TVSquad

I've seen the new show from Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas, and it is good. No, not the Cupid redo; I'm talking about Party Down.

The comedy about a group of struggling actors working as caterers premieres March 20 on STARZ. The show reunites Thomas with Mars stars Ken Marino, Ryan Hansen and Adam Scott. Now, Veronica Mars herself, Kristen Bell, is slated to guest star on the season finale, airing May 22.

Bell will play a rival caterer who makes trouble for the regular characters. Thomas said he wrote the part with Bell in mind.

"Her role in Party Down is the first that we've written for a specific actor. Too often women and guest stars get stuck playing the straight man in comedies, but, in Uda, I think John (Enbom) created a character worthy of Kristen's significant comedic talents. I'm also looking forward to hanging out on set like old times," Thomas said in a STARZ press release.

Bell isn't the only VM vet slated to guest star on the show. Expect to see Enrico Colantoni (Keith Mars), Jason Dohring (Logan Echolls) Ed Begley, Jr. (Dean O'Dell) and Alona Tal (Meg Manning) show up in the first season.

I'm looking forward to seeing Bell in a comedic role, and I hope her high profile will drum up some attention for this series. I laughed out loud more than once while watching a preview ep of Party Down. The writing is hilarious, the ensemble cast is great, and the tone is just right. It's not too over the top and its not too dramatic. It's a workplace comedy not unlike The Office, but every episode features a new setting and about four hundred F-bombs. I hope STARZ puts this thing online, because, um, who the hell subscribes to STARZ?