Murder mysteries are making a comeback. In the last decade, we’ve seen adaptations of classic material, including “Sherlock” (2010–17) and “Murder on the Orient Express” (2017), as well as original stories, like “Knives Out” (2019). In recent years, a new subgenre has emerged: the murder-mystery comedy, which is exemplified in recent TV series like “The Flight Attendant” (2020–) and “Only Murders in the Building” (2021–). Combining humor and suspense, these shows — when done right — can make viewers laugh while also keeping them on the edge of their seats with twists and turns. The latest example of this is “The Afterparty” (2022–), an entertaining new series that premiered on Apple TV+ this January.
“The Afterparty” tells the story of a group of former classmates attending their high school reunion in San Francisco, which is followed by an after-party hosted by Xavier (Dave Franco), one of their classmates, who is now a famous actor and pop star. The twist? At the end of night, Xavier is found dead outside of his luxurious hilltop mansion, and everyone at his house is a suspect. Investigating the murder is Detective Danner (Tiffany Haddish), who takes the case despite her superiors trying to convince her otherwise. The suspects include best friends Aniq (Sam Richardson) and Yasper (Ben Schwartz), former couple Zoë (Zoë Chao) and Brett (Ike Barinholtz), along with Chelsea (Ilana Glazer) and Walt (Jamie Demetriou). In every episode, Detective Danner sits down with a different suspect to hear their version of the night’s events. As each character recounts the story from their perspective, we learn a little more about what really happened at the fateful after-party.
Throughout the series, each character’s testimony is presented in a different genre: For example, Aniq’s story is a romantic comedy, Brett’s is an action movie and Yasper’s is a musical. This helps every episode feel new and interesting, as each person tells their story in their own unique style. However, it can feel jarring switching between genres, and it sometimes seems like the show has written itself into a corner. Forced to recount the same night’s events over and over, the story has little room for growth. This narrative pattern is broken up by two stand-alone episodes, one which effectively flashes back to the characters’ high school years and another explores Danner’s career as a detective — a good episode, but an odd diversion from the main story when the big reveal is right around the corner.
One of the show’s biggest strengths is its cast, with plenty of familiar faces that comedy fans will recognize. In the large ensemble cast, Richardson’s Aniq stands out among the pack. Smart and down-to-earth, Aniq is easy to root for, as he seeks to bond with Zoë, his high school crush, and prove his innocence in the ongoing murder investigation. As Detective Danner, Haddish brings some levity to the show without pulling too much focus away from the mystery. Other standout performances include Ben Schwartz as Yasper, an aspiring musician, and Zoë Chao as Zoë, a high school teacher. In “The Afterparty,” the characters are much more than just murder suspects. As thirty-somethings attending their high school reunion, the characters are all trying to escape their mundane daily lives, pursue second chances and make up for their past mistakes.
The series makes fun of classic murder mystery tropes while planting itself firmly in the present, with plenty of references to technology and millennial culture. The script is full of running jokes, like Xavier’s bizarre music career and Walt, the classmate that nobody seems to remember. Additionally, the show makes good use of its score and production design, which both help to set a distinct tone in each episode.
Of course, the most important part of any whodunit is the big reveal, which “The Afterparty” pulls off skillfully. In last Friday’s release of the season finale (don’t worry, this article won’t spoil it for you), Danner solves the mystery and ultimately reveals the murderer’s identity, which you might not have predicted. Finally, the season ends with a satisfying conclusion that answers lingering questions and wraps up the main characters’ stories. The series was recently renewed for Season 2, which will feature Haddish’s Danner with a new batch of potential criminals. Although the real mystery of the show sometimes gets lost in the multitude of characters and gags, the series is still an entertaining experience. In the end, it’s not really about finding out who the killer is — it’s the fun of getting there that makes it all worth watching.
