At first glance, The Afterparty appears to be a murder mystery disguised as a chance to let a murderer’s row of comedic talents work together. And, really, it might also be that. But what you’ll find out if you keep watching this quirky and really funny comedy series is that it’s a heck of a good time that allows each of its stars the chance to really shine.
The crux of the story is this: At the after party of a 15-year high school reunion, a group of former friends, lovers, and enemies end up at the palatial home of their former classmate Xavier (Dave Franco), a nerd who went on to international pop stardom. Unfortunately for Xavier, he ends up dead on the beach below his house. How’d he end up there and which former classmate (or classmates) was involved? Think of the series one of Agatha Christie’s Hercule Perot stories, but funny. And while there’s a murder mystery that is driving the series, that element only glances the surface of what this series has to offer.
As with typical murder mystery tales, most of the episodes are centered around one of the suspects – Sam Richardson’s sweet, but bumbling Aniq, Zoe Chao’s focused and kind Zoe, Ike Barinholtz’s manic and trying-too-hard Brett, Ilana Glazer’s loner Chelsea, Jamie Demetriou’s invisible Walt, and Ben Schwartz’s ball of energy Yasper – breaking down who they were back in high school and who they have become in the present. The interlocking relationships – how they were back in the day, how they have evolved into the present – are what makes the series work outside of the smart, sharp humor. Each episode lets you learn a bit more about the characters, both through their interactions with others in the present moment and through the stories told by the various characters to the detective in charge – that would be Detective Danner, played perfectly by Tiffany Haddish, who has her own secret.
But the secret sauce to the series is in its cast. As you can tell from the names listed above, this is a hell of a cast, and everyone is given the chance to shine throughout the series. Richardson is ostensibly the series lead, as Aniq ends up being the prime suspect (for suitably funny reasons), but he’s also the romantic lead, as he attempts to finally tell Zoe how he feels after years of missing his shot. The series’ best, most interesting, and fun character, however, is Schwartz’s Yasper, the former band mate of Xavier who didn’t end up nearly as successful as his former (barely tolerated) friend. The series’ third episode is a deep dive into his past and my god, is it a good one. Written by Jack Dolgen (who co-wrote the songs on the great Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), the episode has a number of great musical moments that are just perfection. I was a bit wary of the series in its initial two offerings, but episode three absolutely sealed the deal.
The Afterparty knows what it is as a series, and it doesn’t try to turn its story into something beyond its focus. It’s smart, funny, and the cast is clearly having a hell of a time. With as much talent as there is both in front of and behind the camera here (in addition to Dolgen, the series also boasts Phil Lord and Christopher Miller – aka Lord and Miller, the duo behind the Lego films – as executive producers, with both writing episodes and Miller directing each installment), it was a relief to see that the series really managed to hit on all cylinders. If you’re looking for a fun, irreverent comedy with people at the top of their game (and who aren’t taking themselves or the series too seriously), give The Afterparty a try. Especially if you’re one of those folks looking for something else to watch on your AppleTV+ subscription. This one is a winner.
The first three episodes of The Afterparty are currently streaming on AppleTV+. New episodes will drop each Friday. Seven of the series’ eight episodes were provided for review.
-
Acting
-
Writing
-
Direction
