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Ben Stiller praises one of the most iconic scenes from the 2008 comedy Step Brothers.

In a post on X, Stiller praises the comedy starring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly as the eponymous step-brothers. Responding to a tweet from a popular parody account

@ShooterMcGavin_, showing the film's iconic dinner scene with the caption, "17 years ago, Dale ruined the story and possibly the entire evening." Stiller's response praises the film and the scene, stating, "One of the funniest scenes in all of movies ever made in history of movies being made."

One of the funniest scenes in all of movies ever made in history of movies being made. https://t.co/xVI66YI7dZ— Ben Stiller (@BenStiller) February 18, 2025

RelatedStep Brothers' Big Musical Climax Is One of Cinema's Best Endings - Seriously

The surreal and goofy ending of Step Brothers is also a surprisingly moving climax that stands out in the comedy landscape 15 years later.

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The White Lotus is a satirical comedy-drama anthology series created by Mike White. The HBO series revolves around the guests and employees of the fictional White Lotus resort chain. It explores the dysfunctionality and secrets of both the employees and guests, which completely ruins what was supposed to be a relaxing vacation. The White Lotus stars Murray Bartlett, Alexandra Daddario, Sydney Sweeney, Jennifer Coolidge, F. Murray Abraham, Theo James, Aubrey Plaza, Leslie Bibb, Carrie Coon, and Walton Goggins. So, if you loved the scathing satire, hilarious comedy, and compelling characters in The White Lotus, here are some similar shows you should check out next.

Nine Perfect Strangers (Hulu & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – Hulu

Nine Perfect Strangers is a mystery thriller drama series created by David E. Kelley. Based on the 2018 novel of the same name by Liane Moriarty,...

Actor and director Ben Stiller will return to television in The Band. The hour-long dramedy will be developed and housed at HBO.

Per Deadline, The Band will focus on Stiller’s character, Oscar, a pop music promoter and talent tycoon who is plagued by scandal and takes on the task of forming a new act to save his career, and maybe even his own soul. The series is being produced by Media Res and Stiller's Red Hour Films, which also produce The Morning Show and Severance for Apple TV+. The new series is created by Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers, who co-created Search Party, which ran for five seasons and starred Alia Shawkat.

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Bliss and Rogers will also serve as showrunners on The Band and will...

Ben Stiller has been set to lead the dramedy series ‘The Band’ at HBO. The series is said to be set on the music industry.

The series offers an inside look at the music industry centred on Oscar (Stiller), a pop impresario and talent mogul beset by scandal who is tasked with forming a new act in order to save his career – and perhaps his soul.

Also in news – First look image drops for sequel ‘Another Simple Favor’

Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers created the show and will serve as executive producers and showrunners. Stiller and John Lesher executive produce under their Red Hour Films banner, along with Savan Kotecha Michael Ellenberg and Lindsey Springer of Media Res. Media Res will co-produce with HBO.

Stiller was last seen in front of the camera in the streaming comedy film ‘Nutcrackers.’ He is set to reprise his role as Hal the orderly in ‘Happy Gilmore 2.

Deadline reports that Ben Stiller is set to star in The Band, an hourlong dramedy series in development at HBO. Although Stiller has made plenty of small screen appearances over the years, this would be his first regular role in a TV series since The Ben Stiller Show in the ’90s. He also played the recurring role of Tony Wonder on Arrested Development and himself on Curb Your Enthusiasm.

The Band has been created by Sarah Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers, co-creators of Search Party. The series “offers an inside look at the music industry centered on Oscar (Stiller), a pop impresario and talent mogul beset by scandal who is tasked with forming a new act in order to save his career – and perhaps his soul.” The new act will be a boy band, with Stiller’s character sharing a few similarities with Simon Cowell.

Related Interviews: Ben Stiller, Adam...

Ben Stiller is looking for the next big thing in pop.

The actor is attached to star in and executive-produce the music industry dramedy The Band, which is in development at HBO, TVLine has confirmed.

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The one-hour project “offers an inside look at the music industry centered on Oscar (played by Stiller), a pop impresario and talent mogul beset by scandal who...

It’s taken Ben Stiller 35 years to return in a lead role for TV, but the multihyphenate filmmaker is officially back on the small screen.

Stiller, who infamously left “Saturday Night Live” after only a few episodes to create his own 1990 sketch series “The Ben Stiller Show,” is set to lead HBO series “The Band,” which is currently in development at the network, an individual with knowledge told IndieWire. This will be Stiller’s first lead role in a narrative scripted series, though he previously had cameos in “Arrested Development” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”

Of course, Stiller has more recently been a TV staple behind the scenes: the writer/director/producer is the executive producer and director of “Severance.” He also helmed true crime series “Escape from Dannemora.”

