A new Original Comedy Series Premiering Exclusively on Starz

A new Original Comedy Series
Premiering Exclusively on Starz
Friday, March, 20, 2009
10:30 p.m. et/pt
“PARTY DOWN”
OVERVIEW
“Party Down" follows a team of Los Angeles cater-waiters -- a sextet of dreamers
and wannabes -- stuck working for tips while hoping for their "big break."
Having opted out of “normal” lives of traditional jobs and nuclear families, our
crew of misfits -- with the exception of the ruefully jaded Henry – pass the days
assuming that their time in catering is just a brief place-holder before success
inevitably transforms them from unremarkable unknowns into “Somebodies.”
Each episode of this half-hour comedy finds our hapless team working a new
event -- from sweet sixteen affairs to gay weddings to mobster acquittal parties to
porn awards – where they inevitably get tangled up with the colorful guests and
the absurd dramas of their lives.
“Party Down” is, ultimately, a comedy about waiting.
About the misadventures you endure while waiting on others. And about the life
you lead while waiting for your real one to start.
THE CHARACTERS
Henry Pollard (Adam Scott)
Henry is in his mid-thirties and just officially quit acting. Or acting quit him.
Either way, he’s back working as a cater-waiter. Eight years ago, Henry was
young, talented, and driven. But after a promising start -- including an infamous
stint as a catch-phrasing beer pitchman -- Henry’s career and dreams fizzled.
Now devoid of ambition and cash, stuck back in the catering job he left years ago
when stardom was almost in his grasp, Henry must now figure out what can take
the place of those broken dreams in his life.
Ron Donald (Ken Marino)
Eight years earlier, Ron Donald was Henry’s hard-partying rock ‘n’ roll screw-up
catering co-worker. Henry returns to find the newly-sober and reformed Ron is a
Party Down Team Captain -- and Henry’s boss. Ron is now an aggressively
pious corporate achiever obsessed with one day owning his own SoupR’
Crackers soup-and-salad franchise. Quality service and his clients’ “total party
satisfaction” are Ron’s eternal, and often elusive, goals.
Constance Carmell (Jane Lynch)
Constance Carmell is, if nothing else, a survivor. Having forged a three-decade
“career” in Hollywood -- from being crushed by a chandelier in the original
Poseidon Adventure to playing a corpse in Pumpkinhead 6 -- she sports an
unparalleled list of credits as a barely-featured extra. If larger roles have largely
eluded her, she remains optimistic; the dream shall never die. A never-ending
source of baffling acting parables and oblique new-age advice, Constance is the
un-official Den Mother of the Party Down crew.
Kyle Bradway (Ryan Hansen)
Actor, model and front man for the tragically earnest indie alt-band Karma
Rocket, Kyle is just killing time at Party Down before his inevitable big break
arrives. In his own mind, he's the “total package” -- handsome, talented,
sensitive, and “deep” -- a rare combination of soulful artist and insightful
intellectual. To everyone else, Kyle is a self-obsessed naïf whose success in the
“handsome business” seems all too disturbingly likely.
Roman DeBeers (Martin Starr)
A self-proclaimed Sci-Fi visionary and all-purpose intellectual and critic, Roman
remains ever-frustrated that his obvious talent continues to go unrecognized
while lesser beings like Kyle are groomed for stardom. His weapon against the
fundamental un-fairness of the universe is his relentless judgment of others – his
colleagues, the party guests, whoever crosses his field of vision. The only one
spared is Casey, with whom he is secretly (and forever unrequitedly) in love.
…and Casey Klein (Lizzy Caplan)
Pretty, smart, funny, and insecure, Casey calls herself “a comedienne that
happens to make ends meet as a cater-waiter.” Careening towards 30, she has
been grinding away for years and perennially seems on the verge of that elusive
big break. When her husband asks her to abandon her career in Los Angeles
and take up a normal life with him in Vermont, Casey must choose: give up her
dreams, or make the safe play while there’s still a chance…
EPISODE DESCRIPTIONS
EPISODE #100
Willow Canyon Homeowners Association Annual Party
Failed actor Henry Pollard reluctantly returns to the same Party Down catering
company he left eight years earlier when Hollywood success seemed imminent.
Except now… Ron Donald -- his former hard-partying coworker -- is Henry’s
boss. “New Ron” -- a sober corporate achiever -- commands Henry and the
catering team with relish in the pursuit of “total party satisfaction” for their clients.
