Kristen will be making a special appearance in Rob Thomas new TV show Party Down, starring Ryan Hansen, etc.

“Veronica Mars” star Kristen Bell, most recently seen on TV in “Heroes,” is teaming up with her old boss again, at least briefly.

Partydown Rob Thomas, the creator of the CW’s late, lamented “Veronica Mars,” is one of the creators of “Party Down,” a pleasingly droll ensemble comedy that premieres on Starz March 20. The show is about a group of L.A. would-be writers and actors who work part-time as cater-waiters, and Bell will appear in the May 22 season finale of the show as the head of a rival catering firm.

According to a Starz press release, Bell will play “Uda Bengt, a former Party Down team member now running a rival team, Valhalla Catering, the best crew in town. Ruthlessly efficient, she tolerates nothing less than perfection from the highly imperfect Party Down crew. She carries her secret weapon in her back pocket, Party Down CEO Alan Duk’s number on speed dial, and thinks nothing of getting Ron [Ken Marino's character] fired if he gets in her way.”

I’ve seen the first three episodes of the show, and while the first two are promising but uneven, the third had me guffawing out loud quite a few times. It was really that good. The ensemble cast is really skilled, and when they get in their groove, which definitely happens quite a bit in Episode 3, I liked this show a lot.

A few people on my Twitter feed were like, “What and where is Starz?” Good question. It’s a premium channel, so if you’re a crazed “VM” fan, now might be the time to find out whether you have it or can get it.

There are quite a few “Veronica Mars” alums on “Party Down”: Enrico Colantoni, who played Keith Mars on “VM” has a guest role in the premiere, Jason Dohring (Logan on “VM”) and Alona Tal (Meg Manning on “VM”) guest star in Episode 2, and Ryan Hansen (Dick Casablancas on “VM”) and Ken Marino (private investigator Vinnie Van Lowe on “VM”) are in the show’s regular cast.

Rounding out the cast are Lizzy Caplan (“True Blood,” “Cloverfield”), Jane Lynch (“The 40 Year Old Virgin”), Adam Scott (“Tell Me You Love Me”) and Martin Starr (“Freaks and Geeks”). And “VM” writer John Enbom is one of the co-creators, along with Thomas, Dan Etheridge (“Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles”) and actor Paul Rudd.

Other guest stars on “Party Down” include Ed Begley, Jr., Marilu Henner, Joey Lauren Adams, Breckin Meyer, Rob Corddry and Steven Weber.

Starz’s press release on Bell and “Party Down” is below.

Fans of Kristen Bell will get a double dose of the former crime-solving star of Veronica Mars in the coming weeks – in addition to her role in the Star Wars-themed comedy FANBOYS (opening this Friday), Bell will hit the small screen and reunite with “Mars” creator Rob Thomas for a guest-starring role in his highly anticipated Starz comedy series, Party Down. The new series, which premieres March 20th at 10:30 PM ET/PT, features Bell (in the season finale airing May 22) as Uda Bengt, a former Party Down team member now running a rival team, Valhalla Catering, the best crew in town. Ruthlessly efficient, she tolerates nothing less than perfection from the highly imperfect Party Down crew. She carries her secret weapon in her back pocket, Party Down CEO Alan Duk’s number on speed dial, and thinks nothing of getting Ron fired if he gets in her way.

Commenting on Bell’s cameo, Party Down executive producer and creator Rob Thomas said: “I couldn’t be any more excited about working with Kristen again. 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.”

Not everyone opts for the “normal” lives of traditional jobs and nuclear families, such as the crew of misfits on the new Starz comedy, “Party Down,” premiering Friday, March 20 at 10 P.M. ET/PT. The new half-hour from the creator of “Veronica Mars,” Rob Thomas, follows a Los Angeles catering team – a sextet of Hollywood wannabes stuck working for tips while hoping for their “big break.” Each episode of the 10-part original series finds the hapless catering team working a new event – from sweet sixteen affairs to gay weddings to mobster acquittal parties to porn awards – where they inevitably get tangled up with colorful guests and the absurd drama of their own personal lives.

The cast, comprised of the industry’s best-known character actors, includes: Ken Marino (“Veronica Mars,” Role Models), Adam Scott (“Tell Me You Love Me,” Step Brothers), Jane Lynch (Role Models, The 40 Year Old Virgin), Martin Starr (Knocked Up, “Freaks and Geeks), Ryan Hansen (“Veronica Mars,” Friday the 13th 2009) and Lizzy Caplan (“True Blood,” Cloverfield). In addition to Kristen Bell, additional celebrity guest appearances include: Ed Begley, Jr., Marilu Henner, Joey Lauren Adams, Breckin Meyer, Rob Corddry and Steven Weber. Executive produced by Thomas, along with John Enbom (“Veronica Mars,” “Terminator: the Sarah Connor Chronicles”) Paul Rudd (Role Models, Knocked Up) and Dan Etheridge (“Cupid,” “Veronica Mars”), 80′s icon, Fred Savage (“Wonder Years”) also directs five of the episodes.