“The Band” is the latest project produced by Stiller’s Red Hour Films. The series is co-created by “Search Party” filmmakers Sarah Violet Bliss...

Ben Stiller has found his next TV project — both behind and in front of the camera.

The Severance executive producer and director is set to star in a dramedy called The Band for HBO. The project, from Search Party co-creators Sarah Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers, is in development at the premium cabler.

The Band is set in the music industry. Stiller, who will also exec produce via his Red Hour Films, will play Oscar, a “pop impresario and talent mogul beset by scandal who is tasked with forming a new act in order to save his career — and perhaps his soul,” per the show’s description. Should it go to series, The Band will be Stiller’s first ongoing TV acting role since he recurred on Arrested Development (In both its Fox and Netflix iterations).

Media Res, the studio behind The Morning Show and Pachinko at Apple TV+, is co-producing The Band with HBO.

Ben Stiller is attached to star in a new music industry drama series currently in the works at HBO.

The series, titled “The Band,” will see Stiller star as Oscar, a pop impresario and talent mogul beset by scandal who is tasked with forming a new act in order to save his career – and perhaps his soul, per the official logline.

“Search Party” co-creators Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers will serve as creators, writers, executive producers and showrunners for “The Band,” which is co-produced by Media Res.

Stiller will serve as a non-writing executive producer, with Red Hour Films attached to the project as well. Red Hour Films’ John Lesher will executive produce alongside Savan Kotecha and Media Res’ Michael Ellenberg and Lindsey Springer.

The series is billed as a one-hour dramedy, and falls in line with the network’s industry-centric series, including “The Other Two,” which ran on Max for three seasons,...

Ben Stiller is attached to lead a dramedy series set in the music industry currently in the works at HBO, Variety has confirmed.

Titled “The Band,” the official logline of the series states that it “offers an inside look at the music industry centered on Oscar (Stiller), a pop impresario and talent mogul beset by scandal who is tasked with forming a new act in order to save his career – and perhaps his soul.”

The show hails from Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers, who also serve as executive producers and showrunners. Stiller and John Lesher executive produce under their Red Hour Films banner, along with Savan Kotecha Michael Ellenberg and Lindsey Springer of Media Res. Media Res will co-produce with HBO.

The role would mark a rare lead acting role for Stiller, who has mostly been focused on working behind the scenes as a director and producer for the last several years,...

Exclusive: HBO is developing The Band, an hourlong dramedy series starring Ben Stiller in a rare TV role. The project comes from Media Res and Stiller’s Red Hour Films, the companies behind two of Apple TV+’s biggest series, The Morning Show and Severance, respectively.

Created by Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers, co-creators of the acclaimed TBS/Max comedy Search Party, The Band offers an inside look at the music industry centered on Oscar (Stiller), a pop impresario and talent mogul beset by scandal who is tasked with forming a new act in order to save his career – and perhaps his soul.

Stiller’s Simon Cowell-esque Oscar will be putting together a boy band, as hinted by the series’ title. Cowell was behind the creation of one of the biggest boy bands of all time, One Direction.

Bliss and Rogers serve as showrunners. They executive produce alongside Red...

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No Good Deed is a dark comedy mystery thriller drama series created by Liz Feldman. The Netflix series revolves around three families competing to buy the same 1920s Spanish-style villa, believing it would solve all of their problems. However, they don’t know that the house and its owners have their own deeply hidden dark secrets. No Good Deed stars Ray Romano, Lisa Kudrow, Linda Cardellini, O-t Fagbenle, Abbi Jacobson, Denis Leary, Poppy Liu, Teyonah Parris, and Luke Wilson. So, if you loved the dark comedy, a thrilling mystery, and compelling characters in No Good Deed, here are some similar shows you should check out next.

Dead to Me (Netflix) Credit – Netflix

Dead to Me is a dark comedy crime thriller drama series created by Liz Feldman. The Netflix series follows Jen, a sardonic woman who recently lost...

Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez star in Hulu’s original crime comedy series Only Murders in the Building, and with that cast, it is almost impossible that you get a bad show, because Only Murders in the Building is one of the most well-received Hulu series of recent times. Created by Steve Martin and John Hoffman, the Hulu series follows three eccentric strangers who team up to investigate a mysterious murder in their apartment building while discussing their findings over a true-crime podcast. Only Murders in the Building is like one of those old comedy detective crime series that was televised for the masses, but with a new twist and even more twisted humor, So here are the best 13 shows like Only Murders in the Building to watch while waiting for new episodes.

