Tuned In

TV Weekend: Up With Party Down!

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But hey, we’re not all death this weekend here at Tuned In. Tonight, Starz returns its hilarious catering comedy, Party Down, for season two. Gone is Jane Lynch, who because of Glee will only be in one episode this season. Gone, after this season, will be star Adam Scott, who’s joining NBC’s Parks and Recreation. The show’s future is still dicey, so savor it for now, tell your friends and cross your fingers.

What’s still in place: the darkly funny premise, about frustrated actors and screenwriters paying the bills by working the parties, school fundraisers and orgies of the Hollywood elite, deserving and undeserving alike. Also, 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.

I could tell you more about it. Or you could watch it yourself; mindful of how many people don’t yet have the channel, Starz has put the first two season 2 episodes (and a couple old ones) online for free. What are you waiting for? Get the party started.