was filmed 2 years ago and originally intended to air on TBS, so the new seasons doesn't yet get to enjoy the freedoms of airing on a streaming service vs. cable. The show also feels a bit dated in some ways, as the "hipster Brooklyn millennial" stereotype that the show is parodying no longer feel like the dominant cultural presence they were in the mid-2010s. (To be fair, the show addresses this somewhat, with a character saying 'I don't think people really care about millennials anymore. That kind of talk has died down.') Not all of the show's legal parodies land, either, and feel less earned than the mystery parodies of Seasons 1 and 2. Still, the third season of Search Party (which premiered on HBO Max today - so far, I've seen the first few episodes) remains extremely entertaining, as the cast is still excellent, the writing still funny, biting and surprising, and the ability to "binge" each episode plays very nicely with the show's story-driven writing style. It may feel slightly dated, but Search Party Season 3 is still a really fun time, and I can't wait to see what they come up with for Season 4.

Marlon Wayans

HBO Max announced an overall deal with Marlon Wayans, which includes a number of projects in the works from the multi-hyphenate star. On the stand-up front, the deal includes an all-new hour-long special from Wayans along with a multi-act special in which he will serve as host. In addition, HBO Max will have a first look deal at his scripted and unscripted projects. The first identified scripted project is a half-hour comedy, Book of Marlon, on the hilarious trials of his real life, following the fictionalized version of Wayans as he attempts to reconcile being a good person and father with...being Marlon. The series is co-created by Rick Alvarez, who will also co-write the pilot with Wayans. The untitled stand up special is a funny, twisted, and extremely honest look at Marlon's life that digs even deeper than his recent hit special Woke-ish.

Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Monday, December 1

DMV - "Splash Fountain" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Colette’s effort to redirect holiday plans takes an unexpected turn when it lands her trapped in a car. Meanwhile, a surprising new friendship stirs up jealousy among the team.

The Neighborhood - "Welcome to Babies and Bathwater" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Dave’s ambitious home improvement plans take a turn, prompting Calvin to step in, while Malcolm seeks Gemma’s help to overcome writer’s block. Meanwhile, Tina’s suggestion for Daphne sparks a parenting dilemma for Courtney.

St. Denis Medical - "I Left a Woman on the Table" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Matt struggles to deal with a patient from his past; Bruce tries to rekindle romance with a former flame; Joyce treats patients to cover a nursing shortage.

The Paper - "TTT vs the Blogger" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
After learning that a snarky high schooler's blog has more readers than the paper, Ned and Esmeralda team up to embarrass the corner-cutting brat; Mare and Oscar cover a beloved music teacher's last production.

TV We Love - "Touched by an Angel" (The CW, 9:00PM ET/PT)
"Touched by an Angel" star Roma Downey and executive producer Martha Williamson reflect on the moving stories of faith, hope, and inspiration that captivated millions.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of December 1)

Monday, December 1

Sydney Sweeney (Everything Sucks!) - Watch Syndey on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Kristin Chenoweth (Stumble/Trial & Error/Kristin) - Kristin appears on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Maya Rudolph (Loot/Bless the Harts/Forever/Up All Night) - Maya is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Adam Pally (Mr. Throwback/Indebted/Making History/The Mindy Project/Happy Endings) - Adam appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Adam Sandler (The Cosby Show) - Adam talks about Jay Kelly on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
George Clooney (Roseanne/The Facts of Life/ E/R (1984-1985) - George talks Jay Kelly with Michael Strahan on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
Minnie Driver (Emily in Paris/Speechless/About a Boy) - Minnie talks about Emily in Paris on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
Kyle Richards (Down to Earth) - Kyle talks about The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills on Live with Kelly and Mark and on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
Vanessa Bell Calloway (Kenan/Survivor's Remorse/Under One Roof) - Tamron Hall has A DAYTIME EXCLUSIVE with rapper, writer and actor Vince Staples and award-winning actress Vanessa Bell Calloway, who play mother and son in the Netflix series The Vince Staples Show, so check your local listings.
Richie Moriarty (Ghosts) - Richie talks about Ghosts on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
Cheyenne Jackson (Call Me Kat/30 Rock) - Cheyenne is a guest on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 9:40am.
Reba McEntire (Happy's Place/Malibu Country/Reba) - Reba appears on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am and in the 9am hour.
Regina Hall (Black Monday/Grandfathered/Married/Second Generation Wayans) - Regina is a guest on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.