Friday, June 26, 2020
Fri-Yay: Search Party Season 3 Thoughts; HBO Max Teams Up with Marlon Wayans

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.
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
Tuesday, March 21
Night Court - "Dan v. Dating" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
With Abby's encouragement, Dan attempts to venture back into the dating world, but reigniting his love life proves more complicated than anticipated; Gurgs and Olivia search for a new office and find something they weren't expecting.
American Auto - "Celebrity" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Payne loses their spokesperson, Katherine and the team go to great lengths to woo a new celebrity -- Andy Richter -- only to have second thoughts.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of March 20)
Tuesday, March 21
- Julie Bowen (Modern Family/Ed) - Catch Julie on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Jamie Demetriou (The Afterparty/Miracle Workers) - Jamie is a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Jennifer Aniston (Friends/Muddling Through/Ferris Bueller/Molloy) - Jennifer appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Jane Fonda (Grace and Frankie) and Lily Tomlin (Grace and Frankie/Malibu Country) - Jane and Lily are guests on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Judd Hirsch (Taxi/Dear John/Superior Donuts) - Judd appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Brendan Hunt (Ted Lasso) - Brendan will be on The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
- Nicole Byer (Grand Crew/Loosely Exactly Nicole) - Nicole is a guest on The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
- Al Franken (LateLine) - Al guest hosts Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
- Alan Ruck (Spin City/Muscle/Going Places) - Alan is a guest on Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
- Bryton James (Family Matters) - Bryton appears on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
- Zach Braff (Scrubs/Alex, Inc.) - Zach is a guest on LIVE! with Kelly and Ryan, so check your listings.
- Miranda Cosgrove (iCarly/Crowded/Drake & Josh) - Miranda appears on The Kelly Clarkson Show, so check your local listings.
- Rob Riggle (Rob Riggle's Ski Master Academy/Golan the Insatiable/Gary Unmarried) - Rob will be on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Toheeb Jimoh (Ted Lasso) - Toheeb talks about Ted Lasso on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
- Yvette Nicole Brown (Act Your Age/The Odd Couple/Community/The Big House) - Yvette guest co-hosts Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
- Jameela Jamil (The Good Place) - NBC's Today catches up with Jameela in the 9am hour.
New on DVD/Blu-ray (November-March)
11/08 - Frasier - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
11/08 - Young Rock - Season Two (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/15 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Seven / The Complete Season Eight
11/22 - That '70s Show - The Complete Series (Mill Creek)
11/29 - Ghosts - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
12/06 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - 70th Anniversary Ultimate Christmas Collection
12/13 - And Just Like That... - The Complete First Season
12/13 - Hogan's Heroes - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
01/03 - Andy Richter Controls the Universe - The Complete Series (2023 Release)
01/27 - Master of None - Season Three / The Complete Series
02/21 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Nine / The Complete Season Ten
02/28 - Growing Pains - The Complete Series
03/28 - Rick and Morty - Season 8 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
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