Search Party (2016)

:

Season 1
Season #: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 89 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 75 out of 89
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 89
  3. Negative: 11 out of 89

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User Reviews

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  1. erolsabadosh
    Nov 23, 2016
    10
    Kinda like a cross between Broad City & Louie, super weird and dark at times but really funny and irreverent. Left me laughing and cringing in equal measure. One of my new favourites!
  2. vishalgoradia27
    Nov 23, 2016
    8
    Just finished the first episode, and i will say this - I am impressed with what they showcased. Pretty much every single character on the show is a piece of sh!t (at lest so far). And if you are someone who only likes relatable or good willed characters, don't waste your time with even the pilot. Your will hate it. But, for the rest.... give it a shot.
  3. radulle
    Nov 21, 2017
    10
    First episode wasn't very good, but later on, series really picks up the pace and becomes very interesting. I had that urge for just one episode which doesn't happen to me often. Story seems pretty straight forward but there are some unusual twists which make it memorable. I love how all the characters are so weird and are given enough time to get to know them and eventually love. They areFirst episode wasn't very good, but later on, series really picks up the pace and becomes very interesting. I had that urge for just one episode which doesn't happen to me often. Story seems pretty straight forward but there are some unusual twists which make it memorable. I love how all the characters are so weird and are given enough time to get to know them and eventually love. They are all so flawed. Main character brings most of her charm from Arrested Development which I loved, love those freckles. Last but not the least, the ending, so fitting to Millennial generation!!! Totally unexpected.… Expand
  4. Bleat0124
    Dec 4, 2016
    9
    This will go down as an underrated character study if you get lost in the mystery. There was a few miss opportunities--for exampe, the abusive relationship going on upstairs from Dory and her boyfriend. They could have explore that dynamic with more seriousness--it was introduced brilliantly in the scene where they debated doing something but the rest of the series, it become clear thatThis will go down as an underrated character study if you get lost in the mystery. There was a few miss opportunities--for exampe, the abusive relationship going on upstairs from Dory and her boyfriend. They could have explore that dynamic with more seriousness--it was introduced brilliantly in the scene where they debated doing something but the rest of the series, it become clear that that was no an important issue to address for them. So why bring it up? There also were conversations that did not feel natural which threw the mood off balance.

    The best part of the show however is the lead actress, along with the whole cast was great. There was a natural feel overall to the story, very good pace, a plot worth following and unforced comedy. I watch the whole thing in a night.    … Expand
  5. ablaise82
    Dec 22, 2016
    10
    This first season tells a perfectly rounded tale with a surprising twist, exaggerated and dark characters, and a very bleak yet insightful message about people.
  6. Chimpsonson70
    Jan 16, 2017
    8
    Really creative, challenging premise and genre to pull of, and done so very successfully. Really impressive. Very funny - intelligent, sad, ridiculous, absurd and poignant - clever.
  7. jjmouse9
    Dec 5, 2016
    9
    If you did not watch the entire season, you should NOT write a review!!
    Very well done show! Smart writing, smart timing, one of kind series!! if they don't come out with a second season, I'm going to be very irritated!
  8. jamess
    Dec 23, 2016
    9
    What seemed to start out as a satirical look at some social-media obsessed twentysomethings, Search Party takes those familiar characters and asks, "in an age where we're all "connected", we are still alone and disconnected." Alia Shawkat is a revelation as Dory, the young woman who becomes obsessed over a missing girl who she briefly met in college. The State's Michael Showalter is aWhat seemed to start out as a satirical look at some social-media obsessed twentysomethings, Search Party takes those familiar characters and asks, "in an age where we're all "connected", we are still alone and disconnected." Alia Shawkat is a revelation as Dory, the young woman who becomes obsessed over a missing girl who she briefly met in college. The State's Michael Showalter is a producer, sometime director/writer and supporting player. And that smart, edgy satire comes through. The language is definitely HBO, not TBS, so expect to be surprised. In fact, with Samantha Bee, Angie Tribeca, The Detour, and now this, TBS is producing some quality television.… Expand
  9. ANTIHERO612
    Dec 2, 2017
    10
    UNDERRATED. While I really tried to get out of watching this my gf insisted we try it out and now it's hands down my favorite show on Tv.
    Don't let the Urban Outfitters and Vaporwave soundtrack scare you away from this awesome spy/crime/comedy/drama. With every passing episode you'll get pulled further into a enjoyable web of what the **** Rooting for these characters to get away or find    UNDERRATED. While I really tried to get out of watching this my gf insisted we try it out and now it's hands down my favorite show on Tv.
    Don't let the Urban Outfitters and Vaporwave soundtrack scare you away from this awesome spy/crime/comedy/drama. With every passing episode you'll get pulled further into a enjoyable web of what the **** Rooting for these characters to get away or find the next clue. I literally found myself yelling at the screen with my girlfriend trying to rationalize someones next move, "WHY DORY".. I don't remember not liking the first episode but that's because we binged it.
    Checkout season 1 while it's still on demand and get caught up for the ride. 10/10    … Expand
  10. Moo-vies
    Nov 29, 2016
    7
    It is quite funny that people rating this show 0 do not recognize the satire and criticism of the show towards the very thing that repels them. Well, funny may not be the word.

