Ordinarily I’d save this for the Weekend Preview on Friday, but I like “Party Down” so much that I want to talk about its excellence with enough lead time for you to add Starz to your cable package in case you’re one of those fat cats with extra money to spend on things like premium cable and designer drugs.

I ended up watching Season 1 of “Party Down” On Demand well after Season 1 ended, and I couldn’t believe that such a perfect comedic gem was tucked away on Starz. And even though Jane Lynch has departed for “Glee,” Season 2, debuting Friday, delivers the same smart laughs according to the Chicago Tribune:

[T]his well-crafted show about caterers waiting for their big Hollywood break is set among the disillusioned, the disappointed and the dysfunctional. Much of the comedy comes from the characters realizing that they are waiting for opportunities that may never come.

[The show] remains light on its feet, thanks to its nuanced characters and its careful use of both irony and sincerity. Though it takes a while to integrate a new character played by Megan Mullally, Season 2 confidently builds on the successes of Season 1, and from about Episode 5 onward, “Party Down” takes its place as one of the most consistently entertaining shows on television.

A lot of people like “Entourage” because, they claim, it so perfectly captures the culture of the entertainment industry in Los Angeles. Those people can go eat a gigantic helping of spotted dick, because “Party Down” is a much more realistic portrayal, featuring struggling artists who came to L.A. with a dream. Some of them keep their dream alive by being delusional, some have given in to cynicism, but everyone’s had a small enough taste of success to stay in L.A. — yet not enough to quit their catering job. Anyone who’s seen both shows and still prefers “Entourage” played lacrosse in high school.