Rob Thomas, John Enbom, and Dan Etheridge — a.k.a. the dudes who made Party Down — have a pilot order from NBC for a show called Temp. And, just like Party Down, it’ll feature a group of people working somewhere new every week. Hooray! Says Thomas:
The show is similar to ‘Party Down’ in the sense that there’s a new job each week, but unlike ‘Party Down,’ we actually see the home life of our main characters…It has more of a ‘Mary Tyler Moore’ home life/work life dynamic, except the job changes from week to week.
Yeah, that still really sounds like Party Down. So — is there any reason to believe that this Party Down–esque show from the Party Down dudes will succeed where Party Down did not?
Well, no, not really. Presumably Thomas and Co. have maintained the same interest in finely crafted, non-schlocky humor and realistic portrayals of interpersonal relationships that failed to find Party Down an audience. (Also, what are the chances they’d be able to once again assemble an ensemble that great?)
But then again, maybe it doesn’t have to be different to succeed. Maybe if Party Down hadn’t aired on Friday nights on a pay channel few people are aware is good for more than airings of Blue Streak, it would have actually been watched? Maybe if it had aired, say, during NBC’s much-vaunted Thursday-night comedy lineup, where its (theoretically) middling ratings and critical approval would have meant it’d fit right in with the rest of the pack? Maybe NBC actually just wants a Party Down clone, figuring if they had broadcast PD originally they could at the very least churn out non-laughingstock ratings?
So, to recap: Temps is going to be just like Party Down.
EXCLUSIVE: ‘Party Down’ Creator Rob Thomas Reveals Details on New Projects [TV Squad]