Right, genre lets you explore like that in a way that might not occur if you’re writing something personal.
Charles Rogers Yeah, even the immediate logline: a person searches for their missing friend from college, it was like, “okay, that’s a very easy, exciting direction to work with.” And it feels like we can play with that. It also feels like there’s always material to play with that can be kept growing.
I’m not sure it was intentional, and I swear someone’s made this observation before, but it feels a little bit like your comedic sensibilities grafted onto Michaelangelo Antonioni’s “L’Avventura,” which is also about a search for a missing friend, and one that also begins to navel-gaze and turn narcissistic and becomes no longer about the missing person, but the person doing the searching and all that says about them.
Charles Rogers: We would say there’s stuff that we meant to do. And then there’s stuff that we say we meant to do [both laugh]
Ha, well happy accidents make for great art, no? So what’s going with Season 4? You shot much of this long ago, no?
Charles Rogers: Yeah, we shot Season 3, a long, long, long ago, fall 2018. We finished shooting Season 4 this past February and we’re in post-production right now. It’s really confusing. I mean, some of my best friends don’t even understand what’s happening and I don’t, I don’t, I don’t begrudge anyone.[“Search Party” Season 3 was delayed for a long time and delayed further when the entire show was sold to HBO Max from TBS.]
HBO Max is probably a nice reboot though which will introduce you to a whole new audience, no? Maybe even re-introduce those who sort of forgot about it in the delays.
Sarah-Violet Bliss: Every step of “Search Party” has been unpredictable, from the way it got picked up, to the good reviews to kind of being considered a “cult show.” And now we’re on a bigger platform… it’s weird, It’s like the writing of this show, you kind of let it go where it needs to go. That’s a little bit like the release of the show and how the response around it too. The only consistent thing about the way the show has been in our lives is that it’s unpredictable.
Given how unpredictable the show is and the way you always follow the kind of emotional truth of these characters and the dark places it takes them, what can we expect from Season 4?
Charles Rogers: It’s hard to talk about because the whole genre and premise of Season 4 relies on the final few moments of Season 3 and as we’ve discussed, some audiences are still catching up or still getting acquainted with what we are. I feel like people still need to catch up. But I think it’s going to be the darkest season yet and the funniest, and it’s going to be the most extreme. And some exciting guests.
Like name guest star type thing?
Charles Rogers: Yes. Very, very fabulous guest stars.
You’ve talked a lot about your instincts here and writing where the writing takes you with these characters and dark situations. That said, do you have an endgame planned?
Sarah-Violet Bliss: We always say, “Search Party” is always unfolding as it unfolds. We have ideas, Charles and I are always texting our ideas to each other, and truly, as cheesy as it sounds, the show becomes what it wants to be. And honestly, when we started Season 1, we didn’t know where season three would end, much less how the entire thing would end.
Charles Rogers: It’s safe to say that we’ll never push the show past it’s welcome or beyond us making, like a meaningful point. “Search Party” will never spin its wheels for the sake of it.
“Search Party” Seasons 1 through 3 are now available on HBO Max.