The Party Down team -- Ron, Henry, and fellow cater-waiters Casey, Constance,
Kyle, and Roman -- find themselves working a neighborhood gathering at the
comfortable middle class home of Gordon McSpadden, his uptight wife Liddy,
and their sexually aggressive daughter Monica. Gordon’s dismay over the
traditional life path he chose contrasts sharply with our crew’s pursuit, however
failed, of their entertainment dreams… with unexpected results.
EPISODE #101
California College Conservative Union Caucus
Working the California College Conservative Union Caucus, the Party Down
team joins the young Conservatives in anxiously awaiting the arrival of keynote
speaker Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. While Henry reflects on his own
career failures amid the crowd of idealistic clean-cut “achievers,” Ron gets
caught up in a fierce political debate over a gift of Cuban cigars for the Governor.
As he tries to hunt down new cigars, Ron manages to offend Constance’s
Hollywood Liberal sensibilities, and then lose an irreplaceable American flag.
Meanwhile, Casey tries to visualize a “normal” life in Vermont, but comes to
suspect Vermont itself isn’t the problem.
EPISODE #102
Pepper McMasters Singles Seminar
At a sex and romance seminar for seniors led by the endlessly energetic Pepper
McMasters, Constance is confronted by a lothario from her debauched past.
Casey, inspired by Pepper’s message of “Living Life to the Fullest,” decides to
divorce her husband, and then throws herself at Henry. Kyle, meanwhile,
struggles to get revenge on Roman for tricking him into shaving his eyebrow –
with rousing results.
EPISODE #103
Investors’ Dinner, Malibu Canyon
The team is hired by deal-making big-wig Tony Carolla, who is entertaining a
haughty group of potential investors. Henry and Casey – struggling with the
“morning after” of their recent hook-up – attempt to negotiate their new
relationship status, as the crew struggles to please the uptight guests. When
Henry and Casey discover that Tony is a con man, they’re all too happy to let the
jerks get fleeced -- until they realize Ron is about to invest his SoupR’ Crackers
seed money in Tony’s scheme.
EPISODE #104
Sin-Say-Shun Awards Afterparty, Club Milk, North Hollywood
The team is thrilled and titillated to work a porn industry awards after-party, but it
quickly becomes apparent that things aren’t so sexy behind the scenes. Ron
gets “discovered” in the men’s room by porn mogul Guy Stennislaus and
reluctantly flirts with a new scheme for financing his Soup’R Crackers franchise -as a pornographic actor. Kyle tries to teach Roman how to meet women, while
Henry and Casey’s attempt to sex-up their affair doesn’t quite work out.
EPISODE #105
Taylor Stiltskin Sweet Sixteen Party, Beverly Hills
The crew dons P. Diddy-inspired Bling-Wear for the sweet sixteen party of Taylor
Stiltskin, daughter of angry Hollywood titan Leonard Stiltskin. The party is a
disaster – no one but a handful of nerds show up. Casey and Constance try to
convince Taylor that she should forget about popularity and have fun anyway,
while Ron babysits the rappers stuck waiting to perform – and discovers they
have more in common than he ever thought. Henry is shocked to run into an old
acting school pal, now a big star, who tries to use his newfound celebrity to get
Henry back in the acting game.
EPISODE #106
Brandix Corporate Retreat
The team works the Brandix Corporation Teambuilding Retreat, where a sports
superstar is delivering the keynote address. In helping the star with a joke in his
speech, Casey starts to hit it off with the guy, leading to a tangle of jealous
feelings from Roman and Henry. Ron, meanwhile, convinces his team to play a
few “trust” building exercises themselves, but the attempt ends in disaster as
Casey realizes Henry is jealous, and Roman realizes Henry and Casey have
been having a secret affair. The event ends with team trust at an all-time low,
and Henry considering taking a “real” job dangled by a Brandix executive.
EPISODE #107
Celebration for Ricky Sargulesh, Glendale Banquet Lodge
In an attempt to get back at Casey for flirting with another guy, Henry flirts with a
woman at a family and friends party for “Ricky.” Things get uncomfortable when
the crew realizes Ricky is a mobster, who has just been acquitted of murder, and
the woman is Ricky’s girlfriend. Henry must beg for help from Casey, even as
the mobsters realize Henry, Constance and Kyle have all been on TV -- they’re
incredibly impressed to be hanging out with people from show business. Ricky
even hands his script over to Roman, who becomes torn about what he should
do when he realizes the script is about the future murder of a party guest.