Bodkin (Netflix) Credit – Netflix

Bodkin is a dark comedy mystery thriller series created by Jez Scharf.

Bodkin is a dark comedy crime-drama series created by Jez Scharf. The Netflix series is set in the fictional town of Bodkin in Ireland. It follows the story of an American podcaster Gilbert, a London-based investigative journalist Dove, and a researcher Emmy as they investigate a decades-old disappearance of three young people on the night of the Samhain festival. Bodkin stars Will Forte, Siobhán Cullen, and Robyn Cara in the lead roles with David Wilmot, Chris Walley, Seán Óg, Peter Bankole, and Kerri McLean starring in supporting roles. If you loved the dark humor and thrills of a murder investigation in Bodkin here are some similar shows you could watch next.

Only Murders in the Building (Hulu) Credit – Hulu

Only Murders in the Building is a murder mystery comedy-drama series created by Steve Martin and John Hoffman. The Hulu series follows a trio of strangers who share the love of...

A production assistant who worked on the Max original series “Search Party” has accused showrunner Charles Rogers of drugging and sexually assaulting him in 2020.

A past investigation by the network into the alleged assault cleared Rogers, but Evan Schwartz said he was “gaslit” into “exonerating” the writer-producer in social media posts shared on Saturday.

“The facts speak for themselves as evidenced by this individual’s decision to retract his own statement amid a thorough, third-party investigation which found no wrongdoing. Charles unequivocally denies this claim regarding a mutually consensual relationship,” an individual close to Rogers said in a statement to TheWrap.

This is a selfie Charles Rogers took on my phone the morning after sexually assaulting me in 2020. I was his driver on the shoot for Search Party. After he took this selfie he joked, “I have a lawyer in case someone me too’s me”. I don’t remember falling asleep that night.

Exclusive: Artists First has signed actor Brandon Micheal Hall for management.

Hall is perhaps best known for his breakout role opposite Alia Shawkat in the acclaimed TBS/HBO Max series Search Party, created by Sarah-Violet Bliss, Charlies Rogers and Michael Showalter, which ran for five seasons.

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During the course of that dark comedy’s run, he also led the Humanitas Prize-winning CBS drama God Friended Me from EP Greg Berlanti, as well as ABC’s half-hour comedy The Mayor exec produced by Jeremy Bronson, Daveed Diggs and Jamie Tarses.

Hall is a graduate of Juilliard, the British American Drama Academy, and the South Carolina Governor School of the Arts and Humanities,...

Exclusive: Range Media Partners has signed Jarreau Carrillo, the actor-filmmaker whose new short The Vacation has generated substantial buzz on the ground at Sundance 2023.

Carrillo wrote, directed and co-stars in the film, which follows a Black man who attempts to take a vacation. It was conceived as a proof of concept for his first feature, The Last to Survive in America, which Range will now help get off the ground. Julius Pryor and Marttise Hill of Pryor Hill Productions are attached to produce.

“I’m extremely humbled and grateful to have Range’s support on my debut feature film The Last To Survive In America,” Carrillo told Deadline. “Forging a partnership with a team of experienced industry representatives at this point in my career is empowering & exciting.”

Originally from Seattle and of Filipino and African American descent, Carrillo is a graduate of Morehouse College and has an Mfa in Directing from NYU Tisch.

It begins, like so many TV shows, with a missing girl poster. In the opening moments of Search Party, restless twenty-something Dory (Alia Shawkat) walks past a sign tacked to a phone mast in her New York neighbourhood, announcing the disappearance of a young woman named Chantal Witherbottom. A flash of recognition prompts Dory to make an about-turn, so she can better contemplate a face she seems to recognise.

So far, so generic crime story – until we cut to a Brooklyn brunch spot, where Dory shares the news with partner Drew (John Reynolds) and their friends Portia (Meredith Hagner) and Elliott (John Early) over mimosas and Bloody Marys. Chantal, it transpires, was on the outskirts of the group’s social circle at college, but Dory’s myopic pals are resolutely uninterested in her vanishing act. “She sucked… she had nothing to offer,” Elliott declares, speaking fluent, scathing hyperbole while tapping out an elegy (“In shock.

Spoiler Alert: This piece contains spoilers for the series finale of “Search Party.”

“Search Party” began with a simple premise: When a former college classmate goes missing, Dory Sief (Alia Shawkat) and her cohort of Brooklyn twenty-somethings embark on a mission to find her. Five seasons later, Dory — now a spiritual guru and cult leader — hides in an underground bunker as zombies ravage the streets of New York City.

