'Search Party' Season 4 Teaser Trailer: HBO Max's Alia Shawkat-Led Dark Comedy Series Returns January 14

‘It stopped being a party a long time ago,” is the new tagline for season four of HBO Max‘s “Search Party” and ain’t that the truth. Originally on TBS, “Search Party” was seemingly a fun, amusing, hip, funny show about millennials and millennial angst. A young, 20-something (Alia Shawkat), needs a purpose in her life and when a friend from high school goes missing—one that she doesn’t particularly know very well—she decides to devote her life to finding her. But then, by the end of the first season, and continuing through season two, “Search Party” got dark, and twisted: something more of a murder mystery with Hitchock-ian ideas of guilt and trauma. And all that said, yes, “Search Party” still manages to find lots of hilarity in its darkness, but the party is definitely over.

The roll-out of the series is an interesting one and seemingly a hybrid of binging and weed-to-week appointment viewing. The premieres on Thursday, Jan. 14 with three episodes, then the comedy thriller’s ten-episode season continues with another three episodes on Jan. 21 and the final four episodes on Jan. 28. That’s definitely something we haven’t really seen before and one wonders if it’ll be a trend.

“Search Party” is executive produced and created by Sarah-Violet Bliss, and Charles Rogers (also writers and directors), Michael Showalter, and is also executive produced Lilly Burns and Tony Hernandez for Jax Media.

Here’s the season four synopsis, I wouldn’t read it if you’re not fully caught up with the show:

In the new season, “Dory” (Alia Shawkat) is held prisoner by her psychotic stalker “Chip” (Cole Escola), who is determined to make Dory believe that they are best friends. Meanwhile, “Portia” (Meredith Hagner) is starring in a film about the trial, although not as herself; “Elliott” (John Early) has switched party lines to become a far-right conservative talk show host; and “Drew” (John Reynolds) is trying to escape his dark past by working as a costumed cast member in a theme park. As the friends begin to connect the dots that Dory might not be touring Europe as her faked social media posts suggest, they must decide whether or not to put their traumatic pasts behind them and once again become a search party – but this time, for Dory.

Additionally, this week marked the launch of “Search Party: The Podcast,” hosted by comedian and SEARCH PARTY fan Bowen Yang. In each episode, features guests discussing the series like Paul Scheer, Chloe Fineman, Busy Philipps, Mitra Jouhari, Kate Berlant, Carrie Brownstein, Michaela Watkins, Vanessa Bayer and Shalita Grant. Episode one with guests Charles Rogers and Taran Killam is live here.

“Search Party” season four begins January 14 on HBO Max. Watch the first teaser trailer below.