Search Party: Final Season 5 HBOMax

I haven't even heard of it. Sounds interesting.

Jeez, another show I've never heard of, in its umpteenth season. So many shows!

This final season snuck up on me but I can’t wait to watch it.

I have heard of none of these shows.

Yas Kween - season eight, becomes a drama!

She doesn't look like Kate Hudson any more.

Is DL fave Jeff Self still in it?

This snuck up on me too but I'm so excited. Such a great show, impossible to pin down.

Snuck is not a word.

I never went past season 2.

I liked it a lot up until that point, but I couldn't imagine going any further with those people.

The main character was [italic]really[/italic] annoying.

And I don't mean that in a Ricky Gervais, Larry Sanders, Larry David, Frasier Crane, Selina Meyer sort of way because those "unlikeable" characters were in situations that wre wicked funny.

In contrast, Dory was irritating as shit, and there was nothing beyond that.

And John Reynolds may have been cute as the boyfriend, but he was a worm of a guy.

But to go to Season 5?

Oy!

I hadn't heard of it before this year, either. I binged it during lockdown when it popped up on HBO Max. The first two seasons were hilarious and I can't say enough about the black girl who played Dory's (Alia Shawkat) lawyer. I laughed so hard during the trial scenes. Early is fantastic, but I ended up really enjoying Meredith Hagner as Portia, the actress. She had a sweet vulnerability to her that the show really needed. Definitely recommend it!

The first season was cute. The second season was dumb. The third season was terrible.

R11 The Black woman who played the lawyer also showed up on the latest season of “You” as the neighborhood Queen Bee influencer and she was just as good there, her performance was not a fluke, she has a phenomenal deadpan ability.

Good lord, how did we get from the first season and its plot to this last season where she's a cult leader/guru or some sort?

I tried watching the first season, but it seemed so boring that I gave up. Is it worth a mid-winter binge with a bag of chips and a pitcher of hot buttered rum?

Let’s just say the ending genre is definitely a far left twist.

[quote]Is DL fave Jeff Self still in it?

Yes, and his husband Augustus Prew makes a brief appearance in the last episode.

This season took an insane turn and I half expected that it was all a dream. But no.

It wasn't my favorite season (it's a tie between S3 and S4) but I can say this season wasn't boring.

I’m the only one i know who watches it but I LOVE IT! Thanks, OP for the thread. I didn’t even know it was coming up! Now I can start bingeing immediately. I have to say that I just adore the character of Portia (most of the time) & Meredith Hangar is just so quirky & cute in the role. The show has a phenomenal cast!!! Christines Taylor & Ebersole, J. Smith-Cameron, Judy Reyes (SO GOOD), Jay Duplass, Rosie Perez, Chloe Fineman….plus the main cast. It’s one of my favorite shows from the 21st C.

I want to marry John Reynolds (Drew).

I agree with r17 - it wasn’t my favorite season either, but it was entertaining and I laughed out loud many times. I loved the subplot with Lou Diamond Phillips!

I just finished the first season. I kinda wanted to punch every character. Repeatedly. I laughed A LOT tho.

Finished the final season this morning. Would have never thought THAT was the way this would end.

And Kathy Griffin!

Dr. Carpet. LMAO.

I think Mark is hot. Eliott not so much.

John Early was cute when he was younger (and thinner).

Jennifer Gardner is not a person

The adopted son was effectively creepy! I wish they had done more with that storyline.

R24 I thought John looked considerably thinner this season.

John Early has a FUCKING hilarious sketch in that Netflix show "The Characters." But I fell in love with him from his appearances on "At home with Amy Sedaris."

I mean...he would hit a home run and then leave, but I wanted MOAR. Escola is hilarious too.

I really enjoyed this last season. It was a lot of fun. I think I’m going to miss these characters a bit. I loved Portia and Elliot.

What a wild last season. Wow. This show is a low key classic.

I was late to the game and only started watching it about a month ago. It took a while for the main character to grow on me but now I love it. Sad to see it end.

So good, so funny.

Very talented cast sending up the people we despise.

No love for Chantal?????

Yes, of course, I want to take her upside the head with a 2x4 repeatedly, but the actress playing her is exquisite.

Viva Showalter!

Is it worth it going on?

I am on Season 3 and it makes no sense.

The trial was in the US, for a murder that took place in Canada.

Drew seems to have forgotten that he himself was the killer, not Dorry.

Is the plot going to get even more nonsensical as it goes along?

Jumped and fucked the shark with the zombie bullshit. Awful show.

Love this show, dropped plots and all. Nothing about April and the phone with the senator's pics on it. I wanted more of Christine Ebersold. Portia is married to Kurt and Goldie's son which is funny because she reminds me so much of Goldie Hawn at times

What happened with casting in Season 5? All the supporting actors completely suck.

R37 Really just those followers, and apparently Jimmy Fowlie knew something bad was up with that because he got out quick, and I don’t think that was an originally scripted exit on his behalf.

I was intrigued with the show in the beginning, and it had it's moments along the way, but, dear god, what a shit show of a season.

I just went with it and found it an enjoyable mess.

I immediately devoured the first 4 seasons and have treated the last one like some vintage wine I'm afraid to drink.

I honestly believe Search Party is one of those shows whose quality depends in the generation in which you were born. Take for instance MASH. It's widely considered one of the best shows ever made, and the finale remains one of the most-watched TV programs of all time. My parents (Baby Boomers) loved it, but I absolutely hated it. None of the jokes registered with me and I found the few episodes I did watch unbelievably boring.

However, as a Millennial, I love Search Party. It completely savages our generation in a clever way. Feeling pressure to create meanining out of our mundane lives. Refusing to take responsibility for our behavior, while being shocked when we're held accountable. Gravitating toward situations where we can find validation, regardless of how harmful they might be. Ignoring what we have , because something better might be around the corner.

Despite the massive plot holes and the main characters' reprehensible behavior, I've always viewed the show as a satire...so I'm surprised when people point out how little it makes sense. Still, I recognize how nearly unwatchable the show can be for those who find the characters and situations way too absurd.

Search Party was great for the first three seasons, because it was grounded in reality (even if it fudged things like trying the murder in an American court).

Once a script starts depending on a character's incredible wealth or infinate resource for the plot to happen--you are in trouble. Season 4 barely hung on but Shawkat's performance held it together.

Season 5 had a stupid story. It flattened the characters so even Dory became uninteresting. Now everyone had infinite resources so no one had the obstacles that make for a real story. After treading water, we have a zombie-fest finale,. Why? Maybe there was a reason for someone to create a race of zombies, but I was so tuned out during the last season that I missed it.

I want John Reynolds deep inside me.