EPISODE #108
James Rolf High School Class of 1989 Twentieth Reunion, Van Nuys
Ron forces the Party Down team to work his 20-year high school reunion in
hopes of proving that he is not the irresponsible party animal he was back in the
day. The team agrees to help Ron live his reunion dream, but Ron quickly starts
abusing their charity, ordering them around mercilessly. He strikes up a budding
relationship with reunion coordinator Melinda, who nurses her own dreams of
high school reunion transformation, only to have it threatened by the arrival of
Ron’s slovenly party buddy Donnie. Ron tries to keep Donnie at bay and
romance Melinda, but when someone more successful arrives at the party, she
ditches Ron, sending him into a downward spiral that parallels his life back in
high school and derails his sobriety.
EPISODE #109
Stannheiser-Pong Wedding, Bel Air
The crew is excited to be working the extremely exclusive wedding of Hollywood
super-mogul Barry Stannheiser and his 22-year old fiancé Marty Pong – the
reception is sure to be packed with celebrities and bigwigs. But they’ve all
disappointed to learn the Party Down team is working as a backup crew to the
uber-efficient and wildly good-looking Valhalla Catering Team, led by Ron’s archrival, team leader Veronica Moon. With everything on the line, Ron collapses
back into his former partying ways, leaving Henry to single-handedly keep the
team afloat, determine his own future with Casey, and try to save Ron’s job.
THE BIOS
CAST
Ken Marino -- “Ron Donald”
Ken plays Ron Donald in the new Starz original comedy series “Party Down.”
Ken Marino has been a constant presence in film and television since his
acclaimed comedy group, The State, first appeared on MTV. In recent years,
he’s added to his numerous acting credits by expanding into writing and
producing features and TV pilots. Ken most recently co-wrote with David Wain
and played a key role in the hit comedy, Role Models.
Ken wrote, produced and starred opposite Paul Rudd in last year’s indie release,
Diggers. He also co-wrote, starred in, produced and wrote soundtrack lyrics for
the indie comedy The Ten, which opened last year after a successful Sundance
premiere.
Ken also starred in Wet Hot American Summer and Love For Rent. In addition,
he was featured in Reno 911!: Miami, Joe Somebody and Tortilla Soup.
In television, Ken has recurred on “Reaper,” “Veronica Mars,” “Charmed,”
“Dawson’s Creek” and “Reno: 911,” and guest starred on “Grey’s Anatomy,” “The
Sarah Silverman Program,” “CSI: Miami,” “NYPD Blue,” “Monk” and the new
series, “In the Motherhood.” He was a series regular on “Men Behaving Badly,”
“Leap of Faith” and “First Years.”
Ken’s writing a Comedy Central pilot with Wain based on the Wainy Days
webisode series. He’s also co-writing and will be starring in a Comedy Central
special featuring The State.
Adam Scott -- “Henry Pollard”
Adam plays Henry Pollard in the new Starz original comedy series “Party Down.”
A dynamic young actor, Adam Scott has crafted a distinguished career in theatre
and television and is quickly becoming one of the finest newcomers to hit the
screen.
Adam’s upcoming film The Vicious Kind, a dramedy about a man who becomes
obsessed with the girlfriend his brother brings home for Thanksgiving, will
premiere at Sundance this year. He was most recently seen in the comedy Step
Brothers, opposite Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly.
Adam starred in August, alongside Josh Hartnett, which premiered at Sundance
last year. In addition, he recently completed production on three independent
features; Lovely, Still with Ellen Burstyn and Martin Landau, the comedy The
Rogues Gallery, and he teamed up again with director Matthew Bissonnette,
producing and starring in the independent film Passenger Side.
Adam was also recently seen in the critically acclaimed HBO series “Tell Me You
Love Me.” His other television credits include a notable stint on HBO's acclaimed
"Six Feet Under," “East Bound & Down” "Law & Order," "Veronica Mars," Ken
Cameron's "Payback," an ABC movie-of-the-week with Mary Tyler Moore and Ed
Asner, “Wasteland," "Party of Five," “Murder One," “NYPD Blue," and "E.R."
Other feature films credits include Knocked Up, The Great Buck Howard, First
Snow, the dark comedy Corporate Affairs, the romantic comedy Who Loves The
Sun and Art School Confidential. He also appeared in The Return, The Matador,
Monster-In-Law, The Aviator, Torque, Carl Franklin's High Crimes, the
independent black comedy Two Days, Christopher Haifley's independent film
Ronnie and Star Trek: First Contact.
