Search Party: The Podcast iHeartPodcasts and HBO Max

Dory’s obsession with Chantal lies at the core of all the drama and excitement on Search Party. But where does that come from? On the final episode of the podcast, co-creator Charles Rogers and actress Shalita Grant talk about Dory’s motivations, the show’s public obsession with her trial, and how we project ourselves on morally questionable people—both in real life and on the show. We also explore how Shalita approached playing lawyer Cassidy Diamond, and how the character—and her personal motivation to win the case, is far more complex than may appear on the surface. If you’re still curious about how Dory’s relationship with the topic of obsession comes full circle over the first three seasons of the show, we break it all down for you here. And be sure to tune in to the new season of Search Party —premiering tomorrow, January 14th, only on HBO Max!

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Does Elliott Goss lie because he’s ashamed? According to actor John Early, the answer is a resounding yes. On this episode of Search Party: The Podcast, host Bowen Yang guides a conversation about shame and guilt, bonding with guest Vanessa Bayer over their shared experiences on Saturday Night Live. Meanwhile, Vanessa psychoanalyzes Elliott Goss and why he’s able to reconcile his deceitful actions with few repercussions… aside from hives. Finally, our guests share shameful moments from their past, including the time that John’s house burned down on Christmas night when he was eight years old (true story!). His family lost everything, but in true Elliott Goss fashion, a grown-up John Early admits how much he actually enjoyed the attention and sympathy that came along with the tragedy.

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The lines between truth and lies constantly blur on Search Party. And on this episode of the podcast, Michael Showalter explains how Dory’s inner reality is actually a conduit for the ways in which we lie to ourselves. Host Bowen Yang also helps unpack the motivations for those lies and how people can get rewarded for bad behavior both in our society and on the show. “I really wanted Polly to win because I want the truth to mean something,” says Michaela Watkins, who plays tough-as-nails prosecutor Polly Danzinger, about the outcome of the trial and the parallels it has with the larger cultural moment. There are also plenty of laughs—specifically, when it comes to the infamous “pancake” moment of the courtroom scene, which Michaela thinks is the funniest joke she’s ever read in a script.

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Carrie Brownstein and Meredith Hagner have a history together: not only did Carrie direct an episode of Search Party, but they starred together in the 2018 film, The Oath. “Friendships are really complex, and I think the show explores the grey area of those complexities well,” Meredith says of the often toxic dynamic of the friendships on the show. Host Bowen Yang facilitates a discussion that explores how our friendships can be born from a sense of pain, the characters’ shared search for meaning, and why Dory and the crew are at their best when they have to work together. And finally, if you were wondering what it was like for Carrie to direct Elliott’s opulent wedding scene…we get into that as well!

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From self-hatred, to empathy, to “benevolent narcissism,” we’ve got you covered in this fame-fueled episode of Search Party: The Podcast -- and who better to take this journey with than Chantal Witherbottom herself, Clare McNulty, and actress/comedian Kate Berlant, who plays Elliott’s publisher, Nia. Host Bowen Yang guides us through a conversation about the dichotomy between Chantal’s competing feelings of insecurity and self-confidence, how Berlant’s character enables Elliott’s worst tendencies, and what it’s like for her to work with her real-life best friend John Early. We also discuss which childhood traumas our guests would mine for their respective memoirs. Believe it or not, McNulty’s eerily familiar real-life story involves being searched for by cops, dogs and helicopters…

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“She’s willing to do whatever it takes in order to not actually face herself,” Alia Shawkat says of her character Dory Previn’s conflicted identity, which fuels the conflict behind much of Search Party. Luckily, in real life, Alia and actress/comedian Mitra Jouhari have a couple of fun-loving, goofy identities, which is evident in this episode of Search Party: The Podcast. Correspondingly, host Bowen Yang uncovers just how easily Mitra could have turned out like her character, Laney, in real life, why we all had “mean best friends” growing up, and the significance of the recurring motif of the mirror on the show (including why it’s so hard for an actress to put on lipstick while pretending to stare into one).

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