    The show is not a comedy for me but a modern form of Sartre's Nauseam in a TV show. It puts under the spotlights the vanity and stupidity of human behavior with a focus on what people like to categorize as    It is quite funny that people rating this show 0 do not recognize the satire and criticism of the show towards the very thing that repels them. Well, funny may not be the word.

    The show is not a comedy for me but a modern form of Sartre's Nauseam in a TV show.
    It puts under the spotlights the vanity and stupidity of human behavior with a focus on what people like to categorize as millennial to corporate drones, sleazy husbands, and the inhumanity of desensitized people.

    I sadly don't think the producers accepted this full on satire and the show got stuck between this nature and some vain Hollywood format.

    Alia Shawkat is great and her casting is really the glue that holds the show together. The supporting cast of unbearable superficial caricatural friends she has is ... unbearable to me to the point of utter rejection, which is probably a testament to their acting.    … Expand
  11. Ruffington
    Nov 24, 2016
    10
    This is the only show I've bothered to review on metacritic because the 0 scores are making me mad. I can accept that this show won't be for everyone but it's probably one of my favorite shows of 2016. There's nothing else quite like it-- laugh out loud funny in parts but also about finding meaning in your own life. It's simultaneously thoughtful and absurd. All of the performances areThis is the only show I've bothered to review on metacritic because the 0 scores are making me mad. I can accept that this show won't be for everyone but it's probably one of my favorite shows of 2016. There's nothing else quite like it-- laugh out loud funny in parts but also about finding meaning in your own life. It's simultaneously thoughtful and absurd. All of the performances are amazing. And there's an actual mystery in the background! Really enjoy this show and hope it finds an audience.… Expand
  12. monicitam
    Nov 26, 2016
    0
    Completely contrived show that feels out of touch with what "real kids" are actually like. I live in Brooklyn and no one, besides Alia Shawkat, looks like they live here. The first episode is a mess and absolutely no one is likable. Who cares about these awful people and some girl they barely knew? Not sure who this show is for. Maybe you, but definitely not for me.
  13. GuerillaTaktics
    Nov 23, 2016
    0
    Hipster millennial trash, I swear this generation likes the weirdest stuff. Very boring and kind of a pain to sit through. This show will be a big hit in Portland, calling it.
  14. zedzded
    Feb 19, 2017
    2
    The first episode was really funny and skewered hipster culture really well. It's all a bit lo-fi and the characters felt real.

    After the second episode it really sags and the lack of charisma or charm or interest makes the main characters really uninteresting. The lo fi ness of it all starts to feel amateurish and it feels like a shoddy student production after a while. Honestly    The first episode was really funny and skewered hipster culture really well. It's all a bit lo-fi and the characters felt real.

    After the second episode it really sags and the lack of charisma or charm or interest makes the main characters really uninteresting. The lo fi ness of it all starts to feel amateurish and it feels like a shoddy student production after a while.

