Search Party co-creator Michael Showalter chats with us about mystery, unbecoming characters, and the drama in comedy.
Whether you were bingingSearch Partysfreshman season or not, its likely that youre aware of comedic juggernaut Michael Showalter.
In a lot of ways though,Search Partyfeels like it might be Showalters most complex project to date.
MICHAEL SHOWALTER:Not very much.
Whats the working relationship like between you and your co-creators Charles Rogers and Sarah-Violet Bliss?
What do you guys bring out in each other for this project?
Well I met them at NYU grad film school where they were students and I was on the faculty.
They took my writing class.
I had already kind of become friends with them socially prior to that.
Comedically, we all kind of cross over.
I think they bring a certain kind of edginess and theres a sort of sophistication to what they write.
Then I attempt to push things further than where their instincts might take them.
Was Alia Shawkat who you originally had in mind for this role?
As soon as we met with her we felt like, This is everything.
This is exactly who this character is.
I really love that the series isnt shy about going to some dark places as the season moves along.
No, that was always the intention.
So we always wanted to blend those two genres.
Works that have humor, but are also incredibly tight, noir-ish driven stories.
Are you a big fan of that trope, or did it just sort of happen organically?
More of the latter, but Idolove an awkward dinner party.
And theyre inviting Gavin over for dinner, so it just made sense.
Do you have a favorite mystery story or mystery writer?
Yeah, I grew up loving Stephen King.
When I was in high school and college, I loved, loved, loved him.
Those are the films that really stick with me over the years.
I would love to keep mixing things up though.
First off, John Reynolds is completely amazing.
Brilliantly funny, but then also just a great, nuanced, and unique actor.
Yeah, I mean Drew is sort of the wrong place, wrong time sort of character.
He really wouldnt even be in this world at all if he wasnt truly in love with Dory.
He wants that relationship.
John has just been doing brilliant work at hitting all of those angles.
You go pretty far with John Earlys Elliot in terms of likability.
Do you ever worry about pushing characters too far and not being able to recover from actions?
Will the audience go there with you?
Luckily, all of our actors are so charming that they kind of end up winning you over.
And give them good qualities!
After finishing season one, what sort of ambitions or goals are you thinking about forSearch Partyssecond season?
How would you like to keep pushing things?
Whats fun about how we didSearch Partyis learning what fans liked about the show.
We learn a lot about what were doing from hearing responses from the audience.
Our characters are in quite the pickle.
And so we need to see how theyre going to respond to the situation that theyre in.
Thats basically whatSearch Partyis about.
Lastly, is there a certain moment fromSearch Partythat youre the most proud of?
Something that you think came especially well together, some character beat, or anything?
When we wrote the show, the first decision that was made was how it was going to end.
In a lot of ways, the whole show is a prelude to the last episode.
I mean, the whole show is about how the show ends.
At least for me!
Then after seeing the last episode, I think you have to re-think the whole show.
I like that we achieve that.
And I think the performances throughout are obviously wonderful.
The writing is amazing.
Charles and Sarah-Violets direction is incredible.
When youre telling a story, thats what you do it for, for those high impact moments.
So thats what Im really proud of.
Search Partysentire first seasonis currently available on TBS VOD through your television provider.
