When I was invited to host a viewing party for USA’s new comedy, Playing House, I jumped at the chance! I had heard many good things about this show and had yet to watch it, so what better an opportunity to bring the house together and watch then now? This home viewing party was made possible by Universal Cable Productions, thank you! All opinions are my own, as usual. Nothing’s changed, I’ve simply received the provisions for a fun little party! Blogger perks, yay! Okay, so check out pics from the viewing party as well as what I thought of the show below!

In “Playing House,” childhood best friends Maggie Caruso (Lennon Parham, “Best Friends Forever”) and Emma Carter (Jessica St. Clair, “Best Friends Forever”) have shared countless adventures growing up together in the charming town of Pinebrook, CT. Now, Maggie and Emma are in store for one of their biggest adventures—raising a baby. When Maggie discovers that her husband is having an online affair with a muscular German woman, Emma gives up her burgeoning business career in China to stay in their hometown and help Maggie raise her baby. Best of all, the stars are besties in real life too!

Simply put, Playing House is hilarious.

This show celebrates friendship, celebrates sisterhood, celebrates love and life and humor. We follow Maggie and Emma who are childhood best friends who are now in their adulthood, one who’s in an unhappy marriage and another who is too busy to slow down and enjoy the fruits of her labor. A lot is about to change for these two and following these ladies as the changes take place make for one incredible show.

In the “Pilot,” when Maggie’s marriage unravels in front of everyone at her baby shower while Emma’s called back to her corporate career, the two have some heavy decisions to make that involve trusting and depending on each other in ways only best friends can. What’s great about Playing House is that we’re following these two women’s journeys but it almost feels like the comedy, the entertainment factor comes first and the viewers just so happen to catch these journeys as well. That’s difficult to do. But the writers nail it, the cast nails it, and the chemistry especially between Lennon Parham and Jessica St. Clair is beyond what any casting director can whip up because these two are real life besties and it shows. These two could be reading the phone book and somehow it would be entertaining. You can’t make this kind of entertainment up. It’s legit genuine. The chemistry among the entire cast really is fantastic. The comedic rhythm is perfect. Especially in this small town setting.

Speaking of small town, in the following episode, “Bird Bones,” Maggie and Emma have a ladies brunch with the wife of Emma’s ex boyfriend. It doesn’t seem like many of the people from high school left their town. I don’t want to say too much for fear of spoiling anything but Emma and Maggie get caught doing all of the things you’re not supposed to get caught doing at someone else’s house. And then some. This episode is even more entertaining than the first. This episode caused more repeating of one liners and more laughs in the viewing party than the first and there were plenty of laughs in the first. There are only ten episodes this season and the season finale airs this Tuesday night, and a few people on the couch said they want to watch the rest of the episodes. If that’s you, you can watch them all online or On Demand this weekend in time for the finale! I sure hope this show gets a second season because it’s quite a gem! You don’t find comedies like this on TV anymore and this is one for the books. Grab your bestie and marathon Playing House, you won’t be disappointed. We weren’t!

So… the viewing party! Universal Cable Productions sent a package my way filled with a TV screener to watch Playing House, wine, wine tumblrs, and a gift card to go anywhere I needed to go to get my viewing party supplies. I took this opportunity to head to Trader Joe’s to get some goods! It’s not far from us but it is far enough away not to go regularly so this was a fun trip! Trader Joe’s pizza bites, pigs in a blanket, mini tacos which were adorable but difficult to open, Spanakopita (filled with spinach, ricotta and feta cheese), and some other goodies filled my cart! These were all hits!

I was feeling adventurous though for dessert and wanted to try something new, so I grabbed a variety of treats that I wouldn’t normally grab, some of which I had been meaning to try but never did. Of course, I bought ice cream sandwiches which are always satisfying, just in case my picks were a bust. Well, those went fast. The other treats? Mixed bag. I didn’t recall ever trying macaroons so I bought two kinds, one with coconut and another box that was flavored and filled with a kind of jelly. The latter was not a hit. Though I do want to try macaroons again at a bakery that’s well known for their macaroons so I can really give it a fair shot. After that, I think I’ll have decided whether or not I’m a macaroon person.

Also on hand for my guests were various versions of Trader Joe’s tiramisu. I thought they were good. My family, not so much. Also worth mentioning… these green tea ice cream balls that I was the only fan of. Ha ha. You should have seen the faces everyone made after trying it! I loved it though! Out of all of the desserts I grabbed, I’d say the winning treat for my guests was the raspberry tart…which was very tart but a clear winner among the rest! It was fun getting outside of my comfort zone and grabbing different treats! It made for a very entertaining evening, especially with the wine and Playing House to go with it! Boy, was that wine good!

Thanks Universal Cable Productions! Thanks viewing party guests! I had a great time hanging out with my family while catching Playing House and highly suggest you catch up on the show this weekend in time for the season one finale this Tuesday night!

Watch Playing House Tuesdays at 10/9c on USA.