    Honestly you're better off not watching it to the end for the implausible and underwhelming denouement. Turgid and limp.    … Expand
  15. shoulderoforion
    Nov 23, 2016
    0
    Completely insufferable, and by that I mean I couldn't make it through the first half hour. Not sure what they were going for with this, but entertaining wasn't it.
  16. victorcharles
    Nov 24, 2016
    2
    This show was literally painful to watch- and trust me, I love dark comedies- I love all kinds of comedies- but this just wasn't funny to me. The pace is unbearably slow and the humor is often juvenile and/or contrived.
  17. truerock
    Jan 16, 2022
    9
    I've completed watching all 5 seasons of Search Party.
    Again, I find the casting to be among the best efforts I have experienced.
    Casting directors Gayle Keller, Seth White, Cody Beke did exceptional work. The acting, directing, writing, costumes, makeup, etc all came together to result in one of the most satisfying serious I have ever experienced. I always find it hard to give    I've completed watching all 5 seasons of Search Party.
    Again, I find the casting to be among the best efforts I have experienced.
    Casting directors Gayle Keller, Seth White, Cody Beke did exceptional work.
    The acting, directing, writing, costumes, makeup, etc all came together to result in one of the most satisfying serious I have ever experienced.
    I always find it hard to give comedies high ratings - but, I'm rating this series a 9 which I believe is probably the highest rating I have ever given a film of this genre.

    ************************************************************

    I am in the middle of season 3 and I have returned for the second time to raise my rating. I almost never rate any film - and definitely not comedies as high as a 9. The casting and directing of Search Party blows me away. This is one of the very few series I have rated as high as a 9. Acting and writing are solid 7s to 8s.

    ************************************************************

    Search Party is a sit-com involving a group of gen-z friends searching for a missing friend. I had never thought I would watch this series - but, it consistently gets favorable reviews - so, I watched season 1.

    The casting is very good and makes me wonder why so many films have such bad casting.
    Gayle Keller was the casting director and, in my opinion, she is one of the prime reasons Search Party is of such high quality. Seth White, Cody Beke continued the excellent casting in seasons 2 through 5.

    Regardless, the good acting and good writing mesh well and make for some entertaining distraction.

    *************************************************

    I'm halfway through season 3 and I came back to Metacritic to raise my rating from 7 to 8 - primarily on the strength of the directing.
    But, the casting continues to empress me. In a scene near the end of season 3, episode 3 there is a meeting of 21 women. I re-watched the scene a couple of times because there was exactly 1 actor who was bad. She didn't have a speaking part - but, she stood out so much because she was surrounded by well cast actors. The bad actor was just sitting there doing absolutely nothing and almost ruined the scene.
    I think casting directors think they can slip bad actors into a film and it won't make too much of a difference - but, it does.    … Expand
  18. JornaLe
    May 23, 2018
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Temporada incrível, do ínicio ao fim, logo no inicio eu ri com a mulher negra, uma pena que essa serie é pouco conhecida, essa temporada divertiu do primeiro minuto ate o ultimo. Não acredito que encontrei pessoas que odeiam essa série.… Expand
  19. geewah
    Sep 15, 2022
    9
    A weird, witty and extremely clever dark comedy that is one of best comedies of 2016.

Awards & Rankings

37
#37 Best TV Season of 2016
64
#64 Most Discussed TV Season of 2016

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
81

Universal acclaim - based on 19 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 19
  3. Negative: 0 out of 19
  1. The New Yorker
    Reviewed by: Emily Nussbaum
    Dec 12, 2016
    80
    There are twists and turns, but things never get confusing. Each episode ends with a small revelation that keeps Dory moving. Even minor characters get full arcs and smart backstories.
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  2. Vox.com
    Reviewed by: Caroline Framke
    Nov 22, 2016
    70
    While much of the show’s first season feel needlessly twisty and jerky, the way the mystery eventually comes together while allowing for sharp observations about the show’s characters speaks to Search Party being much more incisive--and worthy of a 10-hour marathon commitment--than it might appear at first glance.
    Read full review
  3. The Salt Lake Tribune
    Reviewed by: Scott D. Pierce
    Nov 21, 2016
    70
    It's weird. It starts quite slowly. But it turns into something rather interesting and quite funny.
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