While “Search Party” has never shied away from bold ideas — the HBO Max show killed off its protagonist-turned-antihero at the end of last season, only for Dory to reawaken 37 seconds later — Season 5 sunk its teeth into completely new territory: Dory escapes a psychiatric facility and teams up with billionaire tech mogul Tunnel Quinn (Jeff Goldblum) to produce “enlightenment pills,” which quickly turn the population into flesh-eating monsters. However, despite drastic genre shifts across seasons, at its core, the show remains the...

Spoiler Alert: This post contains details about the final series of Search Party, including the finale “Revelation.”

Enlightenment isn’t glorious, but gory and gross look in the series finale of HBO Max’s Search Party.

In the final hours of the dark comedy, created by Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers, Dory (Alia Shawkat) brings about the end of the world, after her quest to spread joy and love in the form of a pill backfires.

In true Search Party fashion, Dory’s intentions to do right by others, and selfishly herself, once again evolve into a much more complicated and fatal scenario that puts everyone around her at risk.

“I hate to say it babe, but you did it again,” Dory’s ever-faithful friend, and brief lover, Portia (Meredith Hagner) says. “Except it’s way worse this time.”

After escaping a fun house riddled with Dory’s disciples-turned-zombies, Portia...

The twisting, turning and unexpected saga of Search Party will reach its final destination when Dory, Drew, Portia and Elliott return in the dark comedy’s last season, which premieres in its entirety on Friday on HBO Max.

From creators Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers, the comedy starring Alia Shawkat took viewers on a wild ride that started with a true crime spin and veered into the realms of legal and psychological thrillers – all while comically handling the existential imperfections of young adult life and morality. Now for its final lap around the course, Search Party taps into big tech, cult ideology, horror and sci-fi to gather all the threads into what Rogers thinks may be a “polarizing” and not-so-tidy finale.

“I think the show ends in the same way that it always operated, which is to say that things are really complicated and it’s never about morality and...

Search Party is renowned for its zaniness and larger-than-life guest stars, so it’s only natural that its upcoming invitees are of the highest caliber: the legendary John Waters and ever-enigmatic Jeff Goldblum.

In its forthcoming final season (all 10 episodes drop on HBO Max Friday, Jan. 7), Dory may be alive, but she’s heading straight for another terrifying journey when she joins a flamboyant tech billionaire named Tunnel Quinn (Goldblum) on a philanthropic endeavor sparked by her near-death experience. (And let’s just say Goldblum is at his absolute Goldblum-iest.)

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In the previous two seasons of HBO Max’s “Search Party,” it’s felt as if Dory Sief (Alia Shawkat) has existed within a different genre inside the show. The show’s protagonist has found herself experiencing a courtroom drama as well a “Misery”-like kidnapping thriller as an outgrowth of her initial folly in tracking down a missing acquaintance. These assignments have required the actress to play the authenticity of the situation while also staying true to the off-kilter satirical tone established by showrunners Charles Rogers and Sarah-Violet Bliss.

Continue reading Alia Shawkat Talks The Final Season Of ‘Search Party’ & Dory’s Latest Character Shift [Interview] at The Playlist.

The long and winding road of “Search Party” is really something and to that end, has there ever been a comedy series that has evolved as much as this one? Created by “Fort Tilden” filmmakers Sarah-Violet Bliss, Charles Rogers, and Michael Showalter (“The Eyes Of Tammy Faye“), beginning on TBS and then graduating to HBO Max eventually, “Search Party” began a dark satire and send-up of millennial life and culture, all twisted up in a mystery: the search for a missing girl, whom the protagonist (Alia Shawkat), went to school with, but barely knows.

Continue reading ‘Search Party’ Season 5 Trailer: HBO Max’s Loopy Dark Satire Comes To An End In January at The Playlist.

HBO Max will bring in the new year with the final season of popular dark comedy Search Party.

The streamer revealed that season five will be the final season. It comes as it set the premiere date for its return and unveiled a first look at the season.

Created by Charles Rogers and Sarah-Violet Bliss, Search Party stars Shawkat, John Reynolds, John Early and Meredith Hagner. The first three seasons followed best friends Dory (Shawkat), Drew (Reynolds), Elliott (Early) and Portia (Hagner) through a messy private investigation, semi-accidental murder, absurd cover-up and sensational trial. In Season 4, Dory was held prisoner by her psychotic stalker (Cole Escola), forcing Drew, Elliott and Portia to again become a search party – but this time for Dory.

Cancellations/Renewals Scorecard: TV Shows Ended Or Continuing In 2020-21 Season

Set to premiere Friday, January 7, Search Party Season 5 sees Dory (Shawkat) enter a very public business partnership...

