Despite being warmly received by critics, Party Down's Nielsen ratings were very low, which contributed to Starz canceling the show after two seasons on June 30, 2010.

Jane Lynch's growing commitment to Glee and Adam Scott's commitment to Parks and Recreation were believed to be additional factors behind the show's cancellation.

Jane Lynch did not appear in the last two episodes of season one due to her Glee commitments, and only returned as a guest star in the final episode of season two.

The concept of Party Down was six years in the making, with many episode ideas conceived long before the show was actually produced.

An original unaired pilot was shot at co-creator Rob Thomas's house, featuring the entire original cast except for Lizzy Caplan, whose role was instead played by Andrea Savage; this pilot was used to sell the show to Starz.

Co-creator Paul Rudd appeared in the original unaired pilot but could not join the actual series due to conflicting film projects.

For years after cancellation, a possible film adaptation was discussed, with Megan Mullally stating in 2012 that John Enbom was writing a script that would pick up where season two ended, though Adam Scott later said in 2015 that a film was unlikely and any continuation would more likely be new episodes.

Lizzy Caplan did not return as a series regular for the season three revival due to scheduling conflicts, but she ultimately made a surprise cameo appearance in the season finale.