Looking for a new comedy? Maybe one that has a murder mystery whodunnit twist? Then check out The Afterparty on Apple TV+.
Trying to summarise this show is a little tricky because there is a lot going on. However, I'll give it a shot, so here goes…
The Afterparty is about of group of friends who all get together for a 15-year high school reunion. At the end of that reunion is The Afterparty hosted by the school's most famous alum – Xavier (Dave Franco), a famous, if somewhat idiotic, singer and actor.
During The Afterparty, Xavier plunges to his death and in comes Detective Danner (Tiffany Haddish) to solve the case and figure out what happened.
On the basis that the death was actually a murder, Det Danner must now interview each of the suspects one by one, spot the inaccuracies and find the killer in this murder mystery.
The former classmates make an eclectic bunch, the main one being Aniq (Sam Richardson), an escape room designer and the primary suspect.
There is also his best friend, Yasper (Ben Schwartz) who used to be in a band with Xavier back in high school.
Then there is Zoe (Zoë Chao) and her ex-husband Brett (Ike Barinholtz). Zoe is Aniq's high school crush and Brett doesn't want his wife to move on with her life.
And lastly, there is Chelsea (Ilana Glazer), and Walt (Jamie Demetriou) who nobody ever remembers.
And here's the twist. As the Detective grills each suspect, they relay the whole night, from their perspective, in a different genre of film.
So Aniq's plays out like a romcom, Brett's is like an action movie, Yasper's is a musical, Chelsea's is a thriller, Walt's is a teen drama and Zoe's is an animation. Even Zoe & Brett's daughter Maggie gets interviewed in the style of a children's show.
So we get the murder mystery genre of The Afterparty blended with seven other styles. At the end of which, Detective Danner must reveal the shocking truth of what exactly happened on the night.
With so much personal history between the suspects, and a teenage St Patrick's day party that nobody wants to talk about, uncovering potential motives is the easy part.
Figuring out who killed Xavier is a bit trickier.
Is The Afterparty Worth Watching?
This is a tough one because the concept of The Afterparty is really clever. As each person tells their version of what happened you can see how easily things get misunderstood.
And, if you pay really close attention you can figure out the murder mystery and how the whole thing unfolded.
The idea of picking a completely different genre for each suspect's interview is inspired and it works really well, given their personalities.
However, I have never been a fan of a show or movie that constantly replays the same events over and over but from different perspectives.
If that doesn't bother you then you are really going to like The Afterparty. It is clever and funny and you do get invested in figuring out who the killer is.
That said, there is a lot of extra nonsense around the fringes that doesn't really add much so the eight episodes do drag a little.
Where To Watch The Afterparty
If you want to know if The Afterparty is on Netflix, then you are out of luck.
It is in fact an Apple TV+ original so you can only watch it on that streaming service.
How Many Episodes Of The Afterparty?
There are eight episodes in the first season of The Afterparty on Apple TV+.
The good news for fans of the show is that a second season has been confirmed.
However, there is no guarantee that it will feature the same cast and may end up being a completely different story with different characters.
The Cast Of The Afterparty
Created by Christopher Miller (Lego Movie), The Afterparty may fall into the murder mysteries genre but it is primarily a comedy. The characters are well defined and played expertly by a fantastic cast.
Tiffany Haddish as Detective Danner, a detective investigating Xavier's murder.
Sam Richardson (Werewolves Within) as Aniq, the primary suspect who attempts to use his escape room skills to clear his name.
Zoë Chao as Zoë, Aniq's high school crush and Brett's ex-wife.
Ike Barinholtz as Brett, Zoe's ex-husband who cheated on her.
Ben Schwartz as Yasper, Aniq's best friend who hopes to start a career in music.
Ilana Glazer as Chelsea who blames Xavier for an incident at a party that ruined her life.
Jamie Demetriou as Walt, a partygoer that no one seems to remember
Dave Franco as Eugene “Xavier” Duckworth, Jr, a pop star/actor and the murder victim.
Tiya Sircar and Ayden Mayeri as Jennifer #1 and Jennifer #2 – pregnant mean girls
