Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
Some mysteries are so enjoyable that you never want them to be solved. TBS’ excellent new series Search Party falls into that category.
A coming-of-age comedy deftly disguised as a mystery series, Search Party, which can be streamed in its entirety on the TBS app, deals with a group of twenty-something friends who become entangled in the bizarre disappearance of a former college acquaintance (Chantal). From the minds of Sarah-Violet Bliss, Charles Rogers, and Michael Showalter, the series casts a wide net of captivation appealing to both fans of comedy and those who enjoy capping off the day with a couple episodes of Forensic Files. While the eclectic cast is a charming blend of fresh faces and comedy veterans, the unquestionable heart of the series is Alia Shawkat.
Best known as precocious rabble-rouser Maeby Fünke on first-ballot sitcom Hall of Famer Arrested Development, Shawkat makes her well-earned move up the call sheet as stealthy amateur sleuth Dory. The perfect marriage between project and actress, Search Party finally provides Shawkat the opportunity to showcase her prodigious comedic gifts as she nimbly toggles between overwhelmed gumshoe and lost twenty-something. It’s a challenging role that’s made easier by the show’s unwavering confidence in its ability to blend genres while maintaining a singular tone. Shawkat often acts as the straight man to her delightfully realistic group of narcissistic friends, while also taking on a more traditionally broad role as a conspiracy theorist who believes there’s more to Chantal’s disappearance than meets the eye.
While Shawkat has shown her capacity for depth with scene-stealing performances in films like Green Room, Whip It, and The Intervention, her evolution from supporting actress to leading lady is evident in Search Party. It’s Nancy Drew meets Veronica Mars meets a Noah Baumbach film and much like the show’s central mystery, there’s so much more going on underneath the surface.
Under the guise of a mystery program, Search Party astutely delves into the unavoidable uncertainty that accompanies life as a twenty-something. Shawkat’s Dory doesn’t decide to become a character in a Raymond Chandler novel out of fidelity to a friend or because she comes from a long line of detectives, she dives headfirst into the vexing conundrum for the same reason people get infinity tattoos, read Infinite Jest, or date a musician: being in your twenties is a harrowing experience.
Solving the mystery of a missing person is far more appealing than attempting to unravel the complex riddle of what to do with your own life, and Shawkat portrays this internal struggle with external grace. Also, I enjoy the works of David Foster Wallace, but locating a missing person is probably easier than finishing Infinite Jest.
“I guess I overlooked her, and I know what that feels like,” Dory says when she’s questioned about her motives for locating Chantel. It’s another honest moment in a series that eschews traditional sitcom camp in favor of realism. Dory’s seemingly altruistic motives are actually self-serving as she hopes to use Chantel’s disappearance in order to imbue her own life with a sense of purpose. Shawkat is a marvel to watch as Dory’s vocational lethargy slowly transforms into steely determination as the mystery unravels and viewers are treated to a rare, honest glimpse of the Brooklyn to which only longtime denizens of the borough are familiar.
Search Party is a fresh, engaging comedy that accurately captures the discomfort of twenty-something malaise while also having heaps of fun. The only mystery isn’t if you should watch; it’s how fast you’ll binge this terrific new series.
