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UPDATED: Starz Ends the Party: Pay Cabler Axes Party Down

Looks like it's the end of the road for Party Down.

Despite critical acclaim and cult-like status among viewers, pay cabler Starz has cancelled Party Down after just two seasons.

Deadline's Nellie Andreeva broke the news of the series cancellation this morning, reporting that Starz had opted not to review Party Down and fellow Friday night lead-out Gravity, the latter of which aired for a single season.

"While the off-beat comedy has become an instant cult classic, I hear at the end of the day its appeal was deemed not wide enough to keep the show beyond its recently concluded Season 2," writes Andreeva, who goes on to say that Starz may make an official announcement later today about the fates of both series.

Sadly, it seems as though Party Down is in fact a goner, a decision that I believe to be myopic, foolhardy, and heartbreaking in equal measure, particularly as the series was starting to catch on with viewers thanks to Netflix's Instant Viewing function and DVD releases. But the series was, after all, developed by newly installed Starz czar Chris Albrecht's predecessor and the development exec, Bill Hamm, responsible for shepherding both series (along with breakout hit Spartacus) was let go earlier this year. (All of which I write about and presage in my Daily Beast feature from April here.)

UPDATE #1: It's now been confirmed by Starz: "After careful consideration, we’ve decided not to continue on with subsequent seasons of Party Down and Gravity,” said Stephan Shelanski, Starz's EVP of programming, in a statement. “We’re grateful to everyone involved in the shows, and are proud to have had them on the channel. Starz remains committed to aggressively expanding our original programming lineup."

UPDATE #2: I reached writer/executive producer John Enbom via email this morning to express my disappointment about the cancellation of Party Down and just received a very heartfelt reply from John as he leaves for vacation.

"What can we say? We are saddened the show won't be coming back and we won't get to spend another season with this wonderful cast and crew," wrote Enbom to me via email. "It's like being told your summer camp has been closed. But at the end of the day, we're still proud of our two seasons and grateful we had the chance to make them."

All I can say is: John, we're right there with you. For those of us who knew and loved the series, Party Down is going to be missed intensely.

What do you think of the news? Is Starz making a terrible mistake, even with several of the cast members now unavailable to film more than a handful of episodes? Should Party Down have gone on for a third season? Head to the comments section to discuss.

Comments

Eric said…
Starz should have saved PARTY DOWN. But GRAVITY should never been on in the first place.
Joe said…
Bad mistake, Starz. Party Down and Spartacus are the best things (only things) you have going right now!
Ramona said…
So sad! I loved Party Down!
Anonymous said…
Starz should have saved Better Off Ted and made BOT and PD a classic hour of comedy each week! I think they are going to regret axing Party Down, which put them on the map in the first place!
John said…
It's a shame but not unexpected. I thought it was a great series, very funny, well-written and with a fantastic cast. This is the greatest injustice since, well, the same thing happened to "Better Off Ted"!
RJ Bubel said…
I'm agree with above statement that if Starz had saved Better off Ted and Party Down they would of had an hour of great comedy.

I will completely miss this show and would of like to see if go one more year even if we lose a few more characters.cru
Anonymous said…
Marino, Starr, and whoever else networks didn't poach could have carried the show for at least another season - it would have been tough to see only limited Adam Scott eps, but they could have tied up his character - he makes it BIG again, of course. RIP, PD. *pours out 40 ounce* Hey N-bomb, how about a movie?
ted23 said…
No need to keep my Starz subscription now.
Smitty said…
If they had given Party Down a 3rd season, I might have subscribed to Starz. I think cancelling the show is definitely a mistake, assuming the goal of creating high quality television. Business-wise? I couldn't say whether it's a mistake.
I do know Party Down is one of my favorite shows and I'm going to miss it terribly. I would have happily watched the show with the remaining cast, and any new characters.
What a bummer.
Andy W. said…
It really was just catching on especially on netflix. My friends whon I normally try to get to watch great tv like Veronica Mars and Arrested Development were the ones to introduce me to Party Down. I had heard about it but hadn't watched it until they pulled it up on netflix. I loved it! It really is disappointing and I am sure they will be disappointed to find out that there won't be another season.
Unknown said…
Netflix was really helping it. My friends whom I normally am trying to get to watch great shows like Veronica Mars and Arrested Development were the ones to sit me down and get me to watch Party Down. I had heard about it but hadn't watched it until then and I loved it. They are the epitome of casual tv watchers. I think Starz should have at least given it a third season because it was just starting to get to the masses.
JanieJones said…
I wasn't surprised by the news. I was saddened and disappointed. When I heard that Scott was going to be on P&R, Hansen had his pilot picked up, numbers were poor, it did not bode well. I've been reading many comments about people who watch it through Netflix. Those numbers were not counted.
The show was a gem.
I will miss Party Down. I could have imagined a 3rd season.

@Smitty, It had to be a business decision. The show was a creative injection, in otherwise somewhat stale network. Spartacus is a hit=sex and violence sells. It's not a knock at Spartacus (the season finale was shocking).

I wish all the best to the cast, creator and crew of Party Down. I look forward to their next projects.
Jarad said…
Great. Was introduced to the show by a friend maybe a month ago, blazed through all the episodes on Netflix, have rewatched many of them time and time again, and now Starz has gone and done this. Stupid move, Starz, really stupid move.

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