Scott’s stage credits include roles in “Uncle Bob,” a two man show with Austin
Pendleton in Los Angeles, New York and Edinburgh; Richard Greenberg's
“Everett Beekin” for South Coast Repertory; “Romeo and Juliet” at the California
Shakespeare Festival in Berkeley; “Dealer's Choice” and “Buffalo Hunters” for
The Mark Taper Forum; “Beirut” for Gardner Stage; “Water and Wine” for the Met
Theatre; and “Bloody Poetry” for the Globe Theatre.
Jane Lynch -- “Constance Carmell”
Jane Lynch plays Constance in the new Starz original comedy series “Party
Down.”
Jane cut her theatrical teeth at The Second City, Steppenwolf Theatre and in
many church basements all over the greater Chicagoland area.
Film credits include the upcoming Julie & Julia, The Post Grad Survival Guide,
Spring Breakdown and Brownie Masters. Past film work includes Christopher
Guest's For Your Consideration, A Mighty Wind and Best in Show, as well as
Role Models, The Rocker, the animated film Space Chimps, Alvin and the
Chipmunks, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of
Ricky Bobby, The 40 Year old Virgin, Margaret Cho's Celeste and Bam Bam,
Alan Cumming's Suffering Man's Charity, Lemony Snicket’s A Series of
Unfortunate
Events,
Sleepover
and
Surviving
Eden.
Recent television credits include “Lovespring,” a Lifetime original series,
“Desperate Housewives” and “Weeds.” Jane will appear in the upcoming season
of “The L Word” opposite Cybill Shepherd. She has recurring roles on “Boston
Legal,” “Two and a Half Men,” “Criminal Minds” and “The New Adventures of Old
Christine.”
Jane's play “Oh Sister, My Sister!” has had runs at the Tamarind Theatre and
Bang Theater garnering the LA Weekly Comedy Ensemble of the Year Award.
Ryan Hansen -- “Kyle Bradway”
Ryan Hansen plays Kyle in the new Starz original comedy series “Party Down.”
Ryan is best known to audiences as Dick Casablancas on the hit show
”Veronica Mars.” Since the series ended, he has filmed leading roles in four films:
Superhero Movie, Housebroken opposite Danny DeVito, 818 and the soon to be
released Friday the 13th.
Mr. Hansen will be seen in the new online series
created by Josh Schwartz: “Rockville” beginning in March. Ryan and his wife
Amy Hansen reside in San Diego and are especially proud of their work with the
charity Invisible Children, which helps children in war-torn Northern Uganda.
Martin Starr -- “Roman DeBeers”
Martin Starr plays Roman in the new Starz original comedy “Party Down.”
Upcoming credits include his lead role in the feature film Adventureland opposite
Kristen Stewart for director Greg Motolla (Superbad), the feature film Good Old
Fashion Orgy, and his series regular role on the Paul Rudd produced series
“Party Down.” Other credits include Knocked Up, Superbad, Walk Hard: The
Dewey Cox Story, The Incredible Hulk, Kicking and Screaming and his
memorable role as a regular on “Freaks and Geeks.”
Lizzy Caplan -- “Casey Klein
Lizzy Caplan plays Casey in the new Starz original comedy series “Party Down.”
In just a short time, Lizzy Caplan has built a burgeoning career with a diverse
body of work. From her breakout role as Janis Ian in the hit Paramount feature
film, Mean Girls to her standout performance in the hugely successful J.J.
Abrams project, Cloverfield, her work has certainly reflected her versatility as an
actress; easily transitioning from television comedy to film drama.
Caplan received praise when she returned to television with a strong recurring
role in Alan Ball’s HBO series “True Blood” as Amy, the vegan with a habit for
vampire blood. Last fall she starred in the Lionsgate feature film My Best
Friend’s Girl opposite Kate Hudson, Alec Baldwin and Dane Cook. In addition,
Caplan recently wrapped the lead role in the independent feature, The Last Rites
Of Ransom Pride, with Scott Speedman, Jon Foster, Peter Dinklage, and Dwight
Yoakam. Caplan will next be seen in Crossing Over opposite Harrison Ford,
Sean Penn and Ray Liotta. Other recent film credits include the independent film
Love Is The Drug, which premiered at the 2006 Slamdance Film Festival. She
also starred in the indie film, Crashing opposite Campbell Scott, which was
directed by Gary Walkow.
