Search Party aired its first two seasons on TBS, the third season it went to HBO Max. I have just finished binging all three seasons of this show, and it is a weird, wonderful, dark, dark comedy. The show revolves around four major characters in New York City. There’s Dory Sief, played by the magnificent Alia Shawkat, an underemployed and underutilized person. Her boyfriend Drew Gardner (John Reynolds) is a sweet goofball that is more of a reactive type. The scene stealers are her friends Eliot Goss (a very, very out total narcissist and liar) played by the remarkable John Early and Portia Davenport (a beautiful but high strung actress) played by Meredith Hagner.
I’m not going to give away what happens in this show, I think you should watch it and be caught under its spell like I was. Season one deals with the disappearance of Dory’s college acquaintance Chantal Witherbottom. Dory is determined to find this person; or is she looking for herself? In the second season, the foursome is involved in an accidental murder, and they all go to some lengths to cover it up. Season three involves the sensational trial of ‘Gory Dory’ and her submissive boyfriend Drew.
There is so much more going on, including a mob subplot, a cop that’s on to them, a crazy upstairs neighbor, and bit parts from MVP character actors like Wallace Shawn, Annette O’Toole, and Louie Anderson. The show reminds me a little of High Maintenance (see tinyurl.com/zubmaintain) as NYC is a character, it’s very funny and it is very dark. If that sounds up your alley I think you should spend some time with this Search Party.