HBO Max announced that “Search Party” will end with its fifth season, which will premiere with all 10 episodes on Jan. 7, 2022.

The thriller comedy, which premiered on TBS in 2016 before moving to HBO Max for Season 3, follows a group of 20-somethings who end up on a dark path while searching for a missing college acquaintance. Season 5 will see Dory (Alia Shawkat) enter a business partnership with tech billionaire Tunnel Quinn (Jeff Goldblum) after a near death experience, bringing her friends Portia (Meredith Hagner), Elliott (John Early) and Drew (John Reynolds) along in the venture.

Cast members newly joining “Search Party” in Season 5 include Kathy Griffin, John Waters, Aparna Nancherla, Angela Trimbur, Grace Kuhlenschmidt, Greta Titelman, Joe Castle Baker, Larry Owens and Michelle Badillo. Jeffery Self and Clare McNulty return as recurring guest stars.

Showrunners Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers executive produce with Michael Showalter and Jax Media’s Lilly Burns and Tony Hernandez.

Search Party’s search is nearing its conclusion.

On Tuesday, HBO Max announced that the comedy starring Alia Shawkat from creators Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers will wrap its run with the previously announced fifth season.

All 10 episodes will debut on the WarnerMedia-backed streamer on Friday, Jan. 7.

Search Party was renewed for its fifth season in February. After bowing its first two seasons in 2016 and 2017 on TBS, the comedy, which counts Michael Showalter among its exec producers, sat on the bench until its third season arrived on HBO Max in summer 2020, shortly after the streamer’s launch. Season ...

Angela Trimbur, Grace Kuhlenschmidt, Greta Titelman, Joe Castle Baker (The Other Two), Larry Owens, Michelle Badillo and Aparna Nancherla have joined the Season 5 cast of HBO’s acclaimed comedy Search Party in recurring roles.

Trimbur, Kuhlenschmidt, Titelman, Castle Baker, Owens and Badilloare will portray Dory’s (Alia Shawkat) “disciples,” who join her in her grand existential pursuit, and Nancherla joins as Tunnel Quinn’s (Jeff Goldblum) head scientist.

Created by Charles Rogers and Sarah-Violet Bliss, Search Party stars Shawkat, John Reynolds, John Early and Meredith Hagner. The first three seasons followed best friends Dory (Shawkat), Drew (Reynolds), Elliott (Early) and Portia (Hagner) through a messy private investigation, semi-accidental murder, absurd cover-up and sensational trial. In Season 4, Dory was held prisoner by her psychotic stalker (Cole Escola), forcing Drew,...

There are infinite anecdotes about what happened to our best-laid plans when the coronavirus hit. But in the context of Hollywood, one must stop and appreciate the unique pain of Erik Feig — a veteran film executive whose rogue production and financing company Picturestart was only months into its infancy when the global shutdown arrived.

Funded by a consortium of top private and strategic investors, former Lionsgate Mo­tion Picture Group co-president Feig’s vision was to serve distinct voices with a uniquely pliable infrastructure. A shop that could fully or partially finance and produce indie-to-mid-budget films without the deep pockets of streaming or tie-ups with the studios. One that could foster talent, cross it over into new mediums and offer full marketing services. Covid-19 scrambled those ambitions.

“The thing I came back to, the principle behind why we set up Picturestart, was to be strong but flexible. Everything we make...

Australians in Film (AiF) and Screen Australia have announced the five participants to advance to the next stage of Untapped, a talent development program that aims to support the next generation of undiscovered and underrepresented Australian screen voices.

Launched in April and funded with support from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), the Untapped program has so far included open-access online masterclasses, featuring conversations with Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers, Nisha Ganatra, Alma Har’el and Warwick Thornton.

This next stage will see the five finalists and their projects move forward into a development lab where they will receive individualised mentorship, story consultation, creative feedback and professional development support from top industry mentors including executives from Made Up Stories, LuckyChap Entertainment, See-Saw Films and Truant Pictures.

“These five talented Untapped finalists were chosen out of a rigorous selection process of over 700 applicants. With the diversity of their lived experiences and fresh approach to storytelling,...

Search Party continues to build its stacked Season 5 cast as Kathy Griffin joins the HBO Max dark comedy in a recurring role, Deadline has confirmed.

From creators Sarah-Violet Bliss, Charles Rogers and Michael Showalter, Search Party stars Alia Shawkat, John Reynolds, John Early and Meredith Hagner. The first three seasons followed best friends Dory (Shawkat), Drew (Reynolds), Elliott (Early) and Portia (Hagner) through a messy private investigation, semi-accidental murder, absurd cover-up and sensational trial. In Season 4, Dory was held prisoner by her psychotic stalker (Cole Escola), forcing Drew, Elliott and Portia to again become a search party – but this time for Dory.