Caplan has also successfully forayed in television; working with Mike Scully,
Mike White, Seth MacFarlane, and Judd Apatow, to name a few, Caplan starred
in the CBS comedy series, “The Class,” by David Crane and Jeffery Klarik. For
that role, Caplan received critical acclaim being named as one of the “10 Actors
to Watch,” by Daily Variety, “So Five Minutes From Now” by Entertainment
Weekly and the “Fresh Face of Fall” by TV’s The Insider. Prior to “The Class,”
Caplan starred in Marta Kaufman’s WB series, “Related,” Fox’s, “Tru Calling” and
“Undeclared,” and NBC’s “Freaks and Geeks.” She also recurs on the Fox
animated series “American Dad.”
PRODUCTION TEAM
John Enbom
Executive Producer/Co-Creator
John Enbom is a writer and television producer in Los Angeles. He wrote for
three seasons on “Veronica Mars,” and recently served as writer and producer on
“Terminator: the Sarah Connor Chronicles” on Fox.
Rob Thomas
Executive Producer/Co-Creator
Rob Thomas is the creator/executive producer of “Cupid” (2008 and 1998.) He is
also the creator/executive producer of “Veronica Mars.” He developed the current
version of “90210.” He has written for “Dawson’s Creek,” “Space Ghost Coast to
Coast,” “The Education of Max Bickford.” He wrote the 1999 feature film Drive
Me Crazy. Thomas has also penned four novels for Simon & Schuster including
the 1996 American Librarian Association "Best Book for Young Adults," “Rats
Saw God.” His collection of short stories, “Doing Time,” was also named an ALA
"Best Book for Young Adults."
Dan Etheridge
Executive Producer/Co-Creator
Dan Etheridge is a television and film producer in Los Angeles. Currently he
serves as Executive Producer of the hour-long romantic comedy “Cupid” for
ABC. In addition to that pilot, Etheridge was also Executive Producer on the pilot
for ABC’s “Good Behavior.” Previously, Etheridge served as Supervising
Producer for all three seasons of “Veronica Mars” for the CW, as well as directed
an episode.
Etheridge has also produced an array of studio and indie movies. Most recently
he produced The Nines alongside Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen for writer-director
John August (Go, Big Fish), starring Ryan Reynolds. He also co-produced Come
Early Morning from writer-director Joey Lauren Adams, starring Ashley Judd.
Both films premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.
Originally from Virginia, Etheridge graduated from USC’s Peter Stark Program for
Film/TV Producing in 1992 and received a BA from Yale in 1990.
Paul Rudd
Executive Producer/Co-Creator
Paul Rudd is an actor who was last seen in the hit comedy Role Models, which
he also co-wrote. Several other films include, Knocked Up, The 40 Year Old
Virgin, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Forgetting Sarah Marshall,
Clueless, Romeo and Juliet, The Cider House Rules, as well as the up coming
production I Love You, Man opposite Jason Segel.
On Broadway, Rudd recently starred in Richard Greenburg’s Three Days of Rain
opposite Julia Roberts. Other Broadway credits include the Tony award winning
The Last Night of Ballyhoo, and Nicholas Hytner’s “Twelfth Night” at Lincoln
Center. He made his West End debut in the London production of "Long Days
Journey Into Night" opposite Jessica Lange. He immediately followed that with
another London production, Neil Labute’s The Shape of Things. After a
successful run in both London and New York, he also starred in the film.
On television, Rudd guest starred on NBC's "Friends" as Phoebe's (Lisa Kudrow)
husband Mike Hannigan for the final two seasons.
Credits
“Party Down” is created and executive produced by John Enbom, Rob Thomas,
Dan Etheridge and Paul Rudd. John Enbom also serves as show runner. Coexecutive producers are Jennifer Gwartz and Danielle Stokdyk. Jennifer Dugan
will produce the series.
Contacts:
Steve Belgard
Starz Entertainment, LLC
720.852.5843
[email protected]
Chelsye J. Burrows
Starz Entertainment, LLC
720.852.5843
[email protected]
Eric Green
B/W/R
310.248.6150
[email protected]
Chloe Ellers
B/W/R
310.248.6162
[email protected]
For press information, including bios photos, EPK, continual episodes
updates and more, please visit the Starz Press Room at
starz.mediaroom.com.