'Party Down'

On air: 2009 and 2010

Alas, "Party Down," which follows the foibles of a group of cater-waiters who are mostly failed LA actors, only made it two seasons on Starz before having its plug pulled because of abysmal ratings. But the show deserved a better fate.

While some of the half-hour episodes are uneven, a few are downright hysterical, and the show has a good pedigree with several "Veronica Mars" alum (Rob Thomas produced both shows and producer John Enbom wrote for both) and a "Freaks and Geeks" connection as Martin Starr plays a geeky screenwriter who gets upset whenever someone confuses sci-fi for fantasy and can't pick up women to save his life. If you want to know what Jane Lynch was doing right before "Glee," this is it--she appears in most of the first season, then disappears for the final two episodes.

Oh, and don't take our word on "Party Down." IMdB users rated it 8.7 stars and critics generally praised the show. Too bad it was on Starz and no one knew about it.
--David Carnoy

Watch it on Netflix here.