The Emmy-winning My Life on the D-List comedian will recur as Liquorice Montague, a conspiracy theorist who takes Clare McNulty’s Chantal under her wing as a codependent apprentice. Season 5 will see Dory enter a very public business partnership with charismatic tech billionaire Tunnel Quinn, played byJeff Goldblum.

HBO Max is sending out a Search Party for Kathy Griffin, who will recur during Season 5, our sister site Variety reports. The comedian will play Liquorice Montague, a conspiracy theorist who takes Chantal (Clare McNulty) under her wing as a “co-dependent apprentice.”

“Working with Kathy was a huge life moment for us,” showrunners Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers said in a statement. “She brought so much warmth, humanity and professionalism to set, and delivered a performance that will delight the world.”

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Kathy Griffin has joined the upcoming fifth season of HBO Max’s “Search Party.”

Griffin will play Liquorice Montague, a conspiracy theorist who takes Chantal (Clare McNulty) under her wing as a “co-dependent apprentice.” Her role will be recurring.

Griffin joins fellow “Search Party” newcomer Jeff Goldblum, who plays tech billionaire Tunnel Quinn. The series stars McNulty, Alia Shawkat, Meredith Hagner, John Early and John Reynolds. It debuted on Comedy Central before moving to HBO Max for its fourth season.

Last week, Griffin shared that she had been diagnosed with lung cancer two weeks prior, and successfully underwent surgery. She said had never previously smoked and was optimistic about her prognosis. “The doctors are very optimistic as it is stage one and contained to my left lung,” she wrote. “Hopefully no chemo or radiation after this and I should have normal function with my breathing. I should be up and...

Kathy Griffin has joined the cast of “Search Party” for its fifth season, Variety has learned exclusively.

Griffin will recur in the HBO Max comedy as Liquorice Montague, a conspiracy theorist who takes Chantal (Clare McNulty) under her wing as a “co-dependent apprentice.”

“Working with Kathy was a huge life moment for us. She brought so much warmth, humanity and professionalism to set, and delivered a performance that will delight the world,” showrunners Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers said in a joint statement.

The fourth season of “Search Party” ended with Dory’s (Alia Shawkat) friends thinking she died in a house fire after she was held prisoner in that house’s basement. However, in the final moments of the episode, she awoke on a medical gurney, gasping for air and saying she “saw everything.”

It looks like it won’t take long for her to reunite with her friends,...

Jeff Goldblum joins the absurd world of Search Party in a recurring role for the HBO Max series’ fifth season.

From creators Sarah-Violet Bliss, Charles Rogers and Michael Showalter, Search Party stars Alia Shawkat, John Reynolds, John Early and Meredith Hagner. The first three seasons followed best friends Dory (Shawkat), Drew (Reynolds), Elliott (Early) and Portia (Hagner) through a messy private investigation, semi-accidental murder, absurd cover-up and sensational trial. In Season 4, Dory was held prisoner by her psychotic stalker (Cole Escola), forcing Drew, Elliott and Portia to again become a search party – but this time for Dory.

The Emmy-nominated actor will recur in Season 5 as Tunnel Quinn, a charismatic tech billionaire who enters a very public business partnership with Dory on the other side of her near death experience. Dory folds her old friends Portia, Elliott and Drew into the venture as they embark on an altruistic but terrifying journey.

The ubiquitous Jeff Goldblum has joined the Search Party over at HBO Max.

The streaming service announced Thursday that the Oscar and Emmy Award nominee will recur in Season 5 of the dark comedy as Tunnel Quinn, “a charismatic tech billionaire who enters a very public business partnership with Dory on the other side of her near death experience.” Along the way, “Dory folds her old friends Portia, Elliott and Drew into the venture as they embark on an altruistic but terrifying journey.”

More from TVLineAnatomy of an Emmy-Worthy Scene: Search Party's John Early, Directors Charles Rogers and Sarah-Violet Bliss...

Jeff Goldblum has joined the cast of “Search Party ” Season 5 at HBO Max, Variety has learned.

Goldblum will appear in a recurring role as Tunnel Quinn, a charismatic tech billionaire who enters a very public business partnership with Dory (Alia Shawkat) on the other side of her near death experience. Dory folds her old friends Portia (Meredith Hagner), Elliott (John Early) and Drew (John Reynolds) into the venture as they embark on an altruistic but terrifying journey.

“‘Search Party’ is such a brilliant show,” Goldblum said. “What a thrill and a privilege it is to get to be a little part of it! I respect and adore everyone involved with this magical entertainment.”

