Whether for a birthday party or a group viewing of your favourite show, choosing a TV show as your theme is a great way to get people into the right mood. Try our suggestions for a fun, TV-themed party, and one that will be unforgettable.
MAD MEN
What you’ll need:
A stylish sixties outfit and a dash of nostalgic misogyny.
What to do:
Go sophisticated sixties in Mad Men chic. There aren’t as many humorous options for costumes here, basically you’re going to end up with a room of really well dressed people. Girls can channel their inner Betty with A-line skirts, take the more seductive path as Joan with fitted jewel-coloured dresses, or be no-nonsense Peggy in patterned blouses. For the men, it’s all about the skinny tie and those horn-rimmed glasses.
Mad Men is about indulgence and a slightly rosy nostalgia. Create the right scene around your party with an office section complete with typewriters, and a well-stocked bar (or imitation bar with other drinks). Puff on a chocolate cigarette, and try to adopt a general attitude of misogyny, that should get you right into the spirit of the show.
Mad Men is more of a soap than it would like to admit, so don’t be afraid to throw some melodrama into your party. You could even assign different characters to each of your guests, that way you can really get into the drama of the abundant affairs, secret children given up for adoption, marriage break-ups, and general dissatisfaction at work. A recipe for party success!
GAME OF THRONES
What you’ll need:
Super competitive friends, a killer costume, and dragon eggs.
What to do:
Game of Thrones is such a strikingly visual show that the costumes alone would make it one party your friends would never forget. If you’re brave, you could try Daenerys’ white-blonde hair (or if you’re not ready to committ, find a wig), or get a group together and go as the whole Stark family. Bonus points go anyone attempting a direwolf, especially if it’s two people in a comically oversized animal suit.
A Game of Thrones party wouldn’t be complete without some West Side Story gang/family rivalry. You could try a ‘Capture the Flag’-style competition for the Iron Throne, or the more random approach of ‘Musical Chairs.’ Except there’s only one chair, and anyone who doesn’t end up sitting on it gets exiled, beheaded, or thrown out a window. Just kidding. Well, maybe you could do the exile part.
When it comes to decor, you can go the full medieval route, or establish different rooms in your house as the different areas of Westeros. You’ll need to spend the rest of the party plotting against each other, generating complicated treaties, or jumping into a fire with some dragon eggs to see if that will help them hatch.
GLEE
What you’ll need:
A karaoke machine, hair gel, and the wish that your life was a musical.
What to do:
Decorate like the choir room with fake trophies, a lurking pianist and plenty of space for impromptu dance numbers. Next, you’ll need to pump out the eclectic Glee mix of Broadway tunes and Top 40. Even better if you throw in a random rap number (extra points if you can get your awkward white male friend to do the rap). You’ll need to set up a karaoke machine somewhere, and then encourage your friends to be as competitive as possible.
There are almost too many costume possibilities for Glee. Embody any of the kids by going in knee-highs as Rachel Berry, slicking back your hair as Blaine, or DIY-ing a Cheerios outfit. If you’d rather one of the adults, there’s Sue’s tracksuit and Will’s ridiculous vests, or crack the one-liners as Figgins.
Then all you need to do is stand around debating the merits of Barbra and Liza and time yourself to see how many Public Service Announcements you can make in 44 minutes. For party games, try singling out one of your friends, call them Tina, and ignore them for the rest of the party. Then, sing, dance and be merry. That’s what Glee is all about, after all.
DOCTOR WHO
What you’ll need:
Inflatable Daleks, fish fingers (for eating), and celery stalks (for wearing).
What to do:
The big problem with Doctor Who is going to be convincing all your friends not to come as the Eleventh Doctor. Instead, encourage them to whip out a colourful knitted scarf or a stalk of celery. This is one of the only times that wearing vegetables will be considered to be an appropriate costume, and this way you won’t end up with a room of hipsters in bowties and fezes.
What you really want is for everyone to dress up as a different alien, then you can recreate the bar scene in “The End of Time” with the adorable drunk Adipose. To decorate, try buying some inflatable Daleks and hiding them around various corners – any Doctor Who party should have an element of fear and running away, after all.
To help create this atmosphere, try randomly yelling out “RUN!” in the middle of a conversation. Party games could include staring at statues without blinking, investigating if any of your cupboards or closets are bigger on the inside (be careful that this doesn’t verge into Narnia territory though) and name-dropping various historical figures. And you can serve fish fingers and custard, naturally.
GREY’S ANATOMY
What you’ll need:
Fake blood and a whole lot of melodrama.
What to do:
To start, set up different areas – try the operating theatre, the clinic, and the house where every person you’ve ever worked with are roommates, apparently. Draw a line down the middle of the house and see how long it takes those guests dressed as doctors to cross it. Based on the show, that would be not very long, and frequently. Tell your friends that you’ll also be naming your favourite person as Chief, and watch them fight it out all night.
The great thing about a Grey’s Anatomy theme is basically, it’s a horror party. Instead of dressing up like the melodramatic medical team, try going as their patients – train wreck, bicycle race, you name it. Alternately, if you really want to come as one of the doctors, try being them in a particular situations – maybe Plane Crash Meredith, or Hospital Shooting Alex. Of course, the less fake blood-inspired Left At The Altar Christina.
Before the party starts write down some disaster scenarios, then during the party, read one out and tell your guests to act accordingly. Don’t be worried about the frequency, on Grey’s catastrophic events seem to occur improbably often. Some suggestions include, “Your best friend was just hit by a bus” and “You were in an accident so now your life is a musical.” Remember, if you want a scene change, you can always barricade yourself in a different room and call it a spin-off show.
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
What you’ll need:
A love of depressing acoustic music, a stake, and a hipster 90s outfit.
What to do:
There ain’t no party like a Buffy Summers party! This show is just begging for you and your friends to dance around in your best 90s outfits like real hipsters. We love the idea of a “Hush” party (like a silent disco, but retro) or one in a “Once More With Feeling” style (you get to sing about mustard), but these may require more commitment than you’re prepared for. Instead, grab your stake and perfect your best sulky brood, and you’ll be good to go.
Forget decorations, you have seven seasons of characters to choose from, so get going on that costume. No Buffy party would be complete without Dark Willow’s creepy veiny face, or Clem and his “skin condition.” The best part is, the characters will absolutely cover all the people you know. Frenemy? Suggest they come as Faith. Sister you sometimes forget exists? Dawn, check. Strange guy with too much peroxide that lives in a nearby crypt? Oh dear, doesn’t look like Buffy covers that.
Then just pump out those slightly depressing 90s hits, and make like you’re at The Bronze. Don’t hesitate to pout or stand dramatically in half shadows, these were the hallmarks of the Buffy years – and make sure you practice some clever quips to throw into the end of conversations. Aim to interact as awkwardly as possible with your Scoobies, embrace your inner teenage angst, and didn’t your mother ever tell you not to join underground secret government initiatives or go on dates with demons? We thought so.
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