Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Search Party’ Season 5 On HBO Max, The Final Season Of The Fearless Millennial Satire

When Search Party premiered on TBS back in 2016, it was a wacky dark comedy, a neo-noir satire perfectly tapped in to millennial culture. Since moving to HBO Max for its third season, this ever-changing series has experimented with a variety of genres, from true crime and psychological thriller to legal drama and everything in between. The fifth and final season, now streaming on HBO Max, takes things to places the show has never gone before, ambitiously blending genres and going out with a serious bang. 

SEARCH PARTY: SEASON 5: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: Life, death, scenes of the world and of Dory’s experiences flash by quickly.

The Gist: Last season, Search Party flipped the script when its leading lady Dory (Alia Shawkat) herself went missing, concluding with a dramatic fire that saw our leading lady’s life flash before her eyes. This season picks up with her miraculous revival and subsequent reunion with Elliott (John Early), Drew (John Reynolds), and Portia (Meredith Hagner), who are a little more than unsettled by her delirious ramblings about life and death and the nature of the universe. In an effort to get her help (and get rid of her, hopefully forever this time?), the gang has her involuntarily committed to a psychiatric institution. On the way home, Elliott bails on Portia and Drew to go reconcile with Marc (Jeffery Self), and the two decide to grow their family. Portia and Drew, meanwhile, wonder if anyone will ever love them, considering all they’ve done – so they (reluctantly) find refuge in each other.

Six months later, Dory has achieved some kind of bliss behind the walls of the institution. She reads about existentialism and enlightenment, and believes she can save everyone from their pain. Now, it’s just a matter of convincing everyone else. Drew, meanwhile, is pitching an app to client-hungry lawyers, while Portia drunkenly teaches acting classes and Elliott and Marc adjust to life with their new son, Aspen. They’ve all moved on without Dory, or so it seems, but while Dory spends another of many nights in her twin-sized bed, she has terrifying visions of what’s to come – and believes she’s the only one who can stop it.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Search Party gives off some of the same vibes as You’re the Worst, Difficult People, Russian Doll, and Bored to Death and Veronica Mars on occasion.

Our Take: All bets are off in the final season of Search Party, where Dory returns from seeing the light after her trip to heaven (?) and back in Season 4’s dramatic conclusion. She’s a phoenix reborn from the ashes, and Search Party Season 5 follows suit. This review only covers the first installment of Season 5, but rest assured that things only get more delirious and unhinged from here — and it’s endlessly entertaining. After cycling through its fair share of genres with each season, Search Party boldly climbs towards some uncharted territory, capitalizing on the sheer charisma of Shawkat in particular. This first episode, “Genesis” is probably the most mundane of the season, laying the foundation for the madness ahead, but it wastes no time sucking us back into this wild, wild world. Even when it loses the plot a bit, Search Party is still incredibly watchable, setting itself apart from anything else on television. A beautiful, crazy creation.

The performances remain compelling as ever, only getting more exciting as the characters shift and change with these outrageous new plot developments. These are still some of the worst people on TV, but god, are they fun to watch, biting and stupid and batshit crazy. The world of the series is a wacky one, and each cast member (including some deeply memorable new additions who appear later on) fits perfectly into it all, a testament to Search Party‘s spot-on casting, from its bright-shining stars to blink-and-you’ll-miss-’em supporting players.

With this big, bold conclusion, Search Party cements itself as a modern comedy classic, an unconventional, ambitious romp that has never shied away from telling even the weirdest possible imaginable stories. It’s damn near impossible to think of another series that has gone in all the directions Search Party has been willing to go every season. In an era where we see the same groups of friends and leading ladies over and over on TV, Search Party stands above the rest, fearlessly delivering some truly terrible characters and bonkers storylines. It’s sad to see such a miraculous little show come to an end, but it’s had a helluva run.

Sex and Skin: Not much, with the exception of some awkward stripping down before some sex we don’t see.

Parting Shot: Dory screams from her bed as nightmarish images flash through her mind.

Sleeper Star: She’s no sleeper star, but I’d be remiss not to highlight just what incredible work Shawkat does this season. Her performance gets better with every season, delivering uproarious exchanges one moment and gutting meltdowns the next. Season 5 gives her the chance to go to some seriously dark and wild places, showcasing her dramatic chops (and horror skills – can someone get this lady in another slasher?) as the increasingly delirious plot unfolds. It’s not often a performer gets a character as rich and dynamic as Dory to sink their teeth into, but Shawkat seems to relish every bite, making a meal out of every twisted scene.

Most Pilot-y Line: No pilot-y lines here, only gems like “can you imagine that person just like, out at a restaurant? Or a state fair?” and “so let the sex begin!”

Our Call: STREAM IT. Search Party goes out with a bang in Season 5, reminding us why it’s one of the weirdest, most wonderful shows on television, once again delivering perfect performances and writing sharp enough to cut.

Jade Budowski is a freelance writer with a knack for ruining punchlines, hogging the mic at karaoke, and thirst-tweeting. Follow her on Twitter: @jadebudowski.

Stream Search Party on HBO Max