Goldblum is no stranger to television, having previously received an Emmy nomination for his role in “Will & Grace.” He also currently hosts the Disney Plus-Nat Geo series “The World According to Jeff Goldblum,” for which he also earned an Emmy nomination.

In Search Party‘s sixth episode of Season 3, John Early‘s Elliott Goss is blindsided by conservative pundit Charlie Reeny on live television after he agrees to appear to discuss his friends’ murder trial. Below, Early — one of TVLine’s Dream Emmy Nominees — and series co-creators/directors Charles Rogers and Sarah-Violet Bliss take us behind the scenes of that incendiary (yet hilarious) war of words.

Charles Rogers | We liked the idea that Charlie was a match for Elliott, and because he’s such a strong character with so much conviction, it was fun to see the rug being pulled out...

A version of this story about “Search Party” first appeared in the Comedy & Drama Series issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine.

The fourth season of “Search Party” picks up almost exactly where the third left off: Dory (Alia Shawkat), having just come off a highly publicized murder trial, finds herself held prisoner by superfan “twink” Chip (Cole Escola) in a high-tech basement. Besides the horror of a steady diet comprised only of mealy chicken nuggets, Dory quickly discovers another gasp-inducing reality in captivity: Her living quarters, modeled painstakingly after her own apartment, are completely made of felt.

And not just a few items. Everything from her bookshelves to her lighting fixtures to her bathroom shower to (yes) the kitchen sink is plusher than Elmo’s elbow. “The concept was that of an asylum, a padded room trying to create this soft universe to show to Dory that Chip’s friendship...

The Season 3 finale of HBO Max’s Alia Shawkat-fronted dramedy Search Party came with a major sigh of relief and the unexpected kidnapping that brings it all full circle for Dory Sief.

From creators Sarah-Violet Bliss, Charles Rogers and Michael Showalter, Search Party follows a close group of twentysomethings as they find themselves swept up in the trial of the century. Dory (Shawkat) and Drew (John Reynolds) are thrust in the national spotlight after they are charged for the murder of private investigator, Keith Powell (Ron Livingston). The season sees the gang take non-traditional measures to cover their trail, make the oddest of allies, and test their limits of friendship for the sake of pleading not guilty.

Bliss and Rogers wrote all episodes of the HBO Max series, including the Season 3 finale “The Reckoning.”

In addition to Shawkat and Reynolds, the series also stars John Early and Meredith Hanger. Additional...

Cole Escola’s favorite movie character as a kid was Mrs. Potts. At five years old, their attachment to the jaunty housekeeper for the Beast’s lair in the 1991 animated classic “Beauty and the Beast” might explain their affinity for playing older women, whether as unhinged homemaker Chassie Tucker in “At Home with Amy Sedaris” or as Chip — née “the Twink” — in the latest season of the HBO Max millennial satire “Search Party.” Well, sort of, as Chip is actually just a psychotic 30-something heir cross-dressing as his wealthy aunt Lyla (Susan Sarandon), and keeping celebrity murderess Dory (Alia Shawkat) trapped in a padded basement. Think of the scenario as “Misery” meets “Room,” with a dash of “Psycho” for good measure.

“It’s funny because now I am getting older, [and] the women that I like to play aren’t really — so slowly the ‘older’ is going to be taken away...

Australians in Film (AiF) has partnered with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and Screen Australia to launch Untapped, a breakthrough talent development program for undiscovered and underrepresented filmmakers.

The nine-month online program will include masterclasses and mentorship from internationally successful production companies.

It begins with open-access conversations with Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers (Search Party), Nisha Ganatra, Alma Har’el, Warwick Thornton and Taika Waititi.

Following the masterclasses, five creators or creative teams will then be selected for the Untapped Development Lab, a four-month intensive mentorship program.

Selected participants will receive individualised mentorship, story consultation, creative feedback and professional development support from top industry mentors including executives from Blossom Films, Made Up Stories, LuckyChap Entertainment, See-Saw Films and Truant Pictures. Each creative team will receive a $2000 stipend.

Overall the Untapped program aims to give emerging screenwriters and directors the education and access needed to fast track their careers and their projects.

Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization Australians in Film on Tuesday unveiled a talent development program for undiscovered and underrepresented filmmakers.

Dubbed Untapped, the nine-month online program will feature masterclasses from top filmmakers such as Honey Boy director Alma Har’el, Thor: Ragnarok helmer Taika Waititi, Late Night director Nisha Ganatra and Search Party co-creators Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers.

Priority for inclusion in the program will be given to Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander filmmakers, as well as those with disabilities, members of the LGBTQ community and people living in remote locations. Applicants must be Australian citizens or permanent residents.

