PALEY CENTER FOR MEDIA, THE: PALEYFEST NY 2019: SEARCH PARTY {LONG VERSION}
Summary
One in a series of evenings and special screenings presented as part of The Paley Center for Media's PaleyFest New York 2019. This evening celebrates "Search Party," the dark comedy series about a group of narcissistic New York City pals who find themselves embroiled in a series of increasingly dangerous mysteries.
Host David Bushman (curator, The Paley Center for Media) offers opening remarks and, after a pre-recorded greeting from series lead Alia Shawkat, who plays Dory Sief, introduces the second season finale, "Psychosis," which is then screened in its entirety. (For synopsis and credits, see ACCNUM 138302.)
After the screening, Marie Moore (Senior Vice-President of Communications, TNT and TBS, WarnerMedia) offers brief remarks about the show's renewal for two additional seasons, which will move from TBS to the new streaming service HBO Max starting in 2020. Yohana Desta (Hollywood writer, Vanity Fair) then moderates the following panelists: cast members John Early (Elliott Goss), John Reynolds (Drew Gardner), and Brandon Micheal Hall (Julian Marcus), who joins the panel later in the evening.
The panelists touch on such topics as: their relief at finding a home for the show's already-shot third season and upcoming fourth season; the fate of April (Phoebe Tyers), pushed off the Staten Island Ferry by Dory in the season finale; feelings upon revisiting the 2017 episode; the challenge of remembering the show's life-and-death stakes while still maintaining a sense of humor; scrapped ideas and episodes in the first two seasons; how the characters are dealing with the fallout from Keith Powell's (Ron Livingston) murder at the end of season one, including Elliott's "mania" and Drew's increasing sense of guilt; their praise for the show's impressive array of guest stars, including actress Christine Taylor from "The Brady Bunch" films, who plays Dory's boss Gail; their interest in true-crime programs like "The Staircase" and "The Jinx"; Reynolds' gradual acknowledgement of his dislike of horror films; Hall's early interest in the pilot's unusual script; Early's initial concern about the show's depiction of oft-stereotyped millennials; whether the characters are "likable" and how the show genuinely examines their narcissism; writers/creators Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers' willingness to trust the actors' choices within the parameters of the story; the struggle to avoid their comedic instincts during the scenes involving Keith's murder; how the writers play to the actors' strengths without being "precious" about their established script ideas; Elliott's "profoundly unflattering" attire; interactions with the show's "fervent" and spoiler-hungry fans; Reynolds' small role as Officer Callahan on Netflix's smash hit "Stranger Things" and his unusual Twitter interactions with teenage superfans; amusing Internet speculation about Early's and Reynolds' sexuality and personal lives; how other new shows are now attempting to emulate the show's unusual dark comedy/mystery vibe and dry-witted characters; and the challenges of shooting on New York City streets around "uncompromising" locals.
Questions from the audience then lead to a discussion of the following topics, among others: the actors' careers prior to landing the series, including Hall's time at the Juilliard School and Early's small role in "Fort Tilden" (2014), also directed by Bliss and Rogers; Hall's lead roles on the short-lived "The Mayor" and still-running "God Friended Me"; memories of a funny scene in which Julian attempts to flirt with Elliott for information; Reynolds' role on the Hulu miniseries "Four Weddings and a Funeral"; inspiration from Edina (Jennifer Saunders) from "Absolutely Fabulous" for Elliott's "hastily layered" and sometimes boy band-esque wardrobe; figuring out the show's tone in season one, including the comedic actors' surprise at their ability to play drama; how the show purposefully satirizes the worst elements of self-centered, aimless millennials; the "cathartic" aspects of watching the exaggerated characters' suffering; the show's "bingeable" qualities; and how the move to HBO Max, on which entire seasons will be released at once, rather than week-by-week on TBS, will affect the show's impact.
Details
- NETWORK: N/A
- DATE: November 30, 1999 6:30 PM
- RUNNING TIME: N/A
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 138287
- GENRE: Seminars
- SUBJECT HEADING: N/A
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- David Bushman … Host
- Yohana Desta … Moderator
- John Early … Panelist
- John Reynolds … Panelist
- Brandon Micheal Hall … Panelist
- Marie Moore … Guest
- Sarah-Violet Bliss
- Millie Bobby Brown
- Ron Livingston
- Charles Rogers
- Jennifer Saunders
- Alia Shawkat
- Christine Taylor
- Phoebe Tyers