Quinta Brunson Joins ‘Party Down’ Revival as Guest Star (EXCLUSIVE)

Kate Aurthur
·2 min read
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Quinta Brunson, creator and star of the hit ABC sitcom “Abbott Elementary,” will guest star on the upcoming Starz revival of “Party Down.” The appearance inadvertently leaked during an April 21 taping for Variety‘s Actors on Actors series, in which Brunson was paired with Adam Scott, of both Apple TV+’s “Severance” and the revived Starz series, which ran for two seasons in 2009 and 2010.

During the conversation, it became clear that Brunson and Scott knew one another. At one point, Brunson said, “After doing Janine for months straight on ‘Abbott,’ I remember getting so excited to come do another thing in a way that almost felt juvenile,” to which Scott replied, “But that was announced, right? We can say it — you’re guest starring on ‘Party Down.'”

More from Variety

“I don’t think that was announced,” Brunson replied. “It wasn’t?” Scott asked.

It had not been.

Variety’s Actors on Actors magazine is on sale on June 8, and Brunson and Scott’s full conversation will be published on Variety.com on June 19.

Starz ordered the “Party Down” revival in the fall, with cast members Scott, Jane Lynch, Ken Marino, Martin Starr, Ryan Hansen and Megan Mullally all returning for a six-episode limited series. Because of scheduling conflicts with her upcoming shows “Fleishman Is in Trouble” and “Fatal Attraction,” “Party Down” co-star Lizzy Caplan is not set to come back.

Brunson will play Jaff, described as the “sharp, calculating agent” of Hansen’s himbo actor character, Kyle Bradway. More details about the new season of the half-hour comedy, including a launch date, are expected to be announced soon. 

The once-and-future cult hit “Party Down” is executive produced by Rob Thomas, John Enbom, Paul Rudd, Dan Etheridge and Scott. Enbom serves as showrunner. The show continues to follow a woeful Los Angeles catering team of Hollywood strivers, and its previous two seasons available to stream on Starz and Hulu.

Brunson’s star has quickly risen over the past year with the popular and critically praised “Abbott Elementary,” which has propelled her into the Emmys race as both an actor and creator. The ABC comedy, inspired by Brunson’s mother, follows a group of devoted public school teachers in Philadelphia. Previously, Brunson appeared on “A Black Lady Sketch Show,” and wrote the book “She Memes Well,” which was released in June 2021. She is represented by Authentic Management, ICM Partners and Persona PR.

Previously announced guest stars on the “Party Down” revival include Jennifer Garner, Tyrel Jackson Williams and Zoë Chao, with James Marsden set to recur.

Best of Variety

Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Click here to read the full article.