It’s been a minute… but the hors d'oeuvres and champagne flutes are back in the surprise return of Party Down. The inventive series, which hit Starz a decade ago, revolved around a group of wannabe actors and writers pursuing their dreams of stardom yet forced to generate cash by working for a posh Los Angeles catering company. Led by Adam Scott and fueled by the wit and innovation of the show’s writers, the series found a fan base long after it bowed only after two seasons.

A decade later, most of the characters in the show have moved on, primarily actor/bartender Henry Pollard (Scott of Severance and Parks and Recreation). After a surprise reunion, the gang serendipitously finds themselves once again enduring a swirl of random parties and oddball guests all over Los Angeles.

Scott reprises his role alongside original cast members Martin Starr (Knocked Up, Silicon Valley), Ryan Hansen (Bless this Mess, Veronica Mars) Ken Marino (The Other Two, Veronica Mars), Jane Lynch (Glee, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), and Megan Mullally (Will & Grace, The Great North).

New cast members hop in the fun this time, including Jennifer Garner (The Adam Project, Yes Day), Tyrel Jackson Williams (Thunder Force, Brockmire), and Zoë Chao (Love Life, The Afterparty). James Marsden (Disenchanted, Dead to Me) recurs as a guest star.

Party Down alumni Rob Thomas, John Enbom, Paul Rudd (Ant-Man, Ghostbusters: Afterlife), Dan Etheridge, and Scott return as executive producers. Starr and Hansen share more about stepping back into their characters’ shoes, Roman and Kyle, respectively.

Getting the Party Started Again

Picking up a decade after the show ended, Party Down brings us back into the world of those bright-eyed dreamers who wanted to make it big. When Henry (Scott) finds himself doing a catering favor for the old gang again, it soon becomes more than just a random one-off. A lot has changed. In fact, Henry’s dreams haven’t come to fruition. Seems making it big requires a lot of effort mixed in with some luck.

“I loved rewatching the show because there are so many wonderfully talented, comedic minds gathered, and especially the way that [creator/writer] John Enbom writes so specifically for our characters, even though some of the jokes in there we couldn’t necessarily get away with years later,” Starr told MovieWeb. “But I think as best we can, we try to keep the same tone and vibe with the characters, and hopefully that all plays as well as we hope it did when we first did the show.”

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“All we can do is hope,” Hansen kidded.

“And hope is what we want to leave people with,” Starr shot back.

Off set, the stars have groovy camaraderie. No doubt all that filtered into the third season. Starr’s biggest wish is that “people can laugh at the struggles of, you know, living for your… well, not living for your dreams,” he laughed.

“The struggle—living your dreams and struggling. Live in the trenches, and just do your day-to-day grind. Forget your dreams. That's what he's trying to say,” Hansen quipped, laughing, keeping the banter going.

Bringing the Party Down Gang Back

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Lionsgate

Kidding aside, the actors went on to share how it felt bringing back most of the Party Down cast—although Lizzy Caplan’s Casey Klein is absent this round. Overall, Starr admits that “we just got lucky [with the cast]. There's just so many talented people and the chemistry just clicks.”

“There's not a lot of shows where you get to work with people you admire and look up to so much,” Hansen said. “It's so playful and fun on and off the set. I think it really comes across when you watch the show because we all just really enjoy each other so much.”

When asked what was the one thing that surprised him the most about coming back together, the ever-witty Hansen noted: “I just couldn't believe how much weight Martin gained.”

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“Yeah, all on my feet,” Starr chimed in. “I'm glad I was a size 24 shoe. It's the way it just all went. Gravity is a real son of a gun, but we shoot around it and made it work.”

“Yeah, that was shocking,” Hansen wouldn’t let it go.

In all seriousness, Starr immediately added: “I was really surprised that Jennifer Garner came to work with us. She fit right in and she's ‘real.’ After we lost Lizzy Kaplan, it was a great opportunity that we capitalized on—getting even more talented people into this. But Lizzy is obviously missed. Hopefully, we'll get to have her back if we have an opportunity to do season four.”

“Not if, when,teased Hansen.

“I don't think you can say that yet,” Starr laughed.

“Well, we’re announcing it now,” he joked, “so here’s to the power of optimism.”

Catch season three of Party Down on Starz.