“We see and understand the ...

Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization Australians in Film on Tuesday unveiled a talent development program for undiscovered and underrepresented filmmakers.

Dubbed Untapped, the nine-month online program will feature masterclasses from top filmmakers such as Honey Boy director Alma Har’el, Thor: Ragnarok helmer Taika Waititi, Late Night director Nisha Ganatra and Search Party co-creators Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers.

Priority for inclusion in the program will be given to Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander filmmakers, as well as those with disabilities, members of the LGBTQ community and people living in remote locations. Applicants must be Australian citizens or permanent residents.

“We see and understand the ...

The searches will continue. The Search Party TV series has been renewed for a fifth season on HBO Max. In addition, showrunners Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers have signed an overall deal with the streaming service.

Search Party stars Alia Shawkat, John Early, Meredith Hagner, John Reynolds, and Cole Escola. Guest stars include Susan Sarandon, Busy Philipps, Ann Dowd, Griffin Dunne, and Lillias White, with author R.L. Stine in a cameo role. The dark comedy mystery series centers on a group of self-absorbed twenty-somethings. After an old college acquaintance disappears, they become entangled in an ominous mystery. In season four, Dory (Shawkat) is held prisoner by her psychotic stalker Chip (Escola), who is determined to make her believe that they are best friends. Portia (Hagner) stars in a film about the trial (although not as herself). Elliott (Early) switches...

Your favorite privileged millennials will be back for even more messy investigative shenanigans. Search Party has been renewed for Season 5, TVLine has confirmed.

Season 4 ended on a massive cliffhanger in which Dory (Alia Shawkat) appeared to have died in that fire set by her psychotic stalker Chip (Cole Escola) and his Aunt Lylah (Susan Sarandon), only for the episode’s final moments to reveal that she actually survived the destructive blaze. Series creators Charles Rogers and Sarah-Violet Bliss previously opened up to TVLine about what to expect if the show were to be picked up for a fifth installment.

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“Search Party” showrunners Charles Rogers and Sarah-Violet Bliss will have to explain what the “everything” Dory (Alia Shawkat) saw when she died was, as the comedy series has been renewed for a fifth season, HBO Max confirmed to Variety.

The showrunners also signed a two-year overall deal with the streamer.

“We are thrilled that HBO Max has not only given the world a fifth season of ‘Search Party,’ but also shown this much faith in our partnership with them as we develop new projects for the platform,” said Bliss and Rogers. “Potential titles for upcoming shows include ‘Monkeys Love Manhattan’ and ‘The Pineapple Predicament.’ Those aren’t actual shows we would ever pitch but it exhibits that we can make up titles if we need to.”

The fourth season saw Dory be the character that needed a titular search party after Chip (Cole Escola) kidnapped her and held her captive...

Exclusive: HBO Max has ordered a fifth season of acclaimed comedy series Search Party and has expanded its relationship with the series’ creators Charles Rogers and Sarah-Violet Bliss, who have signed a two-year overall deal. Under the pact, Rogers and Bliss will develop new programming for the WarnerMedia streamer.

The duo spoke with Deadline about what to expect from Season 5 of Search Party and their new development for HBO Max.

“We are thrilled that HBO Max has not only given the world a fifth season of Search Party, but also shown this much faith in our partnership with them as we develop new projects for the platform,” Bliss and Rogers said in a statement before channeling the tone of their work. “Potential titles for upcoming shows include Monkeys Love Manhattan and The Pineapple Predicament. Those aren’t actual shows we would ever pitch but it exhibits that we can make...

HBO Max is forging stronger ties with Search Party.

The WarnerMedia streaming platform has renewed the dark comedy for a fifth season and also signed creators Charles Rogers and Sarah-Violet Bliss to an overall deal.

Under the two-year deal, Rogers and Bliss will continue overseeing Search Party while also developing new projects for HBO Max. The renewal for the series comes about two weeks after the final episodes of season four debuted.

“We are thrilled that HBO Max has not only given the world a fifth season of Search Party, but also shown this much faith in our partnership with them as ...

HBO Max is forging stronger ties with Search Party.

The WarnerMedia streaming platform has renewed the dark comedy for a fifth season and also signed creators Charles Rogers and Sarah-Violet Bliss to an overall deal.

Under the two-year deal, Rogers and Bliss will continue overseeing Search Party while also developing new projects for HBO Max. The renewal for the series comes about two weeks after the final episodes of season four debuted.

“We are thrilled that HBO Max has not only given the world a fifth season of Search Party, but also shown this much faith in our partnership with them as ...