Underlying the caustic observations about Tinseltown superficiality is a genuine understanding of the combination of hope and bitterness that comes with unrewarded talent.
The combination of talented, clever writers mixed with a group of humorous and fairly underrated actors has given me another excuse to call up my cable provider and subscribe to Starz.
Even with its more foolish characters, the show makes a case-comical but still resonant-that underneath the ill-fitting button-down caterer's shirts and pink elastic-band bow ties are real people.
Party Down's appeal lies in its acute understanding of actors as insecure extroverts, writers as bashful narcissists, and unfulfilled artists of all